York band Vagabond invited me to review their recent gig at the Fulford Arms after I reviewed their support slot for Asylum at this same venue back in December. Back then I said this about them “This band has great potential and my advice is ditch the Oasis cover and get some more original songs.” They promised not to do an Oasis cover, did they keep that promise? Read on and find out! The show was presented by Warren Records of Hull.
First up it was Culture Clash from Hull. They were raucous, loud and frankly fucking ace. They are in possession of some great riffs and excellent songs, some of those reminded me of early Manic Street Preachers. But they weren’t just full speed punks, they had 99% of the crowd sitting on the floor for a delightful slow number. To be fair at that point the punters probably needed a rest after some monumentally mental moshing. Kai from the band also makes comics and bought a copy of his latest, Mr. Zombie. It is weird, wonderful and simply bloody good!
The second band on the bill were also from Hull, they are called Sovereigns. They emanated a real 70s prog rock vibe early in their set. Then they moved onto some rather special pop rock songs which simply made you want to dance, especially their current single “Do You Wanna”.
Vagabond were clearly fired up for this headline show, they exploded into a fiery set . They were rambunctious, brash, roaring, strident and were clearly having fun. They displayed a degree of arrogance, which frankly stems from them being absolutely on the button and on fire. They played a set of their own songs and clearly they are growing into a great band. At times I even sensed some shades of Motorhead style thrash. They appear to draw inspiration from bands like the Sex Pistols, Blink 182 and early Clash. I am also pleased to say that they kept their promise and didn’t even go near Oasis, and nor did they need to. They won Jorvik Radio’s Battle of the Bands earlier this year. Vagabond are most definitely a band to watch and they could be huge in 2026. You heard it here first, possibly!
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