Category: Event Gallery

LET THE MUSIC PLAY

Hammer & Tongs Festival, 9th July at Corporation Sheffield

Header shots – Left: Steal the City, Right: Hunted by Elephants 

The modern music scene is suffering; gigs frequently cancelled, stadium tickets prohibitively expensive and, if you need to travel, increased fuel costs and hotel bills, so don’t be afraid to take a risk and listen to new talent playing local to you, for it is surely out there!

Concrete Kingdoms

Check out the bands on Spotify/YouTube. Research their socials. The future of modern music is in everyone’s hands, so if people continue to just go for nostalgia, where will we be as the ‘old ones die off’ one by one?

Hammer & Tongs Festival was an all-day event at Sheffield’s iconic Corporation venue. It promised to be a bargain gig with TEN quality rock bands across the day for the incredible price of just £12 (You do the maths)! Unfortunately, with a couple of days to go, a couple of alterations to the bill were made due to Covid, but top local replacements meant expectations remained high.

There was something for every rock music enthusiast including exciting young talent such as Archy & the Astronauts, Unknown Refuge and Mad Haven which, for a 14+ venue, is a fantastic way to inspire young hopefuls.

Archy & the Astronauts 

Stepping-up to headline was Nottingham-based classic rock trio BlitZ who never fail to deliver that end-of-the-night party feel! Dipping into the breach came local boys, Steal the City, whose incredible energy leaves the venue on a high after every performance.

Steal the City

With equally outstanding performances from Circus 66, Concrete Kingdoms, King Voodoo and Hunted By Elephants, Hammer & Tongs Festival must have been the best value Saturday rock show anywhere! Everyone attending was of the same mind: Hammer & Tongs Festival was a fantastic occasion.

Left: Unknown Refuge, Right: King Voodoo 

The message is loud & clear: don’t be afraid to try something new. They say the music goes on forever; but if we don’t support its growth, as Don McLean predicted, that’ll be The Day The Music Dies.

All bands mentioned in this article can be found on the usual online music platforms. Why not choose one and check them out? It may just brighten your life!

Words and photos by Tina Sherwood at All The Ts Photography 

18th July 2022

2000 Trees Festival, Cheltenham, 7th – 10th July 2022

After a difficult couple of years for everyone in the festival business, it was an absolute joy to be back at 2000 Trees at the weekend. Ask anyone who’s been and you’ll always hear about the brilliant atmosphere – year on year Trees is one of the friendliest festivals you’ll find; a treasure trove in the heart of the Cotswolds with all the stages only a few minutes walk from each other.

And if you want to see just how easy it is to put on a line-up that’s full of diversity and talent, look no further. Here are some highlights from Saturday…

I swear the sun always shines on 2000 Trees and this year was no exception. It was HOT at the main stage, but easier to handle as the rest of the stages are under cover. No let up in energy though despite the heat as Dream Nails had the crowd bouncing along to their lunchtime set.

Taking shade in The Axiom, Hotel Lux brought their well-versed line of deadpan narrative to the table, complete with strings and a choice selection of hats. Always a good line-up addition (the band and the hats).

Back in the sunshine, Mannequin Pussy treated the crowd to a kinetic performance, their recent UK dates clearly bringing new fans to the party.

Second trip to The Axiom for Kid Kapichi – it’s always hard to judge how a band fairly local to you are viewed outside of that space, but there could be no doubting that this is not a phenomenon specific to the south coast any longer. A packed tent and one of the biggest singalongs of the day showed just how much support the band have on a much wider scale.

To the Neu Stage next, for all the punk-filled fun that comes with Gen and the Degenerates. An explosive performance with plenty of time for audience interaction between a fine set of tunes. A great fit for the Trees’ ethic.

Another outfit on point for this fantastic festival came in the shape of Nova Twins. Filling the main stage with ease, their energy is infectious and it would be no surprise to see them climbing higher and higher up future line-ups.

Filling up the space at the Neu stage again, you know an artist is going to be well received when they’re getting huge cheers for their soundcheck – deservedly so for Lauran Hibberd (and the actual set was on point too).

Headliners over the week included Jimmy Eat World, Thrice and IDLES, and lots of other big names and regulars featured too. So, a fabulous array of acts to see, a new Forest stage for those quieter moments, and the usual warm welcome from both the event and the weather – 2000 Trees is without a doubt one of the things I’ve missed most. See you next year.

Tickets for 2000 Trees 2023 available here

Words and photos by Siobhan

11th July 2022