This was the third Fully Live Showcase and I think the first that I have been able to make it to. It was originally scheduled to showcase four bands, but unfortunately New Age Vinyl had to pull out, hopefully, I will get to see them sometime soon. But that still left three bands on the bill, one of which I have seen before, so more of them later. A huge thank you to the Fully Arms team for pulling together such a great showcase! First on stage was Anthea Drive, a great band whose style brings some of the best 70s rock vibes into the 21st Century. Even before the arrival of new vocalist Michelle earlier this year Anthea Drive were very good but now they are stunningly good. Michelle took to the stage around three songs in after the lads had warmed up the crowd nicely. She adds an amazing new dimension and depth to the sound with her soaring voice and powerful stage presence. Michelle confided in me before she took to the stage that she was a little nervous, but that didn’t show at all, she and the band smashed it. The band is very tight and well-rehearsed and Michelle’s voice at times took me back to 70s rock a la Girlschool, Fanny, and even Suzi Quatro. Standouts for me were “Yes, I Want To Be A Ballerina” and the mountainous “Prisoner Of War”. I recommend you catch this band live as soon as you can, you will not be disappointed.
Next up was Doghouse Derelicts, I already liked them simply for the name. To be fair they were never going to be in the doghouse and they are most certainly not derelict. With at least three great singers in the band, their vocal harmonies were supremely well put together. At times I was reminded of Little Feat, Ronnie Lane, Free, and maybe the Eagles and I think that eclectic list of bands shows just how talented and versatile Doghouse Derelicts are. They know how to rock, they have soul and are simply a bloody brilliant rock band, I will definitely be looking out for more live shows from them. On top of that, they really seemed to be enjoying themselves too. Dave Budgen and Tim Hutton brought the band together some years ago while playing as part of the magnificent Dub Pistols. On stage, Tim Hutton was referred to as rock royalty and if you check out his cv that is probably true he has worked with so many music legends. Those legends include Afrika Bambaataa, Amy Winehouse, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Dub Pistols, Fela Kuti, Groove Armada, Lee Perry, Liam Howlett, Mike Skinner, Paul Oakenfold, Professor Green, and Tony Allen to name just a few!
The last band on tonight was the rather wonderful City Snakes who I saw for the first time just last month, also at the Fulford Arms. If you could store the energy that these lads (and their hardcore fans) produce I reckon you could light up the city of York for a month. Are City Snakes the solution to the current energy crisis? Possibly! They have shades of the best of British punk and new wave in their sound from the Clash and the Undertones with an extra dollop of US class via the Strokes. They also have a similar approach and swagger to early Arctic Monkeys. I previously described them as having that dirty glam sound that the New York Dolls were so good at, and they have it in buckets! But don’t take the mention of all these bands to mean that I think these boys are copyists, they most definitely are a spectacularly good fuzzed up, punked-up garage band in their own right. The whole band was on form but I want to give a particular shout-out to the rhythm section, they were on fire to an erupting Vesuvius level tonight. City Snakes know how to rock and they know how to party, if seeing them live isn’t on your bucket list then there is something wrong with you! I should mention their fans too, who shorn of t-shirts and with snakes drawn on their backs moshed like their lives depended on it! I don’t want to reduce their street cred, but I met one of the band’s Dads tonight and he is a top bloke and obviously a huge City Snakes fan!
All the photos, apart from the gig poster, were taken using my cheap Chinese Android phone, hence the shady as shit quality! The videos were all found via YouTube. If any of the videos are yours and you would like me to credit you or remove them please let me know.
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