The pick of the action from the live arena in 2007.
Ian Brown
Venue: Doncaster Dome. Crikey gigs like buses? Don’t have any decent ones at the Dome for ages then Friday night it’s Pigeon Detectives followed by Ian Brown on Saturday, corking weekend. As expected it’s a sell out and there’s plenty of touts on duty. Support – Can’t comment much as only saw a couple of numbers but it tells you enough about the man. The main support act is rap followed by a DJ spinning old skool soul a la Wigan Pier. It’s this diversity that makes Ian Brown such a unique artist. Main Event – Cometh the hour cometh the Greatest, Ian strides out to a heroes welcome the place buzzing in anticipation and they ain’t no way the man is going to disappoint. It’s a wide and varied set; featuring new cuts (latest single ‘Sister Soul’ is an early success) solo classics and oh yes some welcome Roses, more of which later. There’s also a welcome addition to his band too, former Smith Andy Rourke joins on bass, in fact he’s obviously to blame for the fuck up in ‘Lovebug’ not that it matters they laugh it off and start afresh! Brown looks well at ease and even feels the need to whip up the Donny crowd by makes cheap jibes about Yorkshire lads, it’s all well and truly tongue in cheek and taken on the whole in fair jest. The lads do give Brown plenty of slack as they find the groove in masterful renditions of greats like ‘Dolphins were monkeys’, Corpses’ and ‘Longsight M13’. But this a mere warm up for what comes later, the main set is finished with a full and epic ‘I am the resurrection’ it is just, well, fucking awesome! The roof is nearly lifted off the place, people are singing along not just to Brown but to the guitar parts too, it’s spot on, absolute perfection. By this stage the place is keyed up big time and when Brown and the lads reappear the encore is just sublime, they kick off with ‘Golden gaze’ follow with ‘I wanna be adored’ and ‘Fools Gold’ then end with ‘FEAR’, just try and beat that! ‘Golden Gaze’ is just such a great tune and the dancing continues but when the opening bars of ‘I wanna be adored’ pipe up it’s musical heaven, just try and stand still to Ian Brown singing the Roses, it just can’t be done! Now ‘Fools Gold’ leaves everyone a tad perplexed, it’s ‘Fools Gold’ musically but Brown sings a different song over it, it ain’t bad just a bit bizarre! Now lets be fair The Stone Roses were Gods amongst men but Ian Brown has created something to equal what the Roses managed, that one song is ‘FEAR’ and that’s why Brown finishes this gig with it and why it gets such an enthusiast response. Lyrically it’s simplicity is why it works so well and musically it just sums Brown up, loose grooves and just so, so catchy. It’s plain and simply brilliant. Verdict – Fantastic expectations amazing revelations!
The Pigeon Detectives
Venue – Doncaster Dome. It weren’t long since The Pigeon Detectives were second on the bill at the local toilet circuit venue, The Leopard (we know as we were there!) and now they sell out this vast sports arena with ease. In fact they are safe in the and in fact buoyed by the knowledge their homecoming show at The Millennium Square, Leeds next May has already sold out. Doncaster expects then. Support – Possibly what Doncaster doesn’t expect is a stunning guest appearance by Sheffield’s Milburn. Another band in good form after their sell out home town gig the night before Milburn have got an easy ride tonight, a rammed hall with plenty of local support. They make good use of the vibe too as they knock out a stella performance. Always also rans to the mega success of Arctic Monkeys but a slight change of musical emphasis has led Milburn to really become their own men. ‘What will you do when the money goes’ still has that pure pop melody and leads to plenty of chants of ‘Milburn, Milburn’. They finish proceedings with ‘What you could’ve won’, the highlight of their debut album ‘Well Well Well’ quite a fitting end to the most success of support slots, job well and truly done. Main Event – Any nerves then? Hell no The Pigeon Detectives on tonight’s evidence look like the big stages have been their destiny from day one and they love it! From the moment bundle of energy and lead singer Matthew Bowman kicks off the place goes mental, he jumps around as much as the crowd and vice versa. Tonight it seems like one last mammoth celebration of the year that The Pigeon Detectives hit the bigtime and as expected they place all the songs that catapulted from the indie second division to premier league mega unit shifters. To be fair to the pigeons they ain’t done it on hype they have the songs to back them up and the album ‘Wait for me’ is solid gold. So where do we start then? Well they play a few new tracks which ain’t so bad and act as a good breather for the masses so when ‘Take her back’ is dropped the place can go absolutely mental; bodies, sweat and beer all over the place. The songs fit a pretty well trod path, short and spiky with plenty of guitars but with a chorus that begs to be sung along to, and there’s plenty of singing along down tonight. Take current single ‘I found out’ for a pretty decent example if Mathew felt the need for a breather it wouldn’t really matter as the volume off stage is nearly as high as that on it. To whip them up further Matthew flies all over the place including jumping off the top of the amp stack (which I’m sure ain’t the best idea he’s ever had, but looked ace!) and singing the ‘Donny, Donny, Donny’ song coined by fellow West Yorkies The Kaiser Chiefs and Chris Moyles on their visit to these shores. So as the house lights come up and the sodden Doncaster public walk out into the bitter November night they know they’ve seen something pretty special, good night to be from Yorkshire then, too right.
The Whip
Venue: Leeds Cockpit. We’re back in the small room for this intimate affair and it’s absolutely packed to the rafters. It always has a pretty decent feel to it in here when it’s full so we’re expecting a cracking atmosphere and hopefully some movement too (it has had a tendency in here to be a venue to be seen in rather than join in). Support – Rochelle. One of those new electro pop bands that have sprung up across the country in the last couple of years Rochelle are led by the captivating and photogenic Lydia. She easily gets the crowd moving which is no easy task for a support act. They are lively and throw down some great grooves: so with Lydia’s great cabaret style stage presence, the tunes and crowd on their side Rochelle are a real winner. Main Event – This nu rave thing is probably about over by now, after all the NME will be looking for something new to bull up which is good news if it rids us of the overrated and overblown Klaxons! But what it will leave us with is a number of blinding indie dance bands who blend dance grooves, guitars and a shit load of energy, one of these bands is The Whip. For those who don’t know The Whip are three blokes and a rather natty female drummer who all like a dance. They take to the stage in a rather understated way but by the time they leap off top of the world the entire Cockpit is moving; in fact it hasn’t seen dancing on this scale for quite some time. The Whip have some great influences; they suck in New Order, 808 State and possibly a bit of the Roses then mix it up with loads of keyboards, electro noodlings and blow it out with bags of energy into rip roaring great tunes. In fact we ain’t seen so many people with their hands in the air and glowsticks in their pints since The Shaman were moving any mountains! Verdict – Dancing never looked so good! The Whip will rock you into dancing and that’s a great combination, watch this lot 2008 is going to be one hell of a year for them. Pass us a glowstick we fancy coming along for the ride!
The Departure
Venue – Sheffield Leadmill. Back across the M18 to the comfort of the Leadmill, almost but not quite for the return of The Departure we are relegated to the ‘Steel Stage’ which in other words is actually the small bar. It does make quite a nice intimate place for the hardy souls who have turned out. Support – We actually arrive in time to catch a few songs by Clocks. They are lead by a rather unkept fellow with bad hair but musically it ain’t bad, plenty of feeling and guitars thrown in for good measure. Main Event – ‘Dirty Words’ the debut album by The Departure was actually quite the success, dark and brooding but with an eye for a good tune. So after a time away in the wilderness The Departure return with a second album in the bag and a new drummer on the stool. Fortunately The Departure have the formula for a returning band spot on, drop in loads of new songs cause lets face it we all want to see what they have to offer and the band want to test drive it before the album is on the streets. But on the flipside they still thrown in the picks of ‘Dirty Words’ in fact they whip out ‘Be my Enemy’ early doors. It has a blinding intro, those dark crackling guitars and a chorus to die for, it’s a real line in the sand, this is what we’re about and there’s plenty more to come. For good measure they follow up with newie ‘7 Years’ which has getting some specialist radio play and generally positive feedback. As a band they work really well, singer David Jones decked out in doc martins, skin tight jeans and dark top looks the part and really puts his heart and soul into it, he doesn’t stand about he’s verging on hyperactive and is the convincing frontman. When they air old favourites ‘Lump in my throat’ and the excellent ‘Arms around me’ it gets the small but enthusiastic crowd going, Jones even congratulates one lad for the best air drumming he’s ever seen! Musically there’s not a load better to have come out of Northampton, it’s dark but there’s a good energy to it, like a Joy Division with a poppy edge or The Bravery if they had more than one song! Verdict – Signs are good that the follow up should measure favourably to ‘Dirty Words’ and The Departure live still appear to be a decent night out, hopefully next time more will be drawn out to join them.
The Harrisons
Venue: A quick burst up the M1 / M621 for all concerned leads us to Leeds finest, The Cockpit. Not quite ready for the main room we’re shoehorned into the smaller venue, which actually has a decent vibe and sound. Support: As usual we miss one, New Vinyl but manage to have a bottle of Brooklyn beer in hand for Headway. Hailing from Nottingham Headway seem to be a more straightforward rock beast, the veer around The Who through Radiohead and into mor territory. They are pretty useful especially when heralded into darker circles but do seem to lose focus and direction so still plenty of work to do. Main Event – Harrisons have brought a few up with them from the new capital of northern music, Sheffield which improves the atmosphere no end but our correspondents suggest too much chatting towards the back of the crowd which to be fair is usual for any venue in Leeds. At the front there’s plenty of dancing and getting into it, which is what is needed. Harrisons themselves are one hell of a collection of British pop culture; they manage to rake in such influences such as The Clash, The Happy Mondays, Black Grape, Oasis, Paul Weller, Stone Roses and plenty in-between. Personally we think they work best when there’s plenty of grooves behind them, take ‘Mondays Arms’ and ‘Take it to the mattress’ which defo head wildly into a post baggy, guitar meets beats feast. That said the crowds fav is still former nearly hit single ‘Dear Constable’ which has more straight forward Clash influenced heads down guitar anthem. Verdict – Live Harrisons show why we should be proud of the musical culture this small island possesses as they use it all to pretty good effect. Even saying this if you don’t add anything of worth to all these influences you end up sounding like nothing more than a tribute band, Harrisons never sound like a tribute band in fact they sound pretty damn fine. Another winner for Sheffield on tour then, oh yes indeed.
The Charlatans
Venue: Bingley Music Live. Now this is a new one on us but to be fair to the local council it’s a great venue, Myrtle Park is a lovely setting with a natural hill to one side (for a great view of the stage and the big screens) and a very scenic wood directly behind the stage. On the slope are some rather large trees which give some protection to the worst nature has to offer too! On the flip side unfortunately they have vastly underestimated the amount of alcohol consumed by charlies fans and the queue at times during the undercard seems to be half of the attendees! But flip the coin again and the bill for under a tenner is stunning, it’s a bargain for The Charlatans alone but throw in Milburn, The dead 60’s and The Twang and you are laughing. The Main Event – A few years since we saw The Charlatans at T in the Park and frankly found them a bit dull, the last but one album ‘At the lake’ we also found well of the boil. Saying that the first time we saw then way back in ’92 and every other time since they have been stunning. So it’s always foul hardy to write off a band with such a formidable track record like The Charlatans and ‘Simplico’ plus a career spanning ‘Best of’ leads us back into a field in West Yorkshire to see if Tim and co can ‘strap it on’ like The Charlatans of old. It looks good as Burgess leads the troops out to the strains of ‘Nine Acre Court’ he again looks the part, stylish and those good looks used to great effect. They also seem in bullish mood and before too long the place is bouncing to the likes of ‘How High’, ‘Blackened blue eyes’ and a stella ‘Love is the key’ it’s already obvious that this is vintage Charlatans. They manage to drop a couple of new tracks into the mix without much worry, they go down well and to be fair sound the part, that’s the future then what about the past? Well just get a load ‘The only one I know’, the keyboards are the real killer and Bingley is quite literally blown away, the mad baggy dancing in the field is pretty awful but the tune is just blinding. To others the real heyday of the band is during that Oasis fuelled britpop era where their output despite tragedies was second to none. Those wanting a bit of this ain’t disappointed neither ‘One to another’ is dispatched to much acclaim and ‘North Country Boy’ (dedicated to the boys!) prompts much more car crash dancing! A bit of a surprise is the song dedicated to the girls, ‘You’re so pretty, we’re so pretty’ is a bit of a monster. It’s like The Charlatans nicking the best of The Rolling Stones then getting The Chemical Brothers in to give it a bit of a kicking, all told it’s sounds awesome and the energy is mind blowing. Unfortunately it’s a shortened set due to early curfews and stuff but there’s always an ace up The Charlatans sleeves to leave you on a high. The keyboards give the game away as the elongated intro kicks in but once it’s in full effect the crowd is back in mad manc dancing, this is ‘Sprolston green’ and fist pumping bez dancing is compulsory! It is as ever the perfect end to a perfect headline slot. Verdict – So are The Charlatans still able to ‘strap it on’ then? Hell yeah! This is a great career spanning set and even manages to introduce a couple of new tracks too which points to a bright future. Even the weather manages to clear up it’s act and is nice and dry so Bingley can enjoy one of the best bands of the last twenty years in full tilt. Simply The Charlatans rock!
The Wedding Present
Venue: Doncaster Live Festival. Now in it’s third year this mini festival takes over part of Doncaster’s famous market place, pops up a decent sized stage and gets some decent bands to play and best of all it’s free! So grab a space amongst the stalls, a beer from one of the local hostelries and enjoy (oh and remember you coat as it always rains). Support – Well it’s not so much as support bands but lower card on the ‘festival’ billing. First up that we see are OPM. A bit of a weird one this all the way from socal, USA to fourth on the bill in Doncaster! Most famous from the hit ‘Heaven is a halfpipe’ OPM knock out a pretty obvious line of rock, rap, pop with a bit of ska influence and like to advertise the benefits of smoking hash, swearing and like all good American rock bands repeatedly reminding the crowd where they are! They aren’t bad but they aren’t going to change the world neither, ‘Heaven is a halfpipe’ is blatantly their best tune and they milk it to good effect. Next up are The Paddingtons, hailing from Hull but that isn’t held against them tonight! Sounding like The Libertines fighting with The Clash and The Sex Pistols they look and sound the real deal. They go down pretty well and deservedly so. Last up before Leeds finest are Tiny Dancers making the short hop from across the West Yorkshire border. Now these touting their debut ‘Free School Milk’ definitely look like a good old-fashioned indie band, pretty damn weird! They aren’t re-inventing the wheel but with performance like this they seemed to have gained a few new fans. The Main Event – Ever since we first witnessed The Wedding Present way, way back in 1991 (at weird venue Wakefield Rooftop gardens no less) Dave Gedge and his ever rotating Wedding Present line up have had godlike status. Their album from that year ‘Seamonsters’ is in our view essential and I do mean essential listening, it catapulted the Weddoes from miserablists indie jangley guitar merchants into the realms of twisted, epic indie guitar stars. Their live performances are pretty legendary too and they definitely don’t disappoint tonight neither. There’s plenty down the front, with a number of hardcore fans who know every word. They do a far too short a set but it’s interspersed with some absolute gems. ‘My Favourite Dress’ is a real old skool crowd pleasers and ‘Kennedy’ from way back to the album ‘Bizarro’ gets everyone singing along. They don’t sit back on their considerable back catalogue laurels either and air some new stuff too, it’s typical gedge and that’s always appreciated. Possibly one of their most poppy moments ‘Flying Saucer’ is refreshing still a great slice of indie pop but it’s the combination from ‘Seamonsters’ that always steal the show. ‘Dare’ is splendidly dark with some real twisted guitars but it’s ‘Dalliance’ that really steals the show, as ever. It’s a theme that Gedge visits repeatedly, love lost and actually always seems like three songs rolled into one. It’s starts of fairly low key telling the story of an affair from the viewpoint of the party who is left as their love goes back to the long term ‘proper’ partner, gains some real momentum and then finally explodes into a sea of guitars and unhappiness, awesome. As ever The Wedding Present don’t do encores but they never need too, Gedge still retains the ability to roll back the year, vintage stuff. Verdict – A real success story with an interesting and varied bill, Doncaster Music Live will hopefully reappear next year. The Wedding Present were worthy headliners and performed another near perfect set and all for a bargain price of nothing, excellent.
The Thrills
Venue – York Fibbers. Although this is one of the North’s finest and most consistent venues the last time we were here the crowd was what can only be described as static. At the time we thought it might be something to do with how ‘new’ The Twang were but that theory was soon dismissed by a frenetic Leadmill show. Now with another sold out show packing the place out and the fact The Thrills after two albums hardly fit into the newcomers category so we’re expecting a cracking atmosphere. Support – Findlay Brown seems pleasant enough as we knock back a few pints of grolsh (hey the black sheep is off and that’s a bit of a let down!). Straight to the main event – The Thrills are back on a far too intimate a stage for their talent so we’ve all gotta enjoy it whilst we can. They look like the Thrills of old, slightly unkempt but definitely on the right side of cool as they try to win back their place on the top table of indie pop after the slight disappointment of ‘Lets Bottle Bohemia’. Obviously as you’d expect at a low key come back show there’s a shed load of stuff that will appear on the forthcoming third album ‘Teenager’ and it’s no surprise that the Thrills formula hasn’t shifted any. It’s that light guitar pop that is high on melody that served so well on their cracking debut ‘So much for the city’ and gained them so many friends along the way. For those who were picked up with the momentum of that cracking debut there should be no disappointment as they air plenty of those early favourites. Highlights of the early hits have to be the stunning ‘Santa Cruz’ and a blinding ‘Big Sur’. But here’s the problem; the crowd once again are just mere spectators only a handful really getting into it, this ain’t a game of feking statues you know! The band too pick up on this lack of ‘action’ but despite their best efforts they can do little to get them moving past a spot of toe tapping. Has Fibbers gone soft? It looks like it, looks far too much like a venue to be seen at rather than a proper venue to have a good old fashioned party at (suggestion - get yourself down the front at t’leadmill and enjoy!). Despite this there’s plenty of applause for the new stuff and a few songs even get some head nodding which has to be seen as a major coup! The polite and enthusiastic applause get the lads back on stage of an encore that finishes with a pretty storming run through of the easy highlight from ‘Let’s bottle bohemia’ and ‘Whatever happened to Corey Haim?’ is indeed a cracking way to finish off. Verdict – Plenty of plus points to take away from this as the new material sounds pretty neat n tidy and with some old favs thrown in for good measure you can’t go far wrong, shame then the crowd was so damn boring!
Reverend and the Makers
Venue – Blimey, third Sunday on the trot for another trip down Leadmill way. Now this is a sold out gig and a half, later doors so by time we arrive the place is well and truly rammed to the rafters. Word round Sheffield is out about the Reverend cause bands releasing their debut single don’t usually sell out this place as a matter of course but rumour has it on the grapevine that this lot are a bit special. Support – Before we get to the Reverend we are ‘treated’ to The Hosts another local lot making waves despite this been only their ninth gig. They look the part in their cheap charity shop suits and know where they wanna be, Killers style melodies with atomic guitars and buzzing bass. They get a stella reception but the support slot on nights like these is a doodle, having said that it’s pretty neat stuff if not the most inventive. The Main Event – Being on an hour or so later than a normal Sunday session gives everyone more time to get into the spirit of things. The Leadmill’s legendary disc spinners do as ever a sterling job mixing a bit of ska, reggae, indie and dance into a fab musical cocktail, just the job. By the time the house lights dim up goes the cries of ‘Reverend’ and when the self titled Reverend aka Jon McClure takes to the boards (after the rest of the band have kicked off) the place goes absolutely crazy, it’s gonna be a big one! The Reverend is one hell of a star in the making; no in fact he’s a star right here, right now! He has the look, not that he’s a pretty boy, in fact he looks like part rock star, part tramp but it just works. Then he has charisma, buckets of the stuff and he knows just how to play the crowd and he always has that look in his eye that good rock legends do, a bit on the edge, never knowing what he’s going to do next. Anyway onto the Makers, fair play to the girl who plays keyboards and applies some glorious vocals, as she is simply divine. The rest of the Makers provide the musical soundtrack that allows the Reverend to strut his stuff; they hit some monster grooves and buzzing guitars that enable a frenzied groove out on the dance floor. The Reverend is a lyricist in the Sheffield mould and it comes as no surprise between songs he pops in a bit of the old rock poetry, this isn’t the norm no the Reverend is far from that. The debut single ‘Heavyweight champion of the world’ contains some bonkers but brilliant lyrics and is sung back word for word, in fact just about the entire set is sang along to near word perfect, ahh the power of the internet and home town gigs! To break from the normal gig scenario the Reverend plucks some pretty unusual guest stars including a natty rap from a local raster and a strange looking lad who transpires is one of his school friends. The Reverend tells his mate and the masses that they dreamed school days away saying that they would play a sold out gig at the Leadmill one day, that day has arrived and how. The place is just one huge party, this venue has seen some legendary gigs but rarely does it see the whole place buzzing like this, it’s awesome to witness. Time catches up with everyone and soon the Reverend takes his leave and the black curtain is pulled across the stage to signal the beginning of the club night to many a groan. That’s how it should be, disappointment that the band stops here but it’ll live long in the memory for all concerned. Verdict – Awesome is only half the story, The Reverend is a star and the Makers provide a storming groove, just perfection. Sheffield has hit the jackpot yet again, all praise the Reverend!
The Twang
Venue – It’s our weekly Sunday jaunt down t’Leadmill and with the sold out signs up well in advance of this one we’re expecting a good night. Support – We’re pretty well pissed off by this as we’re down here early doors but still miss The Harrisons who have been getting rave reviews round these parts. Every cloud has a silver lining however as we do manage to see the Dogs who are awfully underrated and ignored and always a good catch live. They manage to mix up that post mod new wave English guitar pop genre a treat and sound as good as they look and they look pretty natty. Another performance that begs the question why aren’t this band headlining venues like t’Leadmill? The Main Event – It don’t seem two minutes we were heading on up to York to see what all The Twang fuss was all about. Since then the buzz has only got greater as they prepare to release that second single to the masses, the hype has brought out a bumper Leadmill crowd and judging by the reaction when The Twang takes the stage it gonna be a good ‘un tonight. There was only one criticism we levelled at The Twang at York and that was there wasn’t any real major connection between band and crowd but from the get go it’s all going off big time. You can just tell the band are loving it and there’s crowd surfing galore right from the off. In fact they dedicate a song to a lad who takes one hell of a fall, he does also offer the advice that the kid should try surfing where there is enough people to catch him else next time he’ll break his neck! The crowd is that rare mix; old skool e’d manc survivors (original hoodies back out the wardrobe), music mad kids with glow sticks in hand, students catching the new musical wave and old hands who were a damn sight younger and lighter the last time they went head first over the barriers! One thing everyone has in common is they want a good night and The Twang ain’t going to fail in giving them one. Sounding good on vinyl it ups several gears on stage, the streets references don’t seem to be as relevant as the groove hits like a big fuck off hammer. ‘Either Way’ has a great bass line and the melody mixes perfectly with those twin vocals, it goes down pretty damn well. For point of fact there ain’t no duds here it’s a magical set, ‘Ice Cream Sundae’ (or even ‘Ice Cream’ as the setlist says) is a top tune, just hope they can get this energy down on record cause if they can manage that they’ll have one of the albums of the year. There’s a bonzer vibe and buzz about the music, a real post baggy, indie dance feel that just begs you to get fucking down to it and there’s a venue full of takers in Sheffield! They play out with ‘Wide Awake’ and the place explodes, it sounds huge live with massive guitars and those twin singers going mental, classic! They reappear for a two song encore which is a riot and as the trio of bass, guitars and drums go for it after the final disappearance of the vocal twins. It’s obvious that musically they are bloody excellent to back up the raucous vocals and boundless energy and that’s one frightening good package. Verdict – Whether The Twang can recreate nights like these on record remains to be seen but for now this is what music is all about, awesome stuff.
The Maccabees
Venue – Hooray its Leadmill time again! We never tire of the Leadmill, which still in our humble opinion is the premier northern live venue. Support – Strangely we actually get into the Leadmill out of the torrential rain in time to catch half of main support Jack Penate. If you don’t want to bother with the support you can always watch the rather fine photographic adventures of The Maccabees on the big screens that usually show ads for forthcoming shows. Anyway back to the band, he’s a pleasant enough chap with a kind of Jamie T sort of way. The place is already buzzing and to say Penate goes down well is a blatant understatement although the highlight of the set has to be the abuse he asks for, no he literally does ask the crowd to shout the worst abuse they can think of at him! The best we hear is that he is a ‘fat cunt’, not that we think he is particularly fat, he recounts the fact he gets jibbed for his quiff! Main event – The old place is packed again despite there is still pay on the day and it’s a dreadfully wet Sunday night, by the time they jump onto the stage the place is already well up for it. It’s obvious that The Maccabees can feel the vibe straight away and feed off it, in fact you can feel the energy buzzing back and forth between crowd and stage, it’s truly electric. So they hammer out all the best from their debut album which is to much celebration at the Leadmill is released the following day, the current single ‘Precious Time’ is given a huge reception and gets sang back word for word. The band are actually quite taken back by the response and do thank the crowd at every available opportunity. Live they still sound a little Maximo Park and a host of post punk influences but are able to forge at the same time to have a sound and look of their own, possibly down to the distinctive vocals style. There’s plenty of sweat and bouncing tunes tonight but one of the highlights is one of the two ‘slower’ tunes, ‘O.A.V.I.P’ showcases a different side to those vocals, a bit smithsy in feel it shows that they’ve got more than one string to their musical bow. For proof though that they are their best with a handsome pop tune, shit loads of guitars and bouncing crowd at their whim just take ‘X ray’ it’s just a fabulous tune and perfect for tonight. Punters who’ve shelled out a tenner on the door take stock as the band leave the stage knowing that they’ve got value for money and it’s been well worth braving the conditions and then The Maccabees come back on for a much deserved encore, the place goes mental! For a fitting end they hammer out their ‘love song’, the crowd and band go into meltdown as the roof is nearly lifted off with much mad dancing and singing back the entire ‘First Love’ lyrics. Fitting we say as the final line is ‘Only love, it’s only love’ and the Leadmill love The Maccabees! Verdict Another one of those storming Leadmill nights, can’t beat them.
The Electric Soft Parade
Venue – Leeds Cockpit. Strangely it’s the small room for ESP which for a band with a bit of a cult following and onto their third album is a surprise. Even so there’s plenty in and quite a feeling of expectation amongst the devotees sown the front. Support – Bit of a flyer for the shadders team this one, it’s just enough time to grab a bottle of Brooklyn lager and grab a decent spot and ESP are hitting the stage. Main Event – ESP are a bit of a strange band, the drummer looks like he should be a bricklayer! Then the main components of the band, Tom White on vox & guitars plus Alex White on keys and added guitars look like they could easily the record store workers in Nick Hornsby’s ‘High Fidelity’ especially as Alex is wearing a Jumbo records T-shirt that he gained from an earlier instore PA. Musically it’s all nicely quaint indie with a capital ‘I’ but to be fair a shed load of bands try to break down the barriers of music and forget the fundamental aim of writing a decent tune, ESP can never have this levelled at them. They honestly ain’t going to change the earth but they can write a nice melody! From the new album ’No need to be downhearted’ they showcase the best tracks. ‘Misunderstanding’ is a lovely tune and does sound a little Boo Radleys (key that into google under nineties indie guitar songsters) whilst ‘If that’s the case, then I don’t know’ mixes great indie guitar hooks with sci fi keyboards and a catchy poppy beat. To prove their true indie credentials they also bob in a Guided by voices cover too for effect. The showstoppers however still are provided by their debut long player, ‘Holes in the wall’. Still a great slice of guitar pop ‘Start again’ woos the crowd and ‘Silent to the dark’ really has them up and dancing. Despite the fact ESP are painful perfectionists, they restart songs if they go a little out and spend quite a while trying to direct the sound engineer to improve this, that and the other but they still manage to have a laugh and stay really lighthearted. Alex White has a rant about Razorlight (which prompts the drummer to try and fail in doing one of their intro’s) and then goes on about just how cool that Genesis are, can he be serious?! This double edge persona leads to the monster jam finale when they kick up quite a nice, Tom trying to give it more and more depth but in the process falls off the amp stack in comical fashion that nearly knocks out the bassist! To add to the comedy when they finally come out for an encore the engineer has switched off all the amps & mics and buggered off in readiness for the club night. Tom has to, a bit red faced, shouts to thank anyone before tail between legs trudge off back stage. Verdict – ESP are the stereotypical indie guitar band with a devout (if not massive) following and to be fair they look pretty damn happy after tonight and so they should. ESP shows that indie isn’t dead and there’s always room for a damn fine melody.
The Hours
Venue – Leeds Cockpit. Not quite big enough to go straight into the main room The Hours take up residence in small bar, it makes it a nice intimate affair and packed too. Support – The main support comes from local duo Slow Club who are a trifle different. On paper they seem a bit White Stripes, a strange looking lad singing and guitars then a girl on drums but that’s about where the similarity ends and anyway she’s far better looking than Meg White! Musically it’s very much lo-fi almost busker like fare but seems to go down fairly well. Main Event – For the live circuit The Hours bulk up from a duo to five piece featuring key members Antony Genn on vocals and guitars with Martin Slattery on keys / piano. All five dressed in black look the part to provide a dark moody soundtrack to a cold wet Sunday evening. They come out and perform (and it is a performance too not just a gig, yes there is a subtle difference) the vast majority of their debut long player ‘Narcissus Road’ and it transfers from record onto the stage with ease. In fact the vocals sound stronger, more powerful live and the rest of the band add a bigger, dynamic edge to proceedings too. Despite this bulking up of the sound there’s still a vulnerability to The Hours but still manages that hard to achieve trick of sounding up lifting with it. Highlights – Is there musically a lowlight tonight? No actually there isn’t, they mess up an intro but that’s hardly a crime punishable by death is it! The epic single ‘Back when you were good’ sounds as good as ever. Genn does some excellent inter song chats too including a real monster rant about Thatcher’s eighties Britain, a good proportion of the crowd won’t really how desperate those times were in northern towns and cities. Genn does and gives her some rightful stick then gives it plenty on ‘People Say’ which is given an added dimension by the band it doesn’t have on record. The dark ‘Murder or suicide’ is an absolute blast, the beat running through it and the keys only add to the melancholic lyrics, mesmerising. Current single ‘Love you more’, which we are reliably informed, is getting a decent amount of radio two airplay sounds like a real tale and a half. Then there’s the encore; they go off for the slightest of brakes and are beckoned back for more. The encore then is simply stunning, Genn gives the backing story to ‘I miss you’ about how it’s about his late father, it only adds to the power and beauty of an already lovely tune. On the flip side they joke they know the score and have to play a slow one then a fast one, the fast song is closer ‘Ali in the Jungle’ What a way to end too, plenty of nodding heads in the crowd as they blast through a classic single. Verdict – It’s an honour to see such a quality band like The Hours in such intimate surroundings, hopefully the next time it’ll be in the main hall and then beyond. Damp and cold outside everyone in The Cockpit has a nice warm feeling inside!
The Twang
Venue – York Fibbers. Cracking venue the Fibbers but with it being in the basement of possibly the worst looking building in this beautiful city and the surrounding area in the grip of a bit of a redevelopment boom there has to be question marks over the long term future of this classic old skool venue. Support – Unfortunately with a bit of a parking disaster we miss most of The Motorettes but with drink in hand we manage to catch the last couple of songs by this north east combo. What we do see is pretty convincing guitar pop, which should hold them in pretty good stead. Main event – Winging their way out of the West Midlands on a new baggy (press speak that is) ticket The Twang seem to be everywhere at the minute with latest single ‘Wide awake’ getting heavy radio and television airplay and their live shows taking the plaudits. With the news spreading across the country like wild fire this tiny venue is well sold out with it has to be said quite an old crowd. The Twang themselves are a five piece with the rather unusual step of employing two lead singers. One of whom takes on the majority of the vocals and has been likened to Mike Skinner of The Streets, the other mainly takes a back seat (but mouths every word) providing when called on a more conventional vocal style. Musically there has been mention of the Mondays and Roses but to be honest any mention of the The Stone Roses must be discounted straight away but there could be some mileage in comparisons to early (but not vintage Pills & Thrills) Mondays. From tonight we see a band who do have some grooves but do also have a darker edge, we see something of Puressence (underrated post baggy moody north west guitar merchants) in the music and they definitely have that spark on stage and the chemistry between the frontmen is excellent. The only disappointment at Fibbers is the lack of connection between band and crowd, the only interaction is a fan passing a ‘ciggie’ to one of the singers but that’s about it. We’re not sure if it’s cause the crowd are more interested in just been seen or the vibe from the stage just doesn’t transfer across tonight but for The Twang to go on from excellent prospects to an excellent live band there has to be that connection. Verdict – Musically The Twang are onto a winner, they have a decent groove about them and have some good songs at their disposal. Tonight they look good and if they get the whole crowd into it they will move on from looking good to been great, they are at present contenders hopefully they’ll go onto to become champions.
+44
Venue: Nottingham Rock City. This venue ain’t changed in a dog’s age and probably never will when it’s aimed firmly at the Midlands rock crowd. It’s sold well and truly out and outside there’s cops galore, to stop touts, parents dropping their rock offspring off on double yellows and to stop the kids from wolfing down under age cans of lager! Support: There’s two supports, the main The Tommy’s have been the +44 European support so they know the score. First up is The Maple State from Manchester, they look like a new young band who’ve dropped lucky with one of the easiest jobs in music warming up a crowd who really need damping down! They are fairly low key indie rock but are pleasant enough, possibly a couple of songs too many but still give a decent account of themselves. The Tommys are a different proposition entirely, back in their hometown and looking for a real good time. They’re different too in the fact they are a fully female rawk band of the high energy variety and have the crowd eating out of the palms of their hands from the off. As mentioned earlier they know how to play the crowd game too, name checking +44 at every possible junction to whip up them up and it works to pretty good effect as when they order a mosh circle it arrives post haste. The Tommys are a step up in class and give the crowd a pretty good pre +44 work out. Main Event: From the moment Mark Hoppus and new cohorts take the rock city stage it’s nailed on the excitable Midlands lot are in for a great time cause +44 just fucking rock! For the record they play exclusively from the +44 album ‘When your heart stops beating’ (bar a wholehearted rock cover to end on). No Blink 182 songs are called for and frankly needed and that’s the only mention Mark’s former band will get cause this is musical progress and a fantastic band in their own right. Mark has gelled perfectly with Shane Gallagher and Craig Fairbaugh flanking him either side even stand in drummer Gil gets plenty of limelight and comedy drum solo’s into the bargain, Travis is still missed especially his collection of tattoos! The band sound the business, they aren’t inventing anything new but as American rock goes their debut album is up with the best the genre can offer. It gets off well with ‘Baby come on’ just the second song up and it sets the tone for the whole set sounding louder but still heart felt and poignant. As with the album it’s a good honest mix of the thought provoking to the out and out rock, with ‘155’ seemingly faster with bigger and brighter guitars than on record. Highlights: There ain’t a dull moment, not one second when you think I wonder what time it is and when they’ll be finishing, it’s a classic rock gig. Mark is a quality frontman and a real entertainer, he jokes and shares the moments with the fans like when he plucks a camera from the crowd and take photo’s of his band mates but jokes about having it confiscated before throwing back to the happy fan. The funniest though is when he grabs from the front row a banner that reads ‘Mark is sexy’, great he thinks except for the fact it’s held up by two lads, all said with a huge grin on his face. It’s hard to pick a favourite track on the night, but ‘Chapter 13’, ‘155’ and ‘Lycanthrope’ all rock like beasts and ‘Baby come on’ is one top notch example of softer side of the band. Verdict: A awesome display of how to entertain and rock, Mark and co have stepped out of the shadows and up to the plate. With performances like this they deserve the limelight and the plaudits, quite simply, +44 rock!