With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

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

Absolute Bowie – The Crescent, York – Friday 22nd September 2023 September 27, 2023

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 9:10 pm
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I have never been a huge fan of tribute acts and I have only seen a handful over the years. Some that were very good and many that, let’s say politely, weren’t. As far as David Bowie tribute acts went I really wasn’t interested, but then I went to Fibbers in York in January 2017, a year after David Robert Jones’ death to see Absolute Bowie. Let me be completely honest, I really didn’t want to enjoy it, but I did. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I have now seen Absolute Bowie four times including this 2023 show at the wonderful Crescent in York. To paraphrase the words of the Dame himself I had drunk a lot (well a couple of glasses) of wine and I was feeling fine and ready for a night of Bowie nostalgia. I was lucky enough to see the real David Bowie 13 times. That is never going to happen again, so I am happy to accept a classy show from Absolute Bowie, fronted by one of the best Bowie tributes in the world, John O’Neill.

This tour consisted of two sets. The first was a celebration of fifty years of Ziggy Stardust, a character that Bowie famously, or perhaps infamously, killed off back in 1973 and the second was a a great selection of mostly 80s hits. The costume changes in the first set were truly spectacular and included facsimiles of many of Ziggy’s weirdest and most extravagant costumes. All the classic Ziggy period tunes were there. Highlights for me were “Moonage Daydream”, “Time” and “Life On Mars”. The Spiders costumes were spot on too, especially Mick Ronson a.k.a Andy Marr. But it wasn’t just Marr’s costume that was perfect, so was his emulation of Ronson’s greatest riffs. I have never been the biggest fan of Bowie’s 80s output, although I do own everything he ever released, so I wasn’t expecting to be wowed as much as I was by the second set. Kicking off with “Look Back In Anger” was a master stroke. Even “Blue Jean” sounded very special. But my favourite part of the whole night was “Young Americans”. The singalong opportunities with that classic from 1975 almost brought a tear to my eye! I would urge any Bowie fans who feel negative towards tribute acts to get yourselves along to an Absolute Bowie night. We know it’s not the real thing, but it is certainly the closest you are ever likely to come. A truly maximum rock ‘n’ roll night and immense fun remembering the Dame in all his glory!

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Millie Manders And The Shut Up – The Crescent, York – Friday 7th July 2023 July 12, 2023

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 5:44 am
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This gig was originally scheduled for earlier this year and sadly had to be postponed due to illness. But the new date was perhaps better placed, falling on a Friday rather than a weekday. Millie and her gang are always up for a great show and invariably are accompanied by some great support acts. I love that Millie can usually be found among the crowd near the front of the stage for those supports too. So who were those support acts at the fabulous Crescent in York?

First up was Kiss Kiss Kill, another fine York band. They rock like a pop-punk/ metal hybrid fronted by Gwen Stefani. Singer and ace frontwoman Gemma was having some severe throat and voice issues but she soldiered on and worked through them and she was still damned good and on most songs, you would not have known that she was having issues. Given that fact, then how good must she be when her voice is fully fighting fit? The band, but Gemma in particular showed an incredibly warm and fun interaction with the audience. Kiss Kiss Kill is a band that is hard not to like. “Happy Never After” and “Bad Bitch” blew the house down. Kiss and kiss whoever you need to to get this band into your life, but please don’t kill anyone!

Following that rather splendiferous band was the tumultuously talented Sally Pepper. Sally is from the Northwest of England and is a purveyor of fine, mostly acoustic angry, and passionate punk tunes. Her songs, in which she proudly wears her heart and her opinions on her sleeve, prove that she is most definitely a wonderful human being. I heard elements of early Frank Turner and an even angrier Grace Petrie. The latter of which Sally has played support slots with. Her songs are powerful, meaningful message carriers that issue a clarion call to the masses. “Click Bait” is a fabulous song and the way that Sally added a “Fuck The Tories” refrain to it on the night resonated perfectly with the crowd. I will certainly be seeing Sally live again.

Finally, it was time for the mighty, magnificent, marvellous, magical malcontents Millie Manders and the Shut Up to take the stage. I first saw them back in November 2019 and this would be the fourth show of theirs that I have been to. This band has power, passion, and politics and is simply an obscenely talented band that gets better every time I see them. “Shut Your Mouth”, “Your Story” and “Not OK”” were three of the many turbo-charged highlights of a set that was full of them. Ever since the first time I heard it, I have always loved the incendiary passion of “Poor Man’s Show” which shows the frustration and general pissed-offness with politicians and the state of the world which we inhabit. Millie aired a new song called “Me Too” about the awful way that rape victims are treated in the UK and across the globe. It is likely to be released next year and will prove a perfect companion song to Delilah Bon’s “Dead Men Don’t Rape”. For me, one indicator of a truly great band is one that seems to have fun on stage and this lot does, perhaps no more so than perma-smiling bass player George, she has more energy than a small sun. At one point Millie was so overcome with emotion that she had to start the song again, but everyone in the crowd was there for her, which shows the kind of human she is! Is there a better set closer than “Rebound”? Maybe, but not tonight, that song closed a flawless and gorgeous set from a band that deserves greatness. Millie cares immensely about the things that really matter in life and she is one of the most ‘4 real’ people on our troubled planet!

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DMA’S – Acoustic Album Launch Show – The Crescent, York – Sunday 4th June 2023 June 7, 2023

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 3:33 pm
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This was not a standard DMA’S show, the boys are used to playing much bigger venues these days. Their biggest headline show to date was the Alexandra Palace in London for 10,000 fans back in October 2021. This was essentially a fans-only special acoustic show supported by Crash Records as part of the band’s ‘How Many Dreams? UK Record Store Tour’. If you bought the new DMA’S album, you could purchase up to four tickets. It was, as expected. a sell-out and the Crescent is a perfect intimate setting for a gig like this. The crowd was full of DMA’S acolytes and disciples who worshipped the band and hang onto their every word. The DMA’S are very much a lad band in the bastard sons of Oasis lineage. That said they do have some great songs with epic choruses though, most of which knock the spots of anything Oasis recorded after “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?” They have had some pretty high-level support slots with Liam Gallagher, the Kooks, and Richard Ashcroft to name just a few. On record, particularly with the new album, their fourth, the DMA’S have begun to develop and move a little further away from the core sound of their earlier songs. But at the Crescent they were playing to the gallery and pulled out all the stops to make this a truly special treat for their fans. The crowd voiced their “lad band chant” of “D, D, DMA” at every opportunity and every one of the audience seemed right up for a great night, and that is exactly what DMA’S delivered.

Tommy O’Dell’s voice was in great shape and Johnny Took was the band’s key communicator with their fervent fans. Looking at how the band reacts with their punters it is clear that they really “get” who put them where they are, truly humble and in many respects not just a lad band, but a people’s band. I can’t see DMA’S ever doing a Royal Blood. The set had many highs, for me “Silver” from 2020’s ‘The Glow’ album and “Fading Like A Picture” from the new album were stunning. Of course, they performed their now obligatory cover of Cher’s “Believe” which is always good. For their next cover, I would love to see them tackle a rock cover of a Kylie classic in homage to a fellow Aussie success story. Set closer “Everybody’s Saying Thursday’s The Weekend” ended the short set on a high of mountainous proportions. For a short time you never would have believed it was a Sunday night, the crowd went mental and were properly “mad for it”.

There are three dates left on this tour, but I reckon they might all be sold out, but give it a try just in case!

Sun 11 June Edinburgh Assai Records @ The Caves
Tue 13 June Middlesbrough Reflex Records @ The Empire
Wed 14 June Manchester Crash Records @ GorillaJune

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Bodega – The Crescent, York – Tuesday 25th October 2022 December 29, 2022

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 5:59 pm
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Well, this road to catching up on posts continues! Here is something that I reviewed on behalf of Soundsphere Magazine back in October. It was a rather fabulous evening in one of York’s finest venues, the Crescent for Bodega. Click here to check it out. The frankly excellent photos are by Mr. Snapagig himself, John Hayhurst!

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Coach Party – The Crescent, York – Wednesday, September 7th, 2022 September 12, 2022

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 2:37 pm
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This was my first visit to one of York’s finest venues, the Crescent, for some time. This was also the second gig in a row for me where I had never seen any of the bands before, and that really doesn’t happen too often. Headliners were Coach Party from way down south, the Isle Of Wight to be precise. But more of them later, there were two rather spiffing bands on before them. First up were Yorkshire-based White Roses. They are purveyors of fine classic rock sounds, but we are not talking covers, this is their own original material. Vocally is like a cross between Joan Jett and Stevie Nicks at times. The lead guitarist is a complete master of his art and plays his axe like a young Bill Nelson. This is definitely a band for the future.

White Roses

Next up was Priestgate from Driffield, which is where Spiders From Mars drummer Woody Woodmansey hails from. As soon as they hit the stage and started making their huge noise I was blown away, a real what the fuck moment. Think Bauhaus, the Damned, the Skids, and even Big Country, particularly Stuart Adamson’s great guitar work with the latter two bands mentioned. Goth, punk, glam, this band has it all and then some. Lead singer and frontman Rob Schofield has that 1,000-yard evil rock god stare down perfectly, just like Jordan from Avalanche Party. The energy that Priestgate have is the equivalent of a billion Duracell bunnies and frontman Rob is one of the best I have seen in a long while.

Priestgate

I certainly wouldn’t want to be the band that followed Priestgate, but Coach Party did and they played an absolute blinder. They entered the stage with a weird and wonky cut-up/ remix of the Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me” and their set was weird, wonky, and wonderful throughout. The Isle of Wight has not been a hotbed of great rock music over the years, but I think Coach Party have the talent, skill, songs, and performances to change that. Up to now, we have seen Mark King (Level 42), Jet Harris (The Shadows), Snowy White (Thin Lizzy), David Steele (Fine Young Cannibals), Dick Taylor (Pretty Things), and more recently Wet Leg. Well, frankly they can all move over and make way for Coach Party. They are a band that uses wit and humour really well in their lyrics, but not without being able to get serious in some songs. Jess’s voice is spot on and enhances the tunes perfectly in the live environment, although to be fair the recorded versions are damned good too. There is a feel of 90s grunge in some of their tunes and maybe Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic Youth. They worked the crowd really well too and we all clapped and sang along. This was a great set from a band that has an air of greatness and coolness about them. Highlights for me were “Everybody Hates Me”, “Bleach” and the staggeringly good “Shit TV” with its lyrics of pathos and comedy! I love this band!

All pictures, except the gig poster, were taken by me using my very cheap Chinese Android phone. The videos were found on YouTube. If the video is yours and you would like a credit or for it to be removed please let me know. If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;

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Avalanche Party vs. Leeds Festival August 19, 2022

Filed under: News,Observation — justwilliam1959 @ 3:18 pm
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I am sure you know that Rage Against The Machine have cancelled all their current European dates, including the Reading and Leeds Festivals. The bad press that their replacement as headliners, the 1975, are getting is a little OTT and unfair in my opinion. However, this change does present me with a dilemma. If Rage Against The Machine were still on the bill it would be no contest. But one of my most favourite bands, a band that I have seen more times than any other act, Avalanche Party will be playing a headline set at the Crescent in York on Friday 26th August, which is the night the 1975 will be headlining the Leeds Festival. I am not camping at the Festival site, so I will be driving home to York each night. Also, I don’t have a press pass, I am a paying punter, so therefore beholden to no one. My problem is do I drive back to York for the Avalanche Party experience? I have already bought my ticket, which was just a quid in advance, how good a deal is that? If I do drive back I will definitely miss Beabadoobee and possibly Pale Waves, two of the bands I mentioned in my Leeds Festival preview a few days ago. Weighing it all up I have decided to drive back to York to see Avalanche Party on Friday night. It won’t change my mind, but I would love to know what you would do. On the same night, Ginger Wildheart is playing the Fulford Arms in York. So in fact York has a better set of headline acts on the Friday than the Leeds Festival does. So apologies to Beabadoobee and Pale Waves but there ain’t no party like an Avalanche Party, right?

Here is what you could have had

Here is what you have
Here is what you want, and what you will get!

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Soma Crew – The Crescent, York – Tuesday 24th May 2022 May 29, 2022

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 3:02 pm
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A gig on a Tuesday is never a super appealing night, is it? I always prefer Thursdays and the weekend. But sometimes something draws you in and here it was Percy and Soma Crew, two bands that I have seen before; frankly, neither of them has ever been anything but sensational. So a Tuesday gig it was! First up, for their first-ever gig, was the New Solar Drones. Their first couple of songs reminded me musically of early R.E.M and perhaps lyrically some tones of early Eels. I love that the band has a percussionist, there are not enough of them in music any more. This dude looked a little like Elton John’s long-time percussionist, Ray Cooper. The bass player stood out with his 5-string bass guitar, it’s not often that you see anything but a 4-string bass. But ignoring the number of strings, he played a magnificent bass rumble throughout the set. Their last track was truly epic, very proggy with shades of Genesis, Focus, and Jethro Tull, but still definitely very original. This is definitely a band to keep an eye (and your ears) on!

The New Solar Drones

Next on the floor, yes this was a floor show just in front of the stage, was Percy a.k.a. west Yorkshire Superheroes. They have a new album coming out next month and it is bloody ace. The obvious comparison people make when they hear Percy for the first time is the Fall. But this bunch goes so much deeper than that. I hear punk, C86, and thanks to Andy’s towering bass lines a little of Flea’s finest bass licks. Meanwhile, Paula’s keys add a Doorsian weirdness to the whole thing. The older songs are fast becoming live classics, particularly “Will Of The People” which seems likely to remain topical forever! New tunes “What Lez Said” and “ICU” are very classy indeed. But the high point for me was probably the warped magnificence of “Chunks” which confirms that all is well on Planet Percy!

PERCY

Headliners Soma Crew is a deeply talented band laid-back, psyched-out and grungy sometimes at the same time! They use that drone sound really well but these magnificent noiseniks are so much more than a drone-driven shoegaze kind of band. Their influences run very deep, even drawing on the blues at times. The use of subtle looping works really well and while there are definitely some 60s influences underlying the songs Soma Crew are undoubtedly a band planted very firmly in the 21st Century. Si Micklethwaite, singer, songwriter, and guitarist was absolutely on fire in this set a truly mountainous performance. I hear so many influences in the Soma Crew sound; Jonathan Richman, Beatles (in their most experimental moments, Pink Floyd (circa 1970/71), Spiritualized, and even 60s West Coast light rock. But none of that detracts at all from the fact that they are a great band and there is not another band quite like Soma Crew.

Soma Crew

All pictures, except the gig poster, were taken by me using my very cheap Chinese Android phone. The videos were found on YouTube. If the video is yours and you would like a credit or for it to be removed please let me know.

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Newen Afrobeat – The Crescent, York – Wednesday 18th May 2022 May 25, 2022

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 4:05 pm
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I had been looking forward to this gig for a while and it was one of those occasional shows where my Catwoman (a.k.a. my wonderful wife Catherine) joined me. Why does she only come to some? well my taste is ridiculously eclectic, while Catwoman has great taste it is not as wide as mine, so I would never take her to a punk or metal show. But enough of us we were here at the mighty Crescent in York to witness Newen Afrobeat in the flesh. On paper, a Chilean band playing Afrobeat doesn’t sound right, but who cares about paper, on stage, they were something stratospherically special. A combination of Latin rhythms and beats combined with the kind of Afrobeats forged by the late great Fela Kuti was mesmerising and I am pretty sure everyone in the crowd was on their feet for the whole set. At one point there were at least thirteen band members on stage, I don’t think I have ever seen that many people on the Crescent stage! There were drums, percussion, guitars, keyboards, amazing brass, and two incredibly energetic singers who frankly danced the rest of us off the floor!

The band kicked off with an instrumental track before the two singers bounded on stage and upped the already high energy level even more. Their original material is incredible and their covers of Fela Kuti songs are played in such a way that the tunes are taken to another level completely. I have been listening to their ‘Newen Plays Fela’ EPs and they do absolute justice to the master but the live versions are blisteringly good. “Zombie” was an absolutely immaculate performance! Newen Afrobeat has played some huge festivals, including Felabration in Lagos, but seeing a band this good in such an intimate setting makes it a mind-blowing experience. They were joined on stage by a true giant of Afrobeat, Dele Sosimi, for a few songs. Who would have thought that they could sound even better, but they did when Sosimi joined them. I heard on good authority that the band and Sosimi went to Young Thugs Studio in York the next day to record together. I am looking forward to that stuff! The band has quite a few dates left on their European Tour (check the tour poster at the top of this post). If you can get to any of them you really should, this is a band that I suspect could never disappoint even if they tried. Next time they are in my neck of the woods I will be there!

All pictures, except the tour poster, were taken by me using my very cheap Chinese Android phone. The videos were found on YouTube. If the video is yours and you would like a credit or for it to be removed please let me know.

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Crow Black Chicken – The Crescent, York – Monday 11th April 2022 April 18, 2022

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 6:31 pm
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Until this show, I had never seen Crow Black Chicken before, but I have seen both the support bands before. First up was Sweet May who I saw for the first time just over three weeks ago back in March. This is a power trio whose music comes screaming out of the bleeding, still-beating heart of 70s rock. Think Thin Lizzy, Free, Bad Company, and maybe even Rainbow. Will, Piers, and Al are supremely talented in their own right and they come to more than the sum of their parts as a sublime hard-rocking unit. I want to single out one of the band for a big shout out though. There are poor drummers, there are ok drummers, there are good drummers and every so often there is a great drummer. Step up from your drum stool and take a bow Al Perry, you really are a great drummer! Particular highlights of Sweet May‘s set for me were “Deep Space” and “Insane”. The latter had the power and passion to take the roof off the venue. Thankfully that didn’t actually happen and I am very pleased to say that the Crescent remains intact.

Sweet May

Next up it was Doghouse Derelicts, another band I was witnessing for just the second time, the first was just over four weeks ago. They sounded like early Doobie Brothers with Joe Walsh on guitar and some classy Eaglesesque harmonies at times. This really feels like a band at the top of their game, although I suspect they have a fair bit more in the tank too. “Wasted” and “Where I’m From” were early highlights in a great set. At one point the band introduced a rapper, Dandy, to join them on stage. Now on paper that combination really doesn’t sound like it would work at all. But on stage, it was a fucking masterstroke. Dandy enhanced a couple of already great tunes, particularly set closer “I Don’t Care”. Given that the crowd was quite sparse, well it was a Monday night, this was a banging, brilliant set from Doghouse Derelicts.

Doghouse Derelicts

Finally, it was time for the headliners Crow Black Chicken who gave us some ace fuzzed up, bluesy, swampy, funky, dirty US deep south rock. The band is in fact from the deep south …….. of Ireland! Think Lynyrd Skynyrd, Canned Heat, ZZ Top and Creedence Clearwater Revival with an undertow of Little Feat and that might give you a little of what Crow Black Chicken sounds like. Lead singer Christy O’Hanlon has a rough-edged, raspy, soulful voice that was made for blues-rock. His guitar work was incredible too. The band is a real live force of nature. Bassist Stephen McGrath gurns every note that he rips out of his bass guitar. He plays notes that many other bass players couldn’t. The way he partners seamlessly with drummer Gev Barrett in a rhythm section reminiscent of John Bonham and John Paul Jones is sublime. It really is hard to tell sometimes that Crow Black Chicken is not an authentic deep south US band, but that does not make them copyists. They really are a fine original band that knows how to rock. I loved the song about Oliver Cromwell and the tribute to Weather Report’s late great Jaco Pastorius. But my favourite of the whole evening was a tune about cults and in particular Jim Jones. Every song was a blinder though, Crow Black Chicken‘s set was definitely all killer, no filler! Check them out NOW people!

Crow Black Chicken

All pictures, except the gig poster, were taken by me using my very cheap Chinese Android phone. The videos were found on YouTube. If the video is yours and you would like a credit or for it to be removed please let me know.

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The Ukrainians – The Crescent, York – Saturday 9th April 2022 April 17, 2022

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 3:09 pm
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This was a benefit for the refugees fleeing from Putin’s war and brutality in Ukraine and fittingly was headlined by the Ukrainians, an English band of Ukrainian heritage. They are the first band to fuse western rock and punk music with traditional Ukrainian Folk Music. But more of them later as there were some rather classy support acts on first. La Rissa was the opening act, on her own rather than the usual duo as the drummer was sidelined thanks to that bastard Covid. What does La Rissa sound like? Like the legacy of the early 80s Blitz Kids. The illegitimate offspring of Steve Strange and a post-Vince Clarke Depeche Mode with David Bowie acting as midwife. She has a great selection of simply gorgeous synth sounds which at times took me back to very early Human League. Her voice soars over the music and she has some rather excellent songs. The highlights for me were “Ultraviolence” and “A Man’s World”. But the track that topped even both of those was “Eat The Rich”, which definitely deserves to be described as awesome! Get La Rissa into your lives now.

La Rissa

Next up was 1919, a band who have a considerably lengthy timeline having originally formed in Bradford back in 1980. They went their separate ways in 1984, however, thanks to the birth of streaming their early recordings saw a hearty interest in 1919 maintained. This culminated in the band reforming in 2014 with most of the original members. They have released two albums since then and appear to be building up a great following. The band’s sound has so much in it. There is punk, post-punk, and goth amongst so much more. Imagine the Psychedelic Furs forming a supergroup with the Sisters Of Mercy but only playing punk songs with passion and supported by a guitarist who sounds like a fully punked-up The Edge from U2. 1919 have some staggeringly good songs in their canon. In particular “Caged”, “Dream” and “Anxiety”. Although, despite such great competition and quality, for me, nothing could top the towering splendour of “Cry Wolf”. If you love great music check out 1919.

1919

Finally, it was time for the headliners, the Ukrainians. These guys are a truly awesome party band fusing traditional Ukrainian folk with western rock influences drawn from classic rock, punk, and post-punk. They are a band that proves very strongly the point that music is a universal language. I only speak English, but did that stop me from enjoying a set in which all the songs were sung in Ukrainian? Of course, it didn’t! The super, super-fast workout out on the traditional Ukrainian folk dance number “Hopak” was truly immense beyond words. Everyone in the crowd, particularly the hardcore fans near the front, performed their own interpretive dance to it, as requested by the band. As for me I just performed a very light Frug near the speakers. The band’s cover of the Velvet Underground’s “Venus In Furs” with Ukrainian lyrics, which might have been about drinking, was a work of genius. During a short tuning break, one of the band read out the words to the Ukraine National Anthem. Very powerful and inspiring words which show up the UK National Anthem for the vile, dull dirge that it is. There was another cover, this time of the 60s Mamas and Papas smash, “California Dreamin'” and this was a total psych fest. They played one of the first songs that they ever wrote, which is about a soldier going away to fight for his country and asking his countrymen to pray for him. As the band said the world has come full circle since then. They wrote this song 30 years ago, around the time that Ukraine became an independent state back in 1991. перемога україни!

All pictures, except the gig poster, were taken by me using my very cheap Chinese Android phone. The videos were found on YouTube. If the video is yours and you would like a credit or for it to be removed please let me know.

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