Sometimes a piece of news just passes you by, doesn’t it? I was reading Record Collector magazine this week and discovered an obituary for Iain Sutherland of the Sutherland Brothers’ fame. So I am very sorry that this write up comes so long after that sad event. Many will remember this Scottish band, that Iain formed with his brother Gavin in 1968 then called New Generation, for their 1976 hit “Arms Of Mary”. They joined forces with Quiver in the early 70s and had moderate success in the USA, single “(I Don’t Want to Love You But) You Got Me Anyway” reached the Billboard Top 50, but failed to chart in their native UK. Gavin Sutherland also wrote another great song for the group, which sadly failed to chart, that song was “Sailing”, which was covered by Rod Stewart and went on to become one of his biggest hits. Incidentally, for many reasons, Rod Stewart’s cover of “Sailing” was my Dad’s funeral song back in 2001. But for me, my favourite song by the Sutherland Brothers and Quiver was 1973 single “Dream Kid (July 32nd)” which was also the title track of their album that same year. In fact “Dream Kid (July 32nd)” is one of my favourite songs of all time, I really can’t pinpoint exactly why, but I love it and it makes me feel happy whenever I hear it. It was played a lot on UK radio in 1973 and I was gutted that it never charted. I still have a vinyl copy of the album. Iain died in November 2019 aged just 71, which really isn’t that old these days. RIP Iain Sutherland.
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Some interest and irony in seeing climate change denier Marvin Lee Aday a.k.a Meatloaf taking part in Veganuary, especially as he has rejected calls to change his name to Veganloaf or Nutloaf. But to each their own, right? Anyway, Meatloaf has been big on vegetables before, well at least his music has; Sussex University used his ‘Bat Out Of Hell’ in a study in 2000 to see if rock music helped vegetables grow faster. Well, guess what, apparently it did make them grow faster. Let me have all the Meatloaf vegetable song title puns you’ve got! I’ll start with “Two Out Of Pea Ain’t Bad”!
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Today, had he been alive the Dame a.k.a David Bowie would have been 73. Incidentally he had the same birthday as Elvis Presley. The King would have been 85 today. So as a little celebration of Bowie’s birthday how about we kick off with a song that he allegedly wanted Elvis to record; “Golden Years”.
Enjoy the videos and if you’re attending Absolute Bowie at the Crescent in York on 17th January, I’ll see you there! Let me also tantalise and tease you with another Bowie event that I am planning, it will be in York in the next few months. All will be revealed soon! Love on ya xxx
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This is not really a review in the truest sense, more of a little tale as to how, as With Just A Hint Of Mayhem, I promoted my first gig. The idea gelled quite a while ago, I had wanted to do something to celebrate my own 60th birthday (1st January 2019) and the tenth birthday of my With Just A Hint Of Mayhem blog (9th February 2019). But for various reasons I took a lot longer to get things moving so, in reality, I suppose the gig celebrates my 61st birthday (January 1st, 2020) and the blogs eleventh anniversary next month (9th February 2020). One decision I made early was that this first, and possibly only, gig would be for charity. Mostly because I felt that if it went belly up then people might be more forgiving. I chose SASH as it is a charity close to my heart for far more reasons than I have time to go into here. SASH is a youth homelessness charity that works across York, North and East Yorkshire. They provide invaluable help to young people aged 16-25 who are facing homelessness.
The Receivers – Picture-Copyright – Charlie Kirkpatrick
After that all I had to decide was which bands I wanted on the bill, easy peasy, right? Well not quite, one band I was keen to have play agreed to be there and then had to pull out for logistical reasons, sadly the band broke up towards the end of last year too. So that left three out of four to secure for the night. A year ago I said to Rusty, the singer from Lost Trends that I was planning a charity gig, with no prompting he said: “we’re in!” With a stern straight face, I replied: “I haven’t asked you yet!” But obviously Lost Trends then became the first band to be pencilled in. Would I be able to secure the next two bands? Well, that part wasn’t too difficult and from initial conversations, it was clear that the Receivers and My Wonderful Daze were very keen to help and to play at the Crescent on 3rd January. After some advice from people who know their stuff (thank you Joe Coates and Simon Pattinson) I dropped my original wish of four bands on the bill to three. So now all was set and I embarked on a social media campaign of promotion. I was concerned that upfront ticket sales were low, but everyone kept telling me that there would be plenty of walk-ins on the night. Thankfully all those people were right and we had I think something like 80 – 90 people there on the night.
My Wonderful Daze – Picture-Copyright – Charlie Kirkpatrick
The running order was decided by online vote after the Receivers chose to open the show (they have a number of headline gigs coming up). In a close-fought vote, Lost Trends pipped My Wonderful Daze to the headline spot. So it would be doors open at 7:30, the Receivers at 8, My Wonderful Daze at 9 and Lost Trends at 10. I wanted to be there for all the preparation so I arrived at the Crescent at 4pm, before any of the bands ready and waiting to witness the soundchecks. Even that was exciting for me and by then I was running on pure grade adrenaline. All three bands were on top form at soundcheck aided and abetted by ace soundman Stu Bellis. The team at the Crescent were superb and I learned a lot from them for next time (yes I am sure there will be more from me!). Suddenly it was time for the doors to open and I stood by the ticket table waiting for the punters to flood in! It was more of a trickle at first but a relentless trickle which continued at quite a pace for the next hour or so.
Lost Trends – Picture-Copyright – Charlie Kirkpatrick
Before the bands came on Matt Messias told the crowd about all the great work that SASH do to help prevent youth homelessness. Every band played like they were headliners which made it a blistering night of fabulous music. The Receivers played crowdpleasers like “Saturday” and showcased a couple of new songs. Guitarist Alex had some instrument issues towards the end of their set but improvised with some maniacal Bez dancing. Flowers a.k.a. Chloe the obscenely talented frontwoman of My Wonderful Daze had an awful cold but did not let that deter her or the band from pulling off an incendiary set. The crowd had been up for a party and were wearing their bopping shoes and dancing trousers and showing their best moves all night. That culminated in the whole room grooving to those famous indie dance punkateers Lost Trends. It was a great night of punk, funk, psych, indie, metal, glam, and ROCK. It was LOUD and I loved it. Everyone that I spoke to loved it too. All three bands looked to be having great fun on stage as well. The Receivers and My Wonderful Daze offered much of their merch sales to SASH. I know that Lost Trends would have done the same but they are currently “the band with no merch”! So thanks to all the paying punters (many of whom gave their change to the charity), merch sales, all the bands turning down a rider and a discount on the venue hire fee we raised more than £400 for SASH. That is beyond my wildest expectations and it will fund 21 safe nights sleep to young people facing homelessness in our community. I cannot thank you all enough for what you helped us achieve. With Just A Hint Of Mayhem will definitely be doing more gigs!
Matt & Bill – Picture-Copyright – Charlie Kirkpatrick
As a postscript, there was an after-party of sorts at the Priory for shameless Karaoke. But while there were some true legends made into the early hours via Abba songs, Cyndi Lauper tunes and a couple of the Dame’s greatest hits, what went on at the Priory stays at the Priory. Although if you would like to pay me a fiver which I will give to SASH I will tell you as much as I can remember!
All the photos apart from the gig poster were taken by Charlie Kirkpatrick of Kirkpatrick Photography please do not share or use without permission. You can find Kirkpatrick Photography here and on Facebook. There are a few more excellent pictures from Charlie just below the following public service announcement, including some great crowd shots. I recognise quite a few of those punters! Incidentally, the gig poster was designed and made by me! The videos were all found on YouTube if one of them is yours and you would like a credit or for me to remove it please let me know.
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Earlier this year I had the pleasure of reviewing two great singles from a band that was very new to me, LA-based Stonerpop. Those singles were “Night Terrors” and “Subroutine” and they are both included on the groups new album ‘American Dreams’ which comes into the world on January 1st, 2020. It was recorded in Shreveport, in the Stonerpop studio. Stonerpop is Jimmie Maneuva and Maudie Michelle who hail from the Deep South and Pacific Northwest, respectively. They formed their existential, exciting, electronic duo in 2016. The album opens with a kind of instrumental preface, “Myoclonus”. I have to confess I had to pull out the dictionary when confronted with that title. Myoclonus refers to a quick, involuntary muscle jerk. Hiccups are a form of myoclonus, as are the sudden jerks, or “sleep starts,” you may feel just before falling asleep. These forms of myoclonus occur in healthy people and rarely present a problem. In a sense, that track sets the tone as it suddenly jerks you into this moody, mind-warping collection of elegant electro tunes. Many of the tunes in this collection would work well as a part of a film soundtrack, the cinematic scope of “The Others” suggests a really arty French Science Fiction film. Whereas “Right Place, Wrong Time” would fit more into a David Lynch Twin Peaks style universe. That track also makes great use of some sampled speech, I have no idea where it was sourced from but it works well. If you like music to move you physically then check out “House Of Cards” even those of you that prefer to remain immobile will be tempted to tap your fingers or your feet. Me? I danced around the room like no one was watching while I was listening to it! I believe that this was also recently released as a single too.
Instrumental “Rapid Eye Movement” has a repetitive bass synth underlay that sounds like a heartbeat, maybe that of a sleeping person during REM sleep. I have experienced a flotation tank and I can imagine this piece being slowly faded in to wake the participant at the end of the session. In “Dilation” Stonerpop have created a majestic musical piece that as with those mentioned earlier would not be out of place on a film soundtrack. Like a more electro Mogwai. The longest track on the album is “Ice Cold Souls” in which Maudie’s beautiful and at times robotic vocal competes with birdsong as the song builds slowly to an ever more layered crescendo, before fading to an electronic drone with sparse, eerie piano. Apart from the two singles, and I will come to those later, my favourite track after a few spins of the album is “Destiny Gang”. Jimmie’s vocal sounds like Spandau Ballet’s Tony Hadley through a voice melding synthesiser. Definitely a track that would sound great in a dance remix. So how about the two singles? Well, Night Terrors” is a monumental electronic painting made with sound. It has eerie, hypnotic and booming percussion, droning synth sounds and a vocal so ethereal it feels not of this world. “Subroutine” is a masterful electronic symphonic soundscape with layered percussion and a booming bassy synth riff underpinning a magnificent tune sung deliciously by Maudie.
Stonerpop say this about the album; “10 tracks that take the listener through an ethereal journey about getting stuck in the cheese wheel. The album is about confidence and the lack thereof. It’s about impostors, both real and fake. It’s about failure and the illusion of victory. Stonerpop wants to encourage people to both relax and take action.” That is definitely a vibe that I can get into. The Album Release Party took place a couple of days ago in the form of a Masquerade Party at Sal’s Saloon in Monroe, LA. The party included giveaways, art, and the opportunity to hear the album before its release. Sadly being this side of the big pond I was unable to make it, maybe next time! If you haven’t checked out Stonerpop yet then you need to do it now! How about starting by getting yourself a copy of ‘American Dreams’?
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This show was a promotion by Bands F.C., in fact, I believe it is their first promotion. In a nutshell, their core operation and unique selling point is “Bands as Football Teams, Football Teams as Bands”. I presume to tap into the tribalism that exists in music and football. Personally, I have always tended to separate the two, but I definitely understand the appeal. If you are a football fan there will be more footie comments and analogies later in this piece! First of the two bands to occupy the Brudenell stage was one of Yorkshire’s finest, the Skylights. This is definitely a band that is ready for the big time. In fact, I believe that Skylights will hit it way before their beloved Leeds United return to the Premier League or maybe a safer bet might be before Leeds return to European competition. The boys had their own Spinal Tap moment with bass player Jonny not managing to find his way to the stage at the same time as the rest of the band. Was he lost, was it nerves? I have no idea! This Skylights performance was incredibly tight with Rob’s vocals finding a level somewhere between the punk sneer of Johnny Rotten and the “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” whine of Liam Gallagher from back in the days when Oasis mattered. Turnbull is a certified guitar virtuoso who could hold his own with the likes of Bernard Butler, John Squire, and the Edge to name just a few. Meanwhile the rhythm section of the aforementioned Jonny on uber bass and Myles smashing his kit into oblivion. I met someone in the crowd who said that Myles played like he was Animal from the Muppets and I find it hard to disagree. This albeit short set was another classic one from this excellent band. Highlights for me were “Nothing Left To Say” and “YRA”.
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The second and final band of the evening was raucous and refined indie yobs (and I mean all that in a good way) Dirty Laces from Manchester. Their Manchester DNA is obviously well displayed but their sound is also descended from original rock yobs, the Small Faces. Singer Charlie has the confidence, the swagger and just a hint of arrogance that all the best frontmen possess. He also has a great voice. Dirty Laces come across as an incredibly well-rehearsed bunch of very talented musicians. Plus they really seemed to be enjoying themselves on stage, which for me is always a good sign of a great band. For me, the real powerhouse of the band was bass player Tom, although in some ways singling any one of the five out seems a little unfair, I did it anyway. If I was in a band I would not have relished following such a blistering set from Skylights who played like headliners, but Dirty Laces were undaunted and played like champions. They know their classic tunes too; they took to the stage after the Beatles “Because” was played over the venue PA. Then their penultimate song was a cover, not just any cover, but one of Dame David’s greatest songs, “Heroes”. I have seen so many acts screw up cover versions of classic songs, but Dirty Laces took “Heroes” and put their own indelible stamp on it. Never as good as Bowie’s original, how could it be, but an exemplary live performance of a great tune. That was one of my highlights of the night along with set closer “Set In Stone” which may be the harbinger of a new genre mashup; Indie Prog!
Copyright – Trust A Fox Photography – Please do not use without permission.
A big shout out to Premier League referee Jon Moss (not the one from Culture Club) for a great DJ set. Sticking with football, this gig would have been a hard-fought FA cup match ending in a 4 – 4 draw (that’s a tie to US readers) with both bands sharing the spoils. When will the replay be?
Copyright – Trust A Fox Photography – Please do not use without permission.
All the photos apart from the gig poster were taken by Trust A Fox Photography, please do not share or use without permission. You can find Trust A Fox here and also on Facebook and Twitter (@TrustFox). The videos were all found on YouTube if one of them is yours and you would like a credit or for me to remove it please let me know.
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I had so been looking forward to Clutch at the O2 Leeds. Tickets were bought months ago, for me and my oldest school mate (both now 53!) and a pre-Christmas spectacular was planned. Two days before I got flu. Disaster. Massive fever, delirium, and doom pending massive disappointment. But I don’t let folk down. I would do everything within my power to be dosed up and present. This was probably foolish, but we made it there. Walking in during the support Graveyard to face an absolute wall of bodies and heat. I now understood the depths of my foolishness. Standing with Deano at the bar, I asked for a coke. First gig sober. Graveyard may have been good NWOCRers, but my review can’t do them justice as I was adjusting to the heat and noise and trying to stay upright. The last 2 cold and flu tablets were taken to hopefully get me through. We sidled our way to 6 back from the stage, just left of centre, and as it turned out, within bumping distance of the mad mosh.
Clutch was on, roaring “Rats” as an opener. The crowd went wild. These guys are hard southern rockin’ masters with a huge chunk of storytelling and a slice of funk. Clutch were formed in 1991 in Maryland and are 12 albums in and a real crowd favourite. Next Summer they will complete a UK festival first by playing 3 different sets at Ramblin Man in Kent. Back to the show. Neil Fallon, on lead vocals, sometimes guitar and one-time cowbell, is a crowd master. A master storyteller, performer, and actor. A southern rockin’ latterday Shakespearean performer. Never better than on “Army Of Bono” or “In Walks Barbarella”. You may choose others, and indeed there were many Clutch classics missing from their short set. But they did cram in 15 in just over an hour, including “A Shogun Named Marcus” which lit the blue touch paper in the mosh! Their encore contained their number one Spotify streamed “Electric Worry”, and the Southern classic “Fortunate Son”. And that was that. Much anticipated and much appreciated and left me wanting more. Rock n roll adrenalin got me through the flu, at least for a few hours. Onwards into 2020 and their triple set in Kent, along with a little known band called Lynyrd Skynyrd.
All the photos apart from the gig poster were taken Phil Marsland. The videos were all found on YouTube if one of them is yours and you would like a credit or for me to remove it please let me know.
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Well, that’s nearly it for 2019. The world has gone even crazier, but underneath all the chaos there is and hopefully will always be great music. So along with almost every other publication, website and blog I have compiled my top ten albums of 2019. It was a tough choice and putting them into a sequence has been even tougher, especially the top 2 which have switched places a lot. I would love to hear about your favourite albums of the year.
’24 Carat Diamond Trephine’ – Avalanche Party – Possibly the best debut album in rock history.
‘Ghosteen’ – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – is it possible to get more gut-wrenching and thought-provoking emotion in one album.
‘End Of Suffering’ – Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes – As a fan of Frank since his Gallows days I believe that this is his finest moment…. so far!
‘I Want The World’ – Hands Off Gretel – Easily one of the most exciting and exhilarating live bands to emerge in the last couple of years.
‘Renaissance Men’ – The Wildhearts – This band is well and truly back, not just with a bang but with a mega explosion.
‘Encore’ – The Specials – Who believed that the Specials had a new album in them, let alone one this good?
‘Nothing Great About Britain’ – Slowthai – no one has summed up what the UK is like now much better than Slowthai did on this stunning release.
‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’ – Billie Eilish
‘Tough Crowd’ – Nervus – Better than their last album and probably not as good as their next, this band gets better and better!
‘Kind Heaven’ – Perry Farrell – an eclectic mix of styles that perhaps only someone of Perry’s talents could pull off. This was one of my most listened to albums on Spotify this year apparently.
I would also like to take the opportunity to say thank you for reading and following this site, you inspire me to continue. Finally always remember those that are less fortunate than you, homeless people and those suffering in silence. Remember the people it would be easier to forget. It is ok to be not ok. “In a world that has decided that it’s going to lose its mind Be more kind, my friends, try to be more kind” (Frank Turner). I hope that 2020 is a great year for you and however it pans out look out for each other.
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I hadn’t seen UK modern-day rock legends the Darkness for many years so I was really looking forward to a full show from them at the Barbican in York. I was there with my friend and work colleague Paul Kennedy. First on stage were Rews, the brainchild of Irish rocker Shauna Tohill. Rews are heavy but with a quirky pop edge and their energy appears to be limitless. This is the first time that I have seen Rews and I believe that anyone at this show who saw their electrifying support set will have walked away as a Rews fan, many were already Rews fans. I am definitely a fan of this band now.
So now it was the time for the Darkness. They played two sets, the first of which was a complete run-through of their new album ‘Easter is Cancelled’. This record, released earlier this year, is a towering return to form and some of the songs appear to be tailor-made for playing live, especially “Rock and Roll Deserves to Die”, “Heavy Metal Lover” and “Choke On It”. There is not a duff track on this record and that is even more apparent as the band tore up the stage with a stunning showcase of the new songs. Justin is on particularly good form during the show and his brother Dan’s guitar work is on a par with so many great British rock guitarists. The set closed with a solo acoustic “We Are The Guitar Men” from Justin Hawkins. It is a great song, but the softer style did give us all a moment to draw breath before the full-on sonic attack of the second set. It was opened by a thunderous romp through “One Way Ticket” from their second album. For me the best moments were hearing the songs from the first album again; “Growing On Me” and “Get Your Hands Off My Woman”. But they, probably as expected, saved the best until last with a tune that Justin introduced as their most famous song, “I Believe In A Thing Called Love” which was greeted with such rapturous applause it might have registered on the Richter scale. Justin’s humour was well played, he even wore an “Aye Up” T-Shirt which seemed to please the predominantly Yorkshire crowd. The band actually played along to the “Yorkshire, Yorkshire” chant too. If anyone had told me that the Darkness might be a good choice to cover Radiohead I might have laughed. But their take on “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” was something special. They gave it a completely new lease of life and stamped their signature all over it. They also managed to include a few bars and lines of the Beatles “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”. Is the world ready for a Darkness covers album? I think so. It was late December and there was always going to be an encore and I think most of us guessed that it would be “Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)”. But what a stunning, singalong end to a night to remember. With the Darkness you don’t just get a gig, you get a show!
All the photos apart from the gig poster were taken by me on my cheap Chinese android phone. The videos were all found on YouTube if one of them is yours and you would like a credit or for me to remove it please let me know.
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The Big Boss Caine Annual All-Star Festive Fundraiser has traditionally been held at the now sadly demised Fibbers in York, but for 2019 and hopefully many years to come it has relocated to the rather fabulous Fulford Arms. A huge thank you to Dan Lucas for putting this on and to everyone at the Fulford Arms who worked tirelessly all night and of course to all the bands taking part. This is the first of these events that I have managed to get along to and I am so glad that I did. This year’s charity was Kitchen for Everyone, York. who provide an amazing service, feeding the homeless and vulnerable in York, and there was also a collection of food and clothing on the night for those in need locally, as part of We Shall Overcome. The total raised at the gig was £522 at handover though there I believe there will be more to add to that from poster sales and whatnot. There was also a Land Rover fully laden with clothes, sleeping bags, hats, gloves, socks, dried food, sanitary/bathroom products, and mucho love! Dan Lucas will be continuing to collect each week at Busk @ Dusk if you fancy getting down there on a Sunday night. The gig was the day after the damaging and disastrous UK General Election which gives Britain its most far-right government in history. I was feeling pretty low about that and I drank an awful lot of wine that night. So before I tell you about the show can I just say sorry to anyone that I might have bored the pants off/ annoyed/ never stopped talking to/ leaned on/ offended (delete as appropriate) and I really hope it wasn’t the latter!
PERCY
A massive shout and thanks to the extremely talented Kai West for producing such an incredible poster. I never got around to buying one of the limited edition copies on sale on the night, so if there are any left then I am still interested. Unfortunately the first of the six bands on the bill, French Exits, couldn’t make it. So the event was kicked off in great style by Percy. A York band that regular readers of With Just A Hint Of Mayhem will have noticed a few times before. They are a very left-field prog-punk combo. They are so different and ‘out there’ that they have the power to bring John Peel back to life; Percy would make an amazing collection of classic Peel sessions. The new songs that they showcased on the night are immense and bubble over with venom and anger, especially future classic tune in the making, “Will Of The People”. If you like Magazine, the Fall or even Half Man Half Biscuit you need to check Percy out. But comparisons aside Percy are very much original, so what the hell, check them out whoever you are a fan of they are well worth it! Also a big shout for Percy for being the first band of the evening to shout “Fuck The Tories”, they weren’t the last.
Cowgirl
Cowgirl, a great band that I saw for the first time back in January. If the Stooges had been fronted by Lou Reed and Jonathan Richman then Cowgirl would be the result. Their bluesy, riff-laden, psychedelic, feedback fuelled scuzzy garage rock is at times evocative of the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and the Detroit Cobras. Bizarrely, maybe through some nicely utilised feedback, I was also taken back to 1974 and the first time that I ever heard David Bowie’s ‘Diamond Dogs’ album via a late-night end to end playthrough on John Peel’s show a week before it’s release. Listening to that in the dark on headphones scared the shit out of me. I believe that Cowgirl might have the same effect in a darkened room. Someone needs to give them the opportunity to soundtrack a British horror film along the lines of ‘Eden Lake’.
Snakerattlers
The Snakerattlers have had a great year; an exhilarating new album, ‘All Heads Will Roll’ and this was their 71st gig of the year. They are now a live force to be reckoned with, a truly amazing live band. Dan’s stage presence is spot on and how the fuck does Naomi make so much noise from such a small drum kit? Their towering psychobilly based sound is ecstatic and energising. The now expected crowd incursions from singer-guitarist Dan Gott are special, not just for his Dick Dalesque guitar work but for his expert gurning and an evil stare that would fit neatly into the British Horror film that I want Cowgirl to soundtrack. Stuck for a Christmas present for your Gran? Get here the Snakerattlers album, it will keep her alive for many more years!
Nosedivers
After more than 20 years one of York’s finest punk bands is back together. Ladies and Gentlemen, I am talking about the Nosedivers. They come on like the snotty young brothers of the Clash with the swagger and poise of the Ramones. Dan Lucas’ vocals are rich, deep and sharp and very different from his Boss Caine work. The Nosedivers energy is off the scale and their anger is channeled into some fiery political comment. Changing the chorus of one song rather cleverly and topically to “Fuck the Tories”. The mountainous riffs and piledriving songs are carved from a punk mountain, on the scale of Mount Olympus but built from pure punk vibes. We need this band to stick around a while longer and I hope that they do. But even if they don’t it was a major blast having them back even for a short while.
Bull
The headliners and the perfect band to close this scintillating salmagundi of a gig was York’s very own Bull. If you know this band you will bloody love them. If you don’t know them yet then what are you waiting for, get on it now! They take the best of the Pixies, the Strokes, the heavier side of R.E.M, the retrospection of Elvis Costello and the pop-rock sensibility of Kurt Cobain and roll it into that unique Bull sound. Bull are supremely talented musicians and they owned the stage and deserved this prestigious headline slot. They are clearly on top of their game and I get the impression that they are still some way from reaching their peak. They are a band with the power to shred the shackles of King Kong. As someone once said, “this lot will just become awesomer and awesomer!” Get rid of the bullshit in your life with Bull!
All the photos apart from the gig poster were taken by me on my cheap Chinese android phone.The videos were all found on YouTube, if one of them is yours and you would like a credit or for me to remove it please let me know.
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