With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

Music reviews, gig reviews, fun trivia and extra added random stuff!

All Should Eat – The Crescent, York – Tuesday 10th February 2026 March 8, 2026


This ‘All Should Eat’ gig at the Crescent was organised to raise money for a fabulous Yorkshire charity, SASH. The organisation is a youth homelessness charity that works across North Yorkshire. They help young people aged 16-25 who are facing homelessness. It is a charity that I love and respect hugely, they do such great work. So when this gig was announced I purchased a ticket right away. Yes I know that I get into many gigs for free, but I always pay my way when it is for charity! If you wish to find out more about SASH or wish to donate to them click here.

The night featured five bands, one of which I had never seen before. First up it was the Expression who have featured on these pages a few times before. They gave us a delightful set of 21st century prog with some vibey dark jazz undertones. The guitarist was not only a great player he was also an absolute genius in creating sounds using his effects pedals. A big shout out to the drummer too, he was ace.

They were followed by the Blair Bitch Project. This would be one of their last gigs under that name, the Blair Witch Project film franchise company contacted them and requested that they stop using the name. They will now be known as Bitchcraft, which to be fair is yet another great band name. This band are at the vanguard of hard rocking all female bands. Their songs are truly original. Especially “Banshee” and “My Cat”. The latter saw some crowd surfing from the band’s toy cat. They are a part of the line up of the first Love Music Hate Racism gig on 27th February. They rocked the absolute fuck out of the Crescent!

Ghostship were next and they seem to evoke the history of classic British rock with some fine very UK rock vibes. There were shades of Pink Floyd and the more mellow songs of the Faces that featured Ronnie Lane on vocals rather than Rod Stewart. Their harmonies were sublime and reminded me of Lindisfarne in their prime. If Ian McNabb had worked with Pink Floyd it might have sounded like Ghostship. They closed their set with a powerful and simply awesome cover of the Beatles classic “Dear Prudence”.

Finally it was time for the Disappearer to take the stage. This was th only one of the four bands that I had not seen before this gig. They are purveyors of fine melodic rock with a smattering of bluesy jazz. They have a great mellow shoegaze style in some songs. Their closing song was introduced as something of an experiment. Now that was a brave move, while it was generally good it sometimes felt a little ‘try hard’. I think it might work better in a studio. But didn’t take much away from what was overall a stunning set. So a great night for a great cause, what more does a philanthropic music fan need?

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Love Music Hate Racism (LMHR) – First Gig February 20, 2026


A few regular readers may know that I am now the chair of Love Music Hate racism in York. I have been in this role for just a few months, along with a fabulous team of music loving anti racists! Anyway we have organised our first gig and the press release for that show (which I wrote) is copied below. If you are going, you are very lucky, because it is sold out. But we will be doing more so keep your eyes and ears peeled!

Love Music Hate Racism (LMHR) uses the energy and vibrancy of the music scene to promote unity and celebrate diversity through education and events. Our message is simple; there is more that unites us than divides us; and nothing demonstrates this more than music.
Whatever the genre, music is living testimony to the fact that cultures can and do mix. Music has the power to unite, to give strength and to effect positive social change.
Racism, on the other hand, weakens us; it creates barriers and turns friends and neighbours against one another. Sadly, racism is on the rise in the UK and internationally. We believe that if we work together, we can harness the power of music to stop this destructive force in its tracks.
Our aim is to use the power of music to bring together individuals and communities in a beautiful resistance against bigotry and hatred.


We are utilising the power of music by putting on gigs to raise awareness and support. Our first gig is at the Basement at City Screen on Friday 27th February and it is sold out! It has been badged as Love Punk Hate racism!
It is headlined by young York band Vagabond. They have played the Cavern in Liverpool, opened Mothership Festival in York and are talented and established York buskers. They are a punk band, but they have so much more. It is a solid and curious amalgam of the traditional and the modern. Punk, pop punk, power punk and funky punk.
Second on the bill are the Blair Bitch Project (now named Bitchcraft after a complaint from the horror film franchise). They are an all-girl band who know how to rock. Think Sabbath, Girlschool and Siouxse rolled into one massive sonic onslaught. They conjure some scary, monumental, weird and wonky riffs.
Also, on the lineup we have Sweeping Statement. They encompass post punk and prog in a delightful melting pot of sonic excellence. If you used Artificial Intelligence to create a band that mixed largely unrelated genres and encouraged moshing it might well deliver Sweeping Statement.
Our second gig is scheduled for Friday 27th March, keep your eyes on social media and the streets for more news on that soon!
Finally we would like to thank all the bands for their passion and commitment to the cause by being so willing to give their time and performance for free!

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