Hard rockers Eva Plays Dead from Nottingham have a new EP coming out very soon. Click here to read my review of said EP on the 3 Songs & Out site. Once again a huge thank you to those funky musical wonder kids at 3 Songs & Out for passing me such great stuff to review!
Well isn’t the Crescent turning into a fab venue. Tonight in a show put together by the talented Mr Dean Shakespeare of Under The Influence we had one of the most hyped bands in ages headlining ; those delightful lads from Cabbage. This would make it four times that I had seen them live, so what did I think of them this time? Well dear reader you will need to read on to find out, because I need to tell you about the excellent support acts first. The Grimm Twins took to the stage before anyone else and sadly the early crowd held back for far too long for such a stunning band. They are punk and post punk rolled into one. They contain a pinch of the Fall and a dash of the Buzzcocks which given that their DNA is close geographically, they are from Macclesfield, I am not surprised. Their song “Generation Z” is a venerable and honourable anthem for this bands generation. After hearing this I would be happy to hand over the mantle as my baby boomer generation have royally fucked things up. Their closing number “Theme Of The Grimm” is a top tune, it is deep, meaningful, powerful, special and anthemic. Definitely a band to watch out for.
The next band up were She Drew The Gun who to me appeared to be influenced by everything and nothing at the same time, this is no criticism they are a wonderful and truly original band. They are a band with a conscience and bucket loads of passion. Imagine Dick Dale backing a torch singer or Kate Tempest fronting early Roxy Music and this will give you just a small insight into exactly how good She Drew The Gun are. If you saw them at the Crescent tonight and you didn’t become a fan then I seriously believe that you need to have your musical taste examined!
Finally it was time for the main attraction and one of your five a day, it is only the mighty Cabbage! This is the fourth time that I have experienced the band known as Cabbage and this was the first time that I had seen them outside of a festival. So this was very much their own crowd and oh boy did they whip us into a frenzy. Cabbage play punk, funk, pop, post punk and many other styles in between but they are nigh on impossible to drop into a genre. They are bombastic, lovingly chaotic and they carry off a healthy dollop of arrogance too. We were treated to some proper choice cuts from their new album ‘Nihilistic Glamour Shots’ and some of the finest songs from their ever-expanding repertoire. They were at their explosive best for “Arms of Pleonexia” and “Gibraltar Ape” was a towering masterpiece that shook the room, but to be fair I was standing right next to the speaker stack! From their earlier songs “Uber Capitalist Death Trade”, “Terrorist Synthesizer” and “Dinner Lady” were particular highlights for me. On top of that who can resist the genius that is “Necroflat in the Palace”. After seeing them at the Latitude Festival last year I made a prediction that they would headline a major festival in three years. I stand by that and hopefully it will be by or before 2020! Get yourself out to see Cabbage now before they start playing just the enormodomes!
It was also great to catch up with Simon P; kingpin of Northern Radar, Joe Coates; Head Honcho of Please Please You and Joe and Jared from one of my most favourite bands the rather awesome Avalanche Party! so as gig nights go this one was among the very best!
Public service announcement – all photographs emanated from by cheap little android phone and the videos were all discovered on YouTube.
Click here to read my take on Northern Radar’s 10 new tracks for the month so far. Thank you to Sonic Boom Simon at Northern Radar for giving me the chance to say my piece on these delicious cuts of fine music! I have added videos for a few of the ten just to whet your appetite.
Click here to read what I thought about ‘Revival’ the new album from hardcore metallers Light The Torch. Once again a very big thank you to those music laden elves over at the 3 Songs & Out webzine for passing this metalcore experience on to me.
Click here to read my review of ‘Wish You Were Her’ the fine new EP from the magnificent Screech Bats. I would like to say a big thank you to those musical maestros over at the 3 Songs & Out webzine for giving me the opportunity to discover the delightful Screech Bats!
Click here to read my review of the new album from the Magic Gang for the Northern Radar site. A big thank you to Rockin’ Mr P and his funky, punky minions over at Northern Radar for seeking my thoughts on this release. Did it pass muster for me? Did it meet my expectations? Just click as instructed at the start of this paragraph to find out 🙂
Click here to read my take on Northern Radar’s 10 new tracks from a few days back. Thank you to Rockin’ Mr P at Northern Radar for giving me the chance to say my piece on these fine tunes! I have added videos for a few of the ten just to tickle and tantalise your ear buds.
Ever since going to my first gig more than 45 years ago live music still excites me. Especially the chance to see bands and singers that I have never heard of before. Festivals are perhaps the best at providing that opportunity, but so are the small gigs put on by tireless local promoters. My adopted city of York has a thriving music scene with an amazing diversity of acts and I was lucky to catch one of those bands at the Crescent in York last week. I am talking about Honours, a powerful and soulful four piece rock band who have just released their single “Freedom” via SoundCloud. Click on the link attached to the song title to hear it.
It has a funky guitar vibe with a great “ooh ooh” hook. The vocals have a hard edge that compares with some of the best British rock singers over the years. This is underpinned by a rhythm section that really controls the beat and really understands what rhythm means. I think that their rock lineage can be traced back to the Small Faces and all the way to Oasis and beyond. The song was recorded at the Nave in Leeds. This is a band that is oozing with potential and I am really looking forward to seeing them play live again and to hear more stuff from them. Jordan, Daniel, Struan and Tom, this is a top tune! Check Honours out, give “Freedom” a listen now, you know it makes sense!
Click here to read my review of the rather spiffing new album from Queen Kwong, ‘Love Me To Death’. Find out what I thought of it by visiting the spectacular 3 Songs & Out site, just go back and click it’s simple! Also a big thank you to those music mega-brains at 3 Songs & Out for giving me the opportunity to undertake this review.
I always enjoy a visit to one of York‘s top music venues, The Crescent, especially when it is a package of bands put together by the talented Simon Pattinson of Northern Radar. He has never let me down yet with a gig or band recommendation and frankly he nailed it again here! First up were a York band that up to now I hadn’t heard, Honours. They put on a powerful and energetic performance and in their DNA they have a link to some of the greatest British bands from the Small Faces through to Oasis. Although personally I felt that Honours have so much more personality and presence than Liam Gallagher has these days. Their guitarist’s style and journeys along his fret board shows hints of the best 70s rock licks and riffs. Do the honours and get yourself out there to see Honours!
BlackWaters are originally from Guildford, Surrey but are now based in Sheffield, but tonight they were here in York. I was bloody glad they were here as well. I don’t say this too often but this lot are potentially one of the best bands on the scene right now. John Peel would have loved them. Absolutely boundless energy, magnificent engagement with the audience. I heard shades of the Fall, the Pistols, the Clash and Cabbage. They don’t seem to bow to any scene or fashion and their playing is as punky as a punk band can get. I will definitely be seeing BlackWaters playing live again sometime!
The headliners tonight were one of York’s greatest bands, although the competition is fierce. Having just experienced BlackWaters I thought who the hell would want to follow that? But Hello Operator more than stepped up to the plate, they damn well broke it into a million tiny shards. I have seen them a couple of times before, but that was back in 2015. Back then they were oozing with talent and they have made mountainous growth in stature, power, presence and musicianship and since then. They opened their set under a standard lamp in the middle of the crowd. The punters seemed to love it and the band looked to be having great fun too. The highlight from tonight’s set for me was a rip-roaring “Oosh” which came close to bringing the roof down. Lead singer Max has a vocal that could compete with the best rock vocalists Britain has produced, from Paul Rodgers through John Lydon to Joe Elliott. Max also showed his climbing skills as he appeared on the top of the speaker stack toward the end of the set. Peter Greenwood’s guitar playing has the left field take of his namesake Jonny Greenwood and the subtle tuneful driven licks that John Squire is so good with. This was a titanic and stunning set from a band that I would love to see break very big and I really believe that they have it in them to do so.
With Just A Hint Of Mayhem 