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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A Christmas Message From the Expression December 13, 2025

Filed under: Christmas,Christmas Message — justwilliam1959 @ 9:00 pm
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I think I am probably on the naughty list this year, how about you? In case you missed the first one the annual Christmas messages from bands and artists that we have featured or reviewed throughout the year are back baby! For the second one we have a message from a a wonderful York band who recently appeared in the final of the Fulford Arms Battle of the Bands contest, ladies and gentlemen I give you the Expression!

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The WJAHOM Interview Podcast – The Expression November 23, 2025

Filed under: Interview,Podcast — justwilliam1959 @ 8:16 pm
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Join us for an interview with one of York’s best new young bands, the Expression. Just a few weeks ago they were finalists in the Fulford Arms Battle of the Bands. Take a listen to hear how they came to be where their name came from and what comes next for the Expression and so much more. There is a bit of background noise, including a rather vocal little dog, because we were in the delightful Winning Post Pub in York! Just click here to take a listen!

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Catch! – Fulford Arms, York – Monday 24th February 2025 March 4, 2025

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 6:56 pm
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I try to never pass up the chance to see a band or artist that I have never seen before, so this was an easy choice. There were four bands on the bill, none of which I had seen before. This was another gig put together by the delightful human known as Simon P for Northern Radar. I have been going to Northern Radar gigs for many years now and Mr. P has never let me down with the bands and singers he puts on. Did that change with this gig? Read on to find out!

The first to take the stage was the Expression, vocally they made me think of Lene Lovich and Siouxse Sioux to name just two. The band were as tight as hell with a dark post punk feel to their sound. Their original songs were good and show a potential for greatness with perhaps a little more work. The cover of the Stone Roses “I Wanna Be Adored” was superb, but the Mazzy Star cover was an absolutely sublime highlight. They closed their set and nailed their grunge credentials to the wall with an immense cover of Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box”. This was a great set to kick the night off.

Next up it was the Fruity Pebbles, a band largely born from the remnants of some Huntington School 6th Form bands from recent years. A truly eclectic range of covers which ranged from Abba to Chappell Roan via Stevie Wonder, Amy Winehouse and others. Their original tune “Smooth” is a neat, summery, jazzy pop song which is likely to get better and better the more they play it. They showed their chops as a great band, once again very tight. But it was the brass section that showed themselves to be tighter than the proverbial duck’s arse. Front man Oscar, who wasn’t meant to be fronting this set, is a true trouper and a born performer. If he is not working in music or entertainment in the future then frankly the world is fucked! The Fruity Pebbles know how to party and they party hard!

Strip were next and they are full of effervescent pop punk energy. While their originals were good their covers were truly stunning, especially the bombastic opener, a fiery run through of Green Day’s “American Idiot”. Who knew that song would still be so relevant now, some twenty years later. Strip delivered perhaps the best mosh fest of the night. This lot are fucking good indeed!

Finally it was the turn of Catch! to hit the stage. They are a York Uni band that are talented purveyors of melodic pop rock with an undercurrent of prog in some songs. They have an additional vein of classic 90s bands like Republica and Elastica running through a number of their songs too. Overall they have a wealth of close to awesome songs in their cannon. Sadly by the time Catch! arrived on stage the crowd had shrunk a little. Why do so many people up and leave after “their” band has played? But who cares, Catch! truly captivated everyone who chose to stay. The vocals were perfect as was the more than tidy rhythm section. A special mention to the lead guitarist who never dropped below stunning with his magnificent arsenal of riffs and solos. Party driven fun made the moshing last a long while and the A Simple Plan cover was anthemic and delightful. Apologies in advance for the bad Dad joke/ pun, but you really need to catch Catch! soon! Click here to check out their latest EP on Spotify.

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