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Saturday 30th January, The Shed
It's Overdrive again. The house is packed with kids. Lots of friends are meeting up again with handshakes and hugs. The girls have dressed themselves up. The lads are getting ready to dance. The noise level is ear-pluggingly high and the bands haven't even started to play yet. The Weekend Schemers arrive on stage and the crowd surges to the front. The band launches into a big song, laden with strong dancey beats, catchy phrases and expansive guitar solos. The crowd starts to dance and a forest of hands go up in the air. James Hazell excitedly works the crowd. After a thundering start to the set they launch into "Eight Balls" and the music takes it up a peg. Tame it is not. It's not music you can sit down to listen to. The four young guys play with the swagger of seasoned professionals. New vocalist Andy Cooper is introduced to the stage. The band's vibrant vocals are already solidly in place with James, Conor and Joe. Drummer Harry told me "I can't sing"; never mind Harry, I am sure you can shout and chant in tune, so no excuses dude. New guy Andy shows the crowd what he's made of and gives them an electrifying performance. It's good to see a band that can fire up a room even on the first slot. It's usually a chilly start but WS warmed things up straight away. The band breaks into "The Chase", a fast paced song with a stack of massive guitar riffs and the crowd are jumping like cats on a hot tin roof. I can see this band getting really big this year.
The 'Schemers having set the bar, it would have been nice if The Hordes could have jumped over it. Sadly one of their band members sustained an injury last year and they have been off the road, getting a bit rusty. They are confident of winning back their ratings with a set of new songs that they are working on now. But tonight's performance failed to get up a head of steam. Despite strong vocals from Alex Oxley, tight playing and good crowd interaction, the stage presence was rather flaccid and they sunk into a couple of rather slow paced songs that were good but not what tonight was about. This band has a good reputation and I have seen them do a lot better in the past; they know how to put together infectious tunes, driven by compulsive beats, and they have great taste in music. Contemporary in sound but not necessary all that original, their vocalisations fall a bit flat and they fail to really bond with their audience. Even so, the Hordes are a solidly good band with a tantilising talent and a lot of people are eager to hear their new stuff when it comes out.
The Heroes set is slightly delayed as the Shed deals with a police raid but eventually the four lads take to the stage and break into Blue Rave. You can see a video of this on Facebook or You Tube: it gives a flavour of the crazy excitement that crackles when this band plays; the audience erupts into a riot and you know you'r on Planet Heroes. They stuck to their established set, despite being poised to release some new work soon and have given one or two of ther old songs a makeover. This is what live rock is all about and in the intense hothouse of the Shed it doesn't get much more intense than this. Alex Totman also gave us a loving rendition of their iconic ballad Flowers in Golden Times. I've seen them so many times and written about them so often, I don't know that there is much left to be said, except that this could be their year. I hope it is - they are peaking now and it's time for them to be grabbed by a label. It seems we won't be seeing much of them around here later this year as they are off on tour. It's time for them to take to the road and show the world what they can do.
Even so, you can see the Heroes with The Towers of London on 4th March at the Music Cafe and at the last night of the Charlotte on 13th March.
Friday 29th January, Sumo
Reviewed by Claire Hudson
Silent Resistance
SUMO undoubtedly oozes charm and cool, and the basement of this place offers every aspiring rock band the perfect backdrop in which to unleash some seriously hard hitting sounds.
Capturing the essence of “fresh” in every way - including the unmistakable scent of “newness”, it would be safe to say that if you didn’t get high from the musical offerings on display, the fresh paint fumes ought to have done it!
As the room filled up with eager faces and dedicated moshers, by the onset of the first band, a scan of the room confirmed that indeed, this audience seemed utterly befitting of the occasion – all long hair and young blood standing by to be royally entertained.
As it kicked off at 9 pm, the atmosphere, both onstage and off was electric.
It appeared as though the bulk of the crowd were there to support Silent Resistance. These bright young up and comers proclaim 'belters' to be their game, but could they deliver?
Well, after managing to catch a word with Ryan Tailor, Lead vocal, the unadulterated passion and dedication he has for this music and this band was quite telling and seemed very promising.
Silent Resistance took to the stage shortly after 9.30pm and under the scrutiny of the spotlight, began the task of instrument arrangement, body shuffling and mic checking.
As the boys donned their sticks and straps, a sense of anticipation filled the air until finally, out of the faint murmurs, with a slow paced drum roll and a steady glance to the crowd from Ryan, it was apparent that this band was more than ready to well and truly blow us all away – and delight in every moment!
A sense of triumph descended upon these guys as the set got underway, and with an electrifying yelp of liberty from front man Ryan, who’s calm and unassuming demeanour offstage belies the extraordinary impact of his mighty sound - all consuming, all knowing and with the confidence of a veteran classic rocker; the audience truly came to life when these guys hit the stage.
A raucous delight ensued, with electrifying rifts and punchy melodies.
Ryan - who kicked off his glasses less than 2 minutes into the intro, attested some amazing vocals with a seemingly limitless range wavering from soft, with an almost nurturing quality to ear-splitting boldness - all the while demonstrating succinct control.
Immense precision and resolute passion flowed from drummer Danny Lodge.
The two guitarists, Jai Flannery and Alex Roddis seemed at total ease and brought a laid back coolness to the performance, whilst Dan Slipper on Bass added effortless depth to the melodies.
Ryan told me that he never has a drink before a gig, preferring instead a clear and lucid experience, yet seemed utterly intoxicated by the buzz of performing, demonstrating sheer devotion to the music, and establishing a rapport with the ever excitable, perfectly hooked mob - a faultless front man who knows exactly how to work the crowd, but also how to share the limelight, Ryan appeared to be at total ease exactly where he was.
Some thoroughly delicious tunes filled the room, enveloping the senses and washing over the audience like a warm, steady wave. From soft and light to HARD, HARD, HARD, this continuous sound generated a euphoric sensation which could be felt deep within the soul - from top to toe.
By the second song, each member seemed to be in their own private paradise and it was at this point where musical influences (who they list as Metallica, Lost Prophets, and Fightstar to name but a few) began to shine through.
Their third offering, the self titled Silent Resistance had more of an indie rift to begin with, but soon descended into a classic rock belter!
The set ended with Retreat, a song which sounds unbelievable live – delicate yet strong, with profound lyrics that complemented the musical essence perfectly.
Although there were moments where Ryan’s style of vocal coupled with sharp and jumpy melodies were slightly reminiscent of classic System of a Down - which is no mean feat, or hardship - what I loved about them is that there was nothing Americanised about these lot. Just pure, honest classic Brit rock.
There was such altruism to the way they played, and the energy they created was incredible.
Hard to believe it was only their third ever gig, I would have paid good money to see this band, the only regret being they couldn’t play all night.
This lot defiantly have fire in their bellies, and it would be surprising if they didn’t go the distance.
With electric stage presence, constant build ups, and timely crescendos Silent Resistance gave a charismatic performance, full of force and passion which I’m sure will only increase from here on in!
You can see Silent Resistance at Walkabout on 2nd February and at the Crows Nest on 9th February.
Saturday 23rd January, The Shed
A young four piece band from Grantham launched a night of solidly good music. Kiss Corona featured two good front vocalists, Phil and Steve, and a singing drummer, Sam. Even Luke did a bit of chanting now and again. Good stage presentation with lots of movement and dancing was combined with tight playing and songs that had beat and persuasion. Rooted in pop punk traditions, they added a lot of interesting layers to make the sounds more modern and upbeat; even some pounding metal riffs came in there from time to time, giving their tunes a good deal of solidity and bite, but retaining the happy, dancy vibrancy of their roots. A really nice band. Watch out for them; they are bound to be back in Leicester soon.
I loved the big brassy sounds and infectious rhythms that back Matt, lead singer, of Last Edition. A band with an energetic stage presence, they brought the music alive and pulled the crowd into the action. Ska used to be popular in Leicester, reaching its hey day during the era of Freefall Felix, when there where large audiences for it and a lot of skanking down at the front. Although there are still a small number of excellent ska bands around, this particular genre has waned, particularly as the popularity of indie pop has increased. Not that we hear traditional ska; these bands borrow the catchy rhythms from ska without tributing it and aficionados of the style would not be too impressed. But Last Edition's stuff is nevertheless enjoyable, being full of dynamic beats and breaks and the whole band looked like they were have a really great time on the stage. Enjoyable and well presented, their set kept the night moving. LE will be launching their new EP on 26th February.
Ictus is a band that has been around for longer than most. Tonight they demonstrated that they are still the top notch band they always used to be. In fact, Ictus was the first band I ever played and they introduced me to live rock music in Leicester, several years ago, when they were a trio of lively teenage pop-punkers. Their music has developed and today's offering has a more modern, punchier sound, although you can still hear the intense rhythms of their roots. Ictus is a band that ticks all the boxes for me. Three superbly good front singers are backed up by Andy, another singing drummer, who they acquired from Glitch, that allowed their old drummer, Adam, to come to the front with his guitar to join lead singers Aaran and bassist Chris. Three good singers that blend well to form rich and fulsome vocals that add a considerable body of depth to the tunes. For me, Ictus is a benchmark band; they set the bar when it comes to popular rock music. They have written plenty of memorable songs, they have a magic presence on the stage, they are tight and well-oiled musicians and they have attracted a loyal following. They are a headline band. They complete a line up and tonight they rounded off two other well chosen acts. You don't need half a dozen bands for a night of good music; three good bands is enough.
Saturday 9th January, The Shed
Leicester is full of surprises and so is the Shed. Tonight's gig was an enjoyable party with a nice, happy crowd of people. They braved the winter chill to come down and support their bands. They stayed throughout the night, including most of the band members and musicians from several other bands came too, to enjoy the occasion. All good signs. So it was a good night at the Shed: a fair sized crowd, dancing, singing, cheering, chanting and drinking and enjoying meeting up with mates and getting to know some new bands.
What was really surprising was that all the bands excelled themselves and got into the spirit of the competition in a good natured way. It was the final of the current series of Winner Takes All, organised by Silver Bullet Promotions.
The Night opened with DubStep and Grimecore rappers Nemasis. The seven young men took to the stage, passing the mics round so that could take it in turns to deliver their raps, as producer Kane Johnson dealt out the sounds on the decks. The front of stage area soon filled with a phalanx of fans and band members, dancing and doing the movements. Even though it wasn't their style of music, the indie rockers got into the groove of the beats and rhythms. Afterwards they were commenting "brilliant", "really good" and this was cool - musicians appreciating music that they don't perform themselves and perhaps don't normally listen to. They got caught by the power of the beat and the rappers enjoyed having a pack in front of the stage to perform to, who were clearly appreciating an exciting performance. Nice one.
Swift Flasby playing at the Shed
Next on was Burton-on-Trent band Swift Flasby who started their set with one of their own songs, "The Mirror". This is a band that pumps out intoxicating, quality rock 'n roll songs delivered with passion and energy. Led by the voices of Andy Crowe and Dave Middlemiss, they delivered a cracking set of songs, all their own stuff. Other musicians commented on the quality of the guitar parts. What makes this band stand out is that they are four very able and experienced musicians who really enjoy getting up on a stage and entertaining a crowd. They have great taste in music and have a great set of well written originalsongs and it all works for them. They have a stage presence that sparkles and they live the music and that comes across so well.
A difficult act to follow but White Ashes took up the challenge, even though they were bereft of their drummer and so had to do an acoustic set, which is not what they are used to and it was clearly outside of their comfort zone. Making an electric band perform acoustically is said to be the test of good musicianship and Joe Walker, Jake Brennan and Jack Franklin pulled it off magnificently. They got the crowd dancing to some of the songs and included a number of much loved covers that people joined in with. So, they turned what could have been a disaster into a triumph.
The momentum of the night was sustained when Coalville band Beauty Killed the Beast came on; the new and not well known five peice really gave it their all and delivered their best set yet. With three band members getting into the vocals and lead singer Elliott performing with a barrel load of confidence, they kept the crowd going with a strong set of their own songs and a couple of covers. The band includes star bassist Josh, who is also in a couple of other bands, and drummer Jono, who drew some favourable comments from other drummers in the room. I am told there is a bit of a scene buzzing up in Coalville these days and it must be a good one if these guys are anything to go by.
Kicking habits with fans on stage at the Shed
There was no let up to the standard when Kicking Habits came on with their set of fast moving, infectious indie songs. Their energy kept the crowd at the front, dancing and crowd surfing, and, so excited were some of them that they climbed on to the stage to dance with the band and we ended with a stage invasion. Although a fairly new band, KH has been making its mark on the local scene and tonight they demonstrated why they have become popular and developed a following. With their good lead vocalist, Michael, and ace drummer Jake and all four musicians contributing to the vocals, they are one good team of players with a set of songs that people definitely want to listen to. They won the competition, not just with their own fans but having won votes from those who had not seen them before.
It was a long night of music and when the final band picked up their guitars, they had been waiting in the queue for over six hours. This Fallen Empire has enjoyed listening to the other bands but it was a long wait for them to do their stuff. You always feel for the last band on but they rose to the challenge and gave it their best.They now have a new bassist and have been playing for well over a year; having changed their name they are now determined to become a successful band. They have won this competition before and are not short of performance hours; these hard working and very genuine guys have developed a distinctive sound of their own for their memorable songs and very down to earth approach to music.
A really enjoyable night of live music; all the bands were good and the crowd got into it and made a gig into a party. Well done all the musicians who gave us a great night of live music and well done to all the fans who stuck around and created some real warmpth on a very cold night.
Friday 8th January, The Shed
Dutch Courage, The Dobsons, Razmataz, Autohype
Four bands played at what Autohype announced as being one of their last Leicester gigs for a while, prior to them going out on tour. Despite the freezing conditions outside, a large crowd gathered to heat the Shed and have a great time listening to their favourite bands. First on was Dutch Courage, who managed to get through the county snow drifts from Market Bosworth to make a rare appearance in the centre of Leicester. The four indie kids faced a still shivering room full of fans, well half full at this stage, but delivered a set of well crafted songs, led by vocalist/bass player Phil and backed with some nicely decorated guitar parts. Infectiously good work from the strings of Tom and Ollie, was propelled along by compulsive rhythms and a confident, if lack-lustre, stage performance. Good though they were, the songs didn't seem to do much for the audience. Despite the tight playing and strong vocals, the set failed to take off.
Leicester band the Dobsons followed; the five piece similarly featured a strong lead vocalist - Callum - but again there was a distinct lack of backing vocals to add depth to the sound. By this time the crowd had increased and the room had warmed up a little more. Another limp stage performance failed to ignite the crowd, even though the music was good and the songs nicely crafted. It was all good stuff but it didn't get the party started.
It wasn't until Razmataz took to the stage that things started to get hot enough for a mosh pit to form. I have watched many young bands prompting the audience to clap along during a section of music. Razmataz didn't need to; the audience spontaneously put their hands in the air, caught up in the dynamics of the songs. The audience ignited at last and the hitherto frigid atmosphere melted into a party. This is a band with one of the more memorable sets of songs amongst all of our local bands. Playing for the last time under their current name and intending to come back revamped, updated and with a musical make-over, this was the last chance to sing along to the songs we have known and loved for the past three years.
Wo, wo, wo
Good things don't last for ever.
Still a young band, they have the stage presence lacking in a lot of their peers and a well-oiled depth of experience to outshine even some of the older bands. Their set was punchier, rockier and more tuneful and Nathan and Chris worked well together to give the vocals a lot more clout (although bassist Dan appeared to have been let off mic duty tonight.)
Razmataz played at most of the biggest gigs of last year and launched the main stage at Summer Sundae, so it has been a good year for them. Rather than wanting to do more of the same, they are fully intent on moving forward, so we will be waiting for their return with anticipation, having seen what they have achieved over the past three years.
Autohype are Autohype! Like Razmataz, they don't sound like other bands; they have developed a sound that is unmistakably their own. The crowd, having been ignited by Razmataz, erupted into a riot when the five lords of the dance got underway. Here is a band that turns a gig into a show. A small tip about how to tell a top band from the rest: they don't have to look at their instruments to play them. The four instrumentalists could have done it blind-folded. Front-man Seb however needed plenty of light to see where he was going, as he set off into the crowd, up the steps into the control booth to sing to Andy the sound engineer and, after a couple of trips along the bar in his red ballet shoes, he's back into the crowd and heading to the stage.
"This is the year when we are going to make it"
Seb stands somewhere between Freddy Mercury and Robbie Williams when he's in front of a crowd. He doesn't just sing to them, he performs to them; he captures the audience, he commands it. Autohype are ready to go forth and take on the world. They have worked hard since they emerged like a butterfly from the chrysalis of their former name and line-up. As a band they have achieved a lot musically. Their devotion to excellence and their exemplary team-work have created a band that deserves to have a place at the top of the nation's musical tree. What was going on, I wondered, in the minds of some novice band members standing in front of the stage, looking up in wonder or the sternly critical faces of a peer band standing at the back of the hall? It's a nice thing about Leicester, that band members attend each other's gigs, partly to support, partly to be seen and party, one imagines, to learn.
A great night at the Shed.
