Lymelight 2013.

Lymelight – organised on a Bank Holiday. The weekend people except rain, one thing that shocked us all, the sun was out. Lucky for Lymelight the sun stayed out. It was full steam ahead for Sir Richard Buxton in the positive warm atmosphere. Lee Barber starts the tunes, I start the dancing. Everyone was in for a quality weekend with the handpicked, outstanding local acts and finest milkshakes.

Friday 4^th May

Phil Madocks kicks Limelight off. An acoustic artist inspired with folk and a reflection of pop, Phil was joined by another guitarist, Nick Baynes. He added a deep acoustic vibe for the morning.  For a weekend full of sun; Phil beautiful charmed the crowd with a chilling bluesy twang.

Nicola Jayne with her amusing sense of humour and character displays this through her performance. Lyrics wise, Nicola Jayne takes a book from The Smiths, witty and catchy but yet emotive.  She impresses Lymelight, cleverly with her simple guitar riffs and harmonica brace.

Adam French hits Lymelight with pure emotion. The gentle guitar yet gritty polished vocal intrigues the shoppers surrounding Newcastle. On his own with a virtual kick, shows that Adam, even live, wants to show off his platform of influences; for example, Back Where I Belong has an upbeat tone whereas Just Another Day with a blues tone.

Gaz Powell despite being late played array of different covers. Covers from Elvis, Alex Clare, Jason Mraz and Pink Floyd; covering songs can get restless to the crowd but as for a town centre festival it was much appreciated. There were people dancing and singing along, however covering Pink Floyd he put his own take on the track, showing his creativity.

As for David Jiminez-Hughes his talent is incredible. His talent had a Spanish take on guitar playing. People walking past were mesmerized; it gives a unique difference to the morning.

Coming back from Liverpool after doing a midnight studio session, Emilio Pinchi still played his wonderful set. Playing songs from his past EP, Popular Myth and Conflict as well as the track he’s written and composed whilst in Liverpool. I personally, can’t wait when (if) he comes back to Stoke to see what LIPA has done to change the gifted songwriter.

Sea Based Turtles were minus a guitarist but a guitar is just one of the musical instruments and skills Sea Based Turtles have; saxophone, drums, bass and rapping.  On a perfectly sunny afternoon in Newcastle, a bit of reggae didn’t go a miss with the shoppers and crowd.

With only two thirds of Ghost Trains able to performing they still created a rock acoustic sound. Ghost trains have a clever balance of different eras and different genres. For example they have a 60s pop vibe yet a powerful folksy feel too.

I said Ghost Trains had a powerful take, but my goodness so have Troops of Mafeking. Josh Jones being the hardest drummer in Stoke on Trent makes Troops one of the loudest. Everything within the band is clear and to the point which makes them who they say they are – ‘loud’. Tracks such as, Broken and Chugg Norris, got the town of Newcastle shaking.

An uncommon sound to come from the Stoke on Trent music scene, is Dirty Money No.5. A reggae twang, twisted with all different influences. A new women vocalists added power to the band. They clearly have a lot of musical talent indiuvally. A mention of a free CD, people from every angle of the stage were throwing themselves at the band, just shows that people at Lymelight were fully enjoying it.

Having every CD designed in a different way and all handmade, Psyence just doesn’t stop with the wild ideas and doings. It was a set consisting of new tracks especially Zebra. Zebra is Psyence’s new single which is totally mesmerizing yet only a short amount of time. However Psyence with their incredible talent deserve more recognition. Watch out for the Psychedelic Loons.

Mod quartet, Fool’s Paradise, brought along their crowd as usual and performed a genuine musical set. Set Me Free an older track has been enhanced into a memorable Fools tune. New tracks such as Lost In Time and Get It On has a more mature melody, but nevertheless Fool’s Paradise created a storm in Lymelight with their music, like everywhere else they go.

Through the 20 minute change over, Iron Market was soon flooding with people. Vellocet pleased everyone with the psychedelic rock and roll madness. The intense build of Nimbus is like a warm up then to end it a cover of Fat Boy Slim, Right Here Right Now. Who cares if it’s an Ibiza rave tune, Vellocet but their magical ways around it and they could easily get away with it being their own.

Facebook only names three people in this band, yet they have so many different talents on stage when performing. It was the first headline of Lymelight – The Rivalry. It all starts with a voice over from the well known film Quadrophenia. Influences from The Charlatans comes from the 90s effects keyboard and Stone Roses influenced vocals and riffs. It’s quite unbelievable with the sound they create and they way they look how they pull it off live, every time.

Sunday 5^th May

The coldest day of the weekend but the sun was still shinning. Helena Raby chills everyone out with her soothing vocal and gentle guitar playing. Shy in person but on stage her voice is confidently divine. Covering track from Daughter and Laura Marling showed her influences off beautifully with no sight in completely replicating them.

A bit louder than beautiful Helena, a side project to Friends of Ken – it’s Jub Jub. Ben and Sven with two guitars and a drum machine pulled this early morning slot off.  Jub Jub consists of catchy choruses and clever riffs, so clever in fact Ben got carried away and forgot to sing. It was a warming set as Ben interacts with the audience with pointless yet humours stories in-between songs. Brilliant.

Venn Goodwin, new on the scene in my eyes put on a lovely acoustic set with a mash up of covers thrown in. Mixing Michael Buble and Aloe Blacc was somewhat clever, a ballad soul track with a pop soul track worked great.

If you want a boogie or a sing song, The Alucinors are the duet to see. On a slightly sunny day, they pulled people in with the perfect harmonies. Key features from these lads is; sound is their imagination, persistence of a tuneful melody, close coordination between words and music; it represents a new category more sophisticated than pop … and uniquely innovative. Amazing.

Chasing Traits didn’t play as a full band but half of them, Brad and Luke, kept the interest with an acoustic version. Luke’s lead vocals had that ray of confidence which made people watched and stared. As an acoustic duet Chasing Traits still brought that twinkly atmospheric vibe to Lymelight.

Lymelight upped the antic when Staghouse appeared. Energy was bouncing from Hippy Hippy Shake and back. Adam’s stage presence is makes Staghouse, as well as the funk rock melody. The distortion and the over drive of fuzz from the guitar, highlights an influence from Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

Youngest of the line up, The Current perform with new songs and a cover. Hints of a funky bass, psychedelic riffs and bouncing beats gets excitement running around the Lymelight crowd. The Current are the typical indie band that everyone has a soft spot for. Next stop for the lads; supporting Catfish and The Bottlemen.

With a new bassist and new songs, The English storm into Lymelight and gather a crowd. The English create a solid passionate 80s era style music. They called themselves ‘proper indie’; they have aspects of indie with the simple structure and heartfelt lyrics.

If Jak Lancett couldn’t get enough attention in The English he’s plays again with Kadence; with still a fag in his mouth on stage.  The hard hitting drums, thrashing guitar and screaming vocals certainly drew attention.

So, The Ruby Dukes perform again. Adding in a walk on song for front man Zak shows everyone at their best talent. These indie rockers get Lymelight packed, the catchy riffs and energy intrigues anyone and everyone. Paper Sunset will be the next single for The Ruby Dukes in July, seeing it live tops their awesome set off. Next Stop; supporting Catfish and The Bottlemen.

T-shirts were floating around as were the lads for most of the day. The Clique put on their dirty indie dance performance. These are worthy to be seen live, Gary, Arron and Luke all have the movement and energy whilst Ash continues that addictive beat. Mixing Rhythm is a Dancer and Lady Gaga gathered a varied crowd. The Clique were definitely loved by Lymelight, everyone wanted a top.

It was the last gig for Neon Rouge for a couple of months. They left people hanging in a perfect way till they come back on the scene with new tracks and new recordings. Still fresh in the band, Jamie adds a mega bass solo in the set. The people of Lymelight were fascinated by the experimented track, Venus flytrap. I’m confident to see what Neon Rouge come up with next.

Creating a 60’s laid back vibe, Alfa 9 entertain Lymelight with new track and some good old ones too. Old Man Blues will always be my favourite, the rockabilly blues riffs and gritty vocals intrigued people to boogie. Harmonies everyone loved from these guys, Seedless shows this brilliantly!

Second headline of the weekend is Six Towns. Songs from their new EP (not yet released) Welcome to Asylum were performed. Stop the World gave Liam his piece of fame whilst walking (with swag) on stage. The crowd moved further towards, which means they must be doing something right. Having to blink twice when Liam grabbed the guitar came to a shock, it may have been simple but it added extra rock and roll depth to their natural sound.

Monday 6^th May

Sunniest morning of Lymelight and Simon Evans stunningly starts Monday off. Joined by himself, guitar another guitar and a bongo drum it was looking interesting. Simon’s music was the sort you relax to with a cold drink in the sun, it was perfect for the setting at Lymelight.

After busking the day before, Ben Owen delights the main stage with his folk, rock, pop style. Ben has this tendency to, wherever he goes people like him; it’s either his loveable friendly stage presence and personality or the catchiness of his songs, whatever it is Lymelight enjoyed it. Covering Gun N Roses shows that Ben doesn’t stick to the typical folk tracks but goes afield and experiments.

Brains for Breakfast, I was very much looking forward to see, as it was my first time. I liked it. It’s just one man and his guitar or ukulele. Andy’s voice seemed somewhat too good to be on top of acoustic. His humorous lyrics give away a sense of punk pop influences. Playing at Lymelight, people enjoyed the happy humour and cheery melodies.

A slight piece of alternative rock; its Monster I Am joined by Brad from Chasing Traits. The deep, dark kinda mysterious tone of Dan’s lyrics intrigues Lymelight to stand and watch his emotive performance. Tracks give away a hint of personally experiences that some people can enjoy and relate too, covering Katy Perry in such a gentle ingenious way saw Monster I am out for the sunny day.

The sun was at its best as the stage was being decorating for the funk rockers Nuclear Safari. Funk was at its max with the 6-string bass and Emily vocals got people in the groove. Common Attraction has a vein of reggae streaming though the solo. Nuclear Safari being female fronted is high up there for uniqueness; it wraps the music together in a bundle of rare talent.

2^nd to last gig before they go off into their separate projects, The Rat Race bring a reasonable crowd to Lymelight. If Emily Law was good enough in Nuclear Safari, she joins The Rat Race for One More Day.

From distorted punk to electronic house music, Tiffany Lunn appears on stage. With three albums already and plenty of experience Tiffany Lunn is new in my eyes. Track such as; Our Existence included a vocal too, it has a late 80s rave type style. Whereas other tracks seem to create a calming, chill out vibe, especially at Lymelight as people were sitting on the floor soaking the sun in.

Another act new in my eyes is Son of Shinobi. This 5 piece rock band, certainly gathered a few hard rock fans at Lymelight. Strong influences such as; Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam run firmly through Son of Shinobi’s original music. Next stop, The Brunswick in Crewe.

Roots To Nowhere put Lymelight behind schedule but they pulled the crowd in with their distinctive style nevertheless. Next stop, July 28th Bidstock at the Commercial Hotel in Wheelock.

After listening to their music and meeting them, it was my first time actually watching them live. Pickering White originally a duet, performs at Lymelight as a full band. Influences from many different genres come together to create the uniqueness of Pickering White. Harmonies with Jen and Matt show off their 60s influences; for a fairly new band, they have the professionism to get further.

This band have immense talent individually and together, this band with a genuine passion for music; it’s Dirty Rotten Souls. Just coming from tour in April and a release of a single ‘I Am Alive’ Dirty Rotten Soul didn’t half impress Lymelight. There raw bluesy rock style fascinated people to put down their beer and watch close up.

Lymelight just keep throwing these new bands at me – Headsticks. After tasting their delicious milkshake from Hippy Hippy Shake, I was looking forward to watching them. They had a punk vibe about them with strong passionate, politically lyrics yet a soft touch in melody.  Headsticks have an up and coming album in August.

Just as you thought Lymelight was coming to an end, it was actually the end. Sound Casino polished the weekend off with a real rock and roll attitude. Sound Casino played a set full of new tunes, new tunes that have an indie rock approach with added arrogance from front man Sweeny. The recent single Dirty Dusty Stereogram gets Lymelight singing back at them with the loud and genuine rock and roll choruses.

LC

The Pigeon Detectives @ Sugarmill 28.04.13

I purchased my ticket weeks in advance, as straight away from the announcement I knew it was going to be a sell out. As Pigeon Detective told me, Stoke always kicks off, I trusted them and took a safe option by staying on the balcony; they were right, Stoke no doubt welcomed them again and will in future times. Supported by London band, MUST and The Black Sea.

The Black Sea began with a hard drum intro followed by killer riffs and 80s synth. From this I knew they were gonna be cool. From the pop 80’s sound to tinkling psychedelic cymbals then to rock n roll Rolling Stones-est. The Black Sea covered genres together that suit their mellow yet hard personality. To end the set the lads looked proud that they won over a sell out crowd.

MUST, put together a competition on Twitter to win tickets and it happened to be,  Neon Rouge, Joe Tomasso from the Stoke local music scene which was pretty awesome. MUST, have that typical indie rock sound with the driven beats and repetitive choruses. Harmonies in the backing vocal give a diverse approach to the brash main vocalist. The debut EP can be found here; http://soundcloud.com/musttheband

They need no fancy, flamboyant performance to deserve a chorus of cheers; all they need is the energy and talent. That’s right; I’m on about The Pigeon Detectives. From the first step on stage Matt was bouncing from corner to corner and edge to edge. I must say from a personally insight Pigeon Detectives don’t make the best music around but what they do, they do it exceptional well – colossal sing-along choruses and melodies that erupt the Sugarmill floor. With a jam packed set to please the night, it was full of old tracks like Take Her Back and new tracks like Animal woven together. Pigeon Detective from new to old have a trademark sound which will be damned upon them if they change, but in all fairness the maturity of this band has grown.  Salutes were thrown in the crowd along with the bottles of water; Stoke crowd must be doing something right. The buzz and excitement in Matt’s stage presence soon brushed off on the crowd hence countless bodies been carried over the barriers due to crowd surfing. It ended on a much wanted encore with I’m not Sorry of the new album ‘We Met At Sea’. The admiration from the band to the crowd made this intimate gig hard to walk away from, people just didn’t want to leave. Unquestionably the best band to see live. 

LC 

Lee Barber earlier in the day on 6 Towns Radio interviewing Matt and Ryan:
http://6towns.co.uk/news/2013/04/pigeon-detectives-drop-6-towns-radio-chat-radicals-rising#.UYDANrXrwuw 

Scarlett Arcade debut EP ‘Machines’ reviewed

Scarlett Arcade, quite simply, are going to be the next big thing to come from Stoke-on-Trent. Though numerous acts from the city are having various amounts of success, none capture the essence of ‘new’ music quite like this modernised 80’s electronic group. The band’s debut EP ‘Machines’ is a small exhibition of highly thought out tunes, with ‘Drive’ being a track which, with its intriguing intro and beautiful lyrics from a beautiful voice, instantly makes you feel like you are the anti-hero of an American movie, and the introduction to ‘Light’s offers very much the same feeling. Hard-hitting drum beats and well thought out melodies are the order of the day with Scarlett Arcade, with title track ‘Machines’ displaying this with vigor.
‘Machines’ is a song which immediately strikes you as one of the most finely produced piece’s of music to emerge from Stoke-on-Trent for quite some time, such is the time and effort given by this intense and passionate band, who show a likeness to artists such as College and Electric Youth and, if this debut EP is anything to go by, will no doubt have many successful days ahead of them. Scarlett Arcade are the freshest, most unique and intelligent act to emerge from Stoke-on-Trent and their music is a must have in any music fans collection.

Lee Barber
Radical’s Rising
6 Towns Radio

Bromheads @ Sugarmill 26.04.13

For a fairly new band, Native Tropics have gathered a healthy fan based and a structured ‘indie’ sound. With abstract and cryptic themes within the witty lyrics, Arctic Monkeys come to mind as a main influence.  With Luke’s hair gelled in place and everyone cramped on only half of the Sugarmill stage it was a watchable performance. There is likeliness for these loveable, yet unidentified foursome, their striking personalities seep either through their skill or look, things are looking high for Native Tropics, as it you would be if you put vodka in your teacup.

After witnessing The Ruby Dukes numerous times over the past month, Road to Blissfield’s, Birmingham 02 and this gig, each time they steal the show and give the crowd something to remember as well as a new vibrant shirt and a pair of Chelsea boots. As The Ruby Dukes got the biggest crowd of the night, it got a more buzzing atmosphere going on. Each duke has a different style; it gives that punch of originality in the Stoke-on-Trent music scene. Paper Sunset deserves hats off each time they perform. Energy is pulsating. Melody is intense.

Initially, Bromhead Jackets now Bromheads, headline the Sugarmill; 2 males, 1 guitar, 1 drum, big sound. The pair definitely left behind their raucous reputation for everyone to remember. Killer riffs, distorted beats and clever lyrics. Poppy Bird was a track the majority of the crowd knew and loved. The Ruby Dukes have a new profession – Bromhead’s backing singers. Throughout the set, front man, Tim had an amicable sense of humour and personality which gave Bromheads a diverse approach; one to rock out too and one to laugh around with.

LC

Record Day @ Music Mania And Alfa 9 @ The Sugarmill 20.04.2013

It was Record Store Day; to celebrate, Music Mania had array of local musicians playing acoustic sets in the daytime. Vellocet and Alfa 9 were two of them. It was hard to imagine the spaghetti strings of psychedelia in Vellocet acoustically; but they pulled it off in a way no one could have done. Alfa 9 gathered a healthy crowd to entertain and promote the new album, Gone to Ground.

 Night time arose and Record Store Day was being celebrated at The Sugarmill with Kadence kicking the night off. The shared vocals throughout the set gave two different sides to Kadence. One is more of a 70s rock howling scream whereas the other is more mellow but hints of gritty rock. Kadence seem to give off this American, cocky vibe whenever I watch them; the language, the sunglasses and their attitudes sum it up. Kadence throughout On the Run have good guitar control from Jak Lancett but the drumming becomes too powerful for their guitar/bass melody.

Amps up full blast, guitar pedals at the ready, drum kit in place and electric bass on. Vellocet were back to normal. You know a band is quality when they start with an instrumental and still grab the audience. Nimbus which has been recently recorded again by Vellocet fixated all eyes upon themselves and their talent. Tracks such as Through the Barrel and Cosmic Blues have solid psychedelic, rock, gritty melodies and vocals. Cosmic Blues has an awesome fixed structure which Vellocet have experimented with; listening to the newer tracks gets me wondering what this up and coming album will sound like. Kaleidoscope isn’t just a title of a song it’s a description too. If you didn’t think Vellocet were mesmerizing enough, this sends you to another dimension with a staggering hike, massive kick of music then pushes you over the edge into a world only real music lovers get locked up in. Despite the crowd not being a sell out, they adored this four piece, and after the peak of Sahara it came to an unexpected end. Echoes of an encore didn’t persuade the Sugarmill but quality set to say the least.

Having a longer set than others, Alfa 9 play tracks from Gone To Ground and debut album Then We Begin. Opening the set with El Morocco highlights the concept of their talent in harmonies and mixing genres and eras together- faultlessly. Alfa 9, from watching their old tracks too, including; For Your Bones and Deadman shows the increasing sophisticated experimentation Alfa 9 create from influence to folk, country, psychedelia and indie. Old Man Blues will always be my personal favourite. The 60s bluesy, pop, folk feel, guitar skill, randomness of lyrics is similar to The Beatles and so amazing to see Alfa 9 at their best. Seedless, the former Radicals Rising Hype Chart number 1 is beautiful; harmonies are like a piece of silk that adds comfort to your whole body.

Campstag @ The Ruby Lounge 14.04.2013

After a rather exciting announcement quite late in the run up to Adam Green’s headline show at The Ruby Lounge in Manchester, Campstag hit up the illustrious and quaint venue without a nervous streak about them. Or at least any nerves within the band were concealed greatly. Probably the excitement was much stronger. As an avid fan of Adam Green, it might usually be a pretty daunting task to make a review concentrating on a Stoke-on-Trent based support act, but this is certainly not the case tonight. Campstag. The band of the moment. The band whose sound promised so much before a sound was even heard. And now they are living up to the expectation and finding themselves in a brilliant position to take control across the country. And boy are they showing the potential tonight.

Opening with Matillda Please, the attention grabbing synth intro from Ade, followed up by the tight bass and drum from Chris and Rich respectively, immediately sets up the night, and this is before Dan brings out his eerie, arty vocals. One definite factor in Campstag’s highly addictive songs is the melodies which Dan Nixon brings to the table with gust in his lyrics, though it must be stated that Dan’s vocals seemed to be rather quiet at the very beginning of each song, though chances are this was caused on the side of the sound guys, not the band itself. The dynamics in the opening track, and throughout the set with Call It The Flame, Northern Dream and When The Lights Come Down are of the upmost intelligence, and are executed with precision so stunningly that Chris Wilson merely needs to stroke the ‘root notes’, as it were, in order to achieve a more than desired affect, such is the professionalism in this band. (Though Chris’ dad-at-a-wedding foot shuffling during one song leaves a little to be desired, which obviously needed no encouragement to be pounced upon by Radical’s Rising). We’ll assume that the talented bass player was merely caught up in the excitement of the outstanding set and atmosphere the band were creating, in front of a very appreciative crowd at The Ruby Lounge, something which is humbling to see for an unsigned band from Stoke playing in such a great musical city. I say unsigned rather lightly, it’s surely only a matter of time for these guys?

Besides these incredible songs on show from Campstag here tonight, it is still Sirens which takes the trophy. The bands first single, and the song giving the boys their debut play on Radio One, still puts every crowd right into the bands pocket, with the classy, sophisticated synth work teaming up nicely with drum and bass, right up until the climatic drop of the song, where Rich lets rip on his drum kit and Dan unleashes an 80’s styled reverb effect guitar, and of course, Chris dances in an even more happy trance.

Radical’s Rising said it back in March 2012, and we shall say it again. Where there’s a Dooley, there’s incredible music from Stoke-on-Trent.

Jar Music Live presents Midlands “One’s To Watch” @ O2 Birmingham 13/04/13

Jar Music Live Presented Midlands best “Ones To Watch” 13^th April. Acts like; Big Tent and The Gypsy Lantern a folk indie band, Neon Rouge a blues band, Post Descartes a progressive rock, The Ruby’s an indie band, Fake Obsession a rock band, The Concept a rock band, The Ruby Dukes an indie rock band and Thousand Fingers a melodic rock band all graced the O2 academy stage. With a range in style and sound, each personality in the room was in for a treat.

A band full of guitars, timbales, ukuleles, squeeze boxes, trumpets, electronics and array of percussion was sure to catch people attention as they walked through the door. Big Tent and The Gypsy Lantern is a folk indie band that creates beautiful textures of sounds to deliver one that is surely unique. Big Tent and The Gypsy Lantern have made it into the 120 long list of Glastonbury emerging talent competition, good luck lads!

Neon Rouge was just one of the bands from Stoke to hit this line up. They stood out like a sore thumb but in a sense of they were unique to the genres played that night. New tracks like Venus Flytrap and Break Jaw Blues have a contrasting sound to previous tracks such as; Fistycuffs. Lyrics, bass and riffs have stepped up in maturity. They go recording 21^st April, keep them eyes peeled for Venus Flytrap and share it.

An alternative take on rock, Post Descartes show off their mixed genre tracks, the techno sound came as a shock from the image of this band but they succeeded in it. 1^st June is there EP release date and they have a new video on You Tube. Post Descartes are an interesting band to watch.

From Manchester, The Ruby’s have that stereotypical indie rock sound. Their debut album, Limelight Parasite had alot of positive feedback, after listening to them live, it became apparent why. The Ruby’s have that catchy indie riff that gets your head bobbing. With a stable fan base, this Manchester based band look successful in gaining a national maybe worldwide fan base.

Rock band, female fronted, Fake Obsession didn’t tickle my music taste buds but they certainly have people loving them. Heads were rocking out and echoes of the lyrics were shouted. As for supporting McFly they are getting their name known already. They have a professional music video which is sure to be checked out if you like a sort of heavy rock and female vocal together.

An EP recently released The Concept show off their heavy pop rock sound. Having big name gigs they are have been forever growing stronger. From influences like You Me At Six and Coldplay you can imagine the catch pop riffs and heavier vocals and drums. Catch them next at Lechlade Fest, May 24^th.

As if Road to Blissfields wasn’t good enough, The Ruby Dukes left Birmingham on high note. Energy, confidence and raw talent never stops during each track. After alcohol had intoxicated most of The Ruby Dukes fans it was the wildest yet loved crowd of the night. Tracks such as; Love is my Fame (Submarine) and Come Show Me Love have catchy lyrics which majority of people in the academy sung along too. Newest track Paper Sunset always – without a doubt leaves a, ‘The Ruby Dukes were here’ stamp and this time, Birmingham. Next shows; supporting Bromheads 26^th April then Catfish and Bottlemen at Full Moon 10^th May.

Thousand Fingers the heaviest of the night managed by Fearless Managers weren’t my cup of tea but for those heavy rockers they took the roof off. They are coming up to a week tour with some awesome English and Welsh dates on from the 22^nd April to 27^th April. Their debut EP Memory is good to download if you like a good rocking out.

LC

 

Road To Blissfields @ The Sugarmill

Road To Blissfield’s took over local venue Sugarmill with 5
distinct, virtuoso local bands with local judges from BBC, The Sentinel to
Music Mania. As Clash Magazine said last year, “An enchanted weekend, more of
the same next year!” well Clash Magazine with winners Delamere joining the
London heats, your prediction may become true. With Mystery Jets (a personal
fan) headlining it creates a picture of what type of music Blissfield’s were
looking for.

Kicking off the well organised night, was popular indie band
The Ruby Dukes. With a short set of only five tracks, The Ruby Dukes, flowed
smoothly into each track, tracks which showed off each style these lads can
produce and succeed in. “Sugarmill your ace”. Right back at you, Zak. With the
different personalities within the band the connection is shown perfectly on
stage, seeing a band enjoying themselves makes the set a whole lot better.
Paper Sunset saluted the dukes as the best performance I’ve ever seen them. The
ultimate psychedelic rock outro saw Mike on the floor, Zak bouncing, Josh and
Rick face to face and Ollie uncontrollable. Spot on lads.

Faux Feet, by the
name, has originality hitting you right in the face let alone the alternative music.
With Sian as the only female in the band, with a gifted vocals as well as eccentric, artist
stage presence, Faux Feet are becoming notorious.  Not missing the melody
of the band, tinkling cymbals, gentle plucking and deep bass was noticeable in
track Battlefields.

Psychedelic maniac’s Psyence had the shortest set of 4
tracks, tracks which consist between 3-8 marvellous minutes. If the music isn’t
engaging enough, Ben completes it with his amusing yet entertaining stage
presence. Smoke was humming throughout their set, giving that mysterious what-will-happen-
next approach to the scene. Newest track, Forbidden Fruits has a breakdown of bass riffs which
captivated that enigmatic meaning to tracks. Psyence still have that
mesmerizing factor about them.

Delamere put a show on to remember, hip hope
entrance, darkness, smoke and giant party poppers. They pulled out all the
stops for this gig; you could really see the passion they had towards getting
the Blissfield’s vote. With James having a single drum to himself as well as a
full drum kit, Hearts began with a bang. Delamere have a clever talent of
changing from a heavy beat to a subtle soft tone. They left the stage on a high
with an immense, intriguing solo and explosion of confetti to hint to
Blissfield they have confident passion to put on a festival show.

The Road to
Blissfield’s, Stoke heats came to an end with rock grunge band, Troops of
Mafeking. They as a four piece make alot of noise and put on an energetic
performance. Track DISCO, seemed a popular one with the fans. At points in the
set, drummer, Josh, had a bit too much power which led to over taking the
vocals, overall his stamina is pretty impressive for the drumming technique
Josh has. New track, now up for free download Chugg Berris still had those
heavy influences but a lighter vocal tone than in previous tracks.

It was
certainly a night full of serious competition. I, personal would like to
congratulate Delamere for grabbing that chance to compete in London with
Guildford’s local band Luxe.

Six Towns EP Welcome To Asylum

Plans are going to be made distinct for this rock’n’roll band during 2013. With this recorded EP, it will start their musical year off with a storm of love and interest. Being nominated for the MTV Brand New and Unsigned award has put a spring in their musical step; scattering more than just these six towns of Stoke-on-Trent.

From the first one and half minutes you are intoxicated by; the intense repetitive drum beat and eerie guitar riffs. Up, up and up, Stop the World builds, it builds at a highest point, a point where it becomes uncontrollable to imagine, and then a swift fall towards Matt on bass which questionable is the time to go mental. (Plus Liam’s queue to walk on stage) Gritty vocals give Six Towns that mighty rock’n’roll stamp on their musical CV. ‘Da da da da daaaa’ repeating, makes it a catchy rock anthem.

Sharp drumming, concise riffs both organised in a repeated call and response effect, it’s Mistress Mysterious. Anthem approached poetic lyrics. Oasis-like; simple, memorable and genius. Harmonies from bassist Matt slot into Liam’s vocals faultlessly.

Jack the Ripper transports us back to the late 80’s earlier 90’s when rock and rave fanatics would jump in a muddy field and enjoy the music intensify after the next alcoholic drink. The punk inspired indie boom sound is created by the endless indie strumming that keeps the trusty six strings in full view. Liam and Matt’s vocals have a genuine attitude as well as their stage presence live. The constant whisk up of both voices is high sophisticatedly bound together.

Asylum alienates the musical avalanche they create through the last 3 songs. The computerised speech and sighs of keyboard jolt Six Towns in a collision with electronic rock, yet the driven beats, smashing cymbals, contagious riffs; forceful bass fastens  them securely on the rock basis configuration It’s every rockist inclination to initiate their adventure along Six Towns way. Six Towns have let their guard down and dissolved this track into a freak out prolonged passage which climax’s before continuing to that casual facade and fantasy driven, enthusiastic talent. 

LC

The Rivalry @ Fat Cats Cafe Bar 30.03.2013

After a lengthy wait and with much anticipation, The Alcucinors Acoustic Duo take to the stage in Fatcats. Their soft and easy tone filled the room and they were very much a crowd pleaser with their mellow and breezy songs plus a cheeky Beatles cover. The shared vocals of the two boys, Dave Hannah and Jake Kimberley work well together to create their unique sound; which mixed with the two guitars creates harmonious and broad music.
Dirty Rotten Souls were up next and what can I say? Dirty by name and dirty by nature; their gritty sound and deep bass guitar riffs really scream out to the audience. The drums were slightly overpowering at times and the vocals got slightly lost along the way but it was a tight performance and I liked how their set was continuous and the songs were linked together through bass riffs; it really kept the audience listening.
The Ruby Dukes have a really good connection with each other, which is clear from their stage presence and musicianship. With a strong intro and intricate guitar riffs the set had a good pace and the layers of the music really shone through.
The Rivalry were the headline act of the night and they definitely gave the most lively performance of the evening. They all have a really good sense of musicianship and their catchy and repetitive choruses really got the audience going, it was obvious that both the band and the audience were there to have a great time. Strong and hard vocals came from Rob Hawthorne and the set was definitely well rehearsed as the band had a very much polished sound.

MG