Category: Gig Gallery

Blancmange at The Venue, Worthing, 9th December 2022

There’s a moment every year when it suddenly starts to feel like Christmas, and this year Friday night at The Venue was that moment. For those not local, the eponymously named venue in question is what used to be converted church St Paul’s Arts Centre. Retaining the original stained glass windows and balcony, and festooned with giant snowflakes and balloons, it felt more like walking into a weird office party than a gig (in a good way). It’s a very cool location, in architectural features and temperature, but coats firmly staying on didn’t stop the crowd from singing and dancing their hearts out as the current formation of synth-pop royalty Blancmange hit the stage.

With a set list spanning the decades, the songs held a certain charm that combined the original sound with subtle reworkings from different eras. Tracks from new album Private View received a great response; latest single Reduced Voltage showcases a deeper version of electronica that stands up in today’s market, and vinyl copies of the album had sold out at the merch desk before the show began. Neil Arthur clearly still loves being on stage and there was lots of chat and interaction with the crowd. 

And those hoping for a little nostalgia weren’t to be disappointed, as the set was interspersed with favourites including Waves, That’s Love That It Is and Blind Vision, before the inevitable flourish of a finish with Living On The Ceiling. With the room still singing along to the riff, the band left the stage briefly before returning to close with Don’t Tell Me. A night full of atmosphere and top tunes – and good to see the live music circuit in Worthing continuing to expand.

Blancmange

Review / photos by Callum / Siobhan

14th December 2022

Shinedown Planet Zero World Tour at Motorpoint Arena Nottingham, with Asking Alexandria & Zero 9.36, 29th November 2022

The Rock was hot on Tuesday night at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena when Shinedown brought their Planet Zero World Tour to town.

The good people of the city and beyond turned out in force to enjoy an amazing show complete with huge pyro effects throughout!

Asking Alexandria’s incredible energy and Zero 9.36’s contrasting style all came together to deliver a faultless evening’s entertainment.

Long live Rock!

Shinedown

Asking Alexandria

Zero 9.36

Words and photos by Tina Sherwood at All the Ts Photography 

1st December 2022

VLURE, Kynsy & Redolent at The Lexington, London, 3rd November 2022 (BBC Introducing)

In a week where BBC services have taken a potential battering, a reminder of all that they do outside of the regular TV and radio shows. Thursday night saw The Lexington packed, despite the irascible weather and threats of a train strike that happily never happened – an eclectic platform to showcase three artists, all of whom are well deserving of that support.

First up, Redolent’s mix of dark drums and synth samplers drew the crowd in, with a visible upturn in appreciation as the set progressed.

Redolent

Next on stage, Kynsy impressed with a collection of songs that charged down the standard indie-pop of other acts, with accomplished vocals, great musicianship and ridiculously catchy hooks.

Kynsy

Headliners for the evening, and crashing with ease through the huge wave of anticipation for their set, VLURE maintained their status at the top of the new acts you cannot miss tree. It’s beyond me that they’re not already much bigger, but they have an astute awareness of how the industry works and of keeping things moving at their pace rather than feeling forced into saturation; a stance that many  over-exposed acts could learn from.

But this isn’t just clever marketing, VLURE have style and substance in abundance. An unexpected switch up with Alex taking vocals in her stride on the opening track, some new songs, some already firm favourites, a cacophony of sound that somehow brings calm and makes sense of the madness going on in the world right now. There’s a bit of me that wants it to stay like this, but VLURE deserve every success that comes their way and, if there’s any justice in the world, it surely will.

VLURE

And to all the teams at BBC Introducing who continually work to bring artists like this to the forefront, we’re all keeping our fingers and toes crossed for you – to lose this would be unforgivable.

Review & photos © Siobhan

7th November 2022

The Bug Club, The Dream Machine & Hutch at The Piper, St Leonards-on-Sea, 29th October 2022

It would seem there’s no stopping The Bug Club, with tickets flying out wherever they play. And they have been playing far and wide, amassing followers as they go, and gifting what must be close to a 20-song set to those who came to see what all the fuss was about at The Piper on Saturday. It’s pretty simple really – they know how to write a great hook, their energy is infectious and they look like they’re having the best of times. There are still loads of dates coming up if you’re lucky enough to grab a ticket on a night that isn’t sold out, value for money guaranteed.

Support came from Liverpool’s The Dream Machine, who may also be relative newcomers but are already making a name for themselves with a nod to local stalwarts of the Merseyside scene The Coral and The Zutons, and an added layer of pure NYC punk rock riffs. Proficient and precise, the band played a strong set and look to be well on their way to bigger things. Frankly, anyone who can rock a NWA T-shirt with a crocheted waistcoat is deserving of some attention.

On the subject of attire, harp-inclusive ensemble Hutch picked up the Halloween memo and wore it well, opening the evening in style and with a gentle wash of soft-psych nostalgia; photo gallery from all three acts below.

Hosted by Acid Box Promotions and Dictionary Pudding.

Hutch

The Dream Machine

The Bug Club

Review and photos by Siobhan

2nd November 2022

Divorce, Safety Jacket & Ladylike at The Hope & Ruin, Brighton, 11th October 2022

Back in March, Divorce played in the bar downstairs at The Hope & Ruin. They undoubtedly made a good impression, as this time round they filled the bigger space upstairs with their subtly sanguine post-punk tunes and a hugely enthusiastic crowd. Although still relatively early days in their musical union, it seems Divorce have found their niche and their followers, even playing a second rendition of Services to allow an audience member to take over drum duties.

In support, Safety Jacket’s camaraderie is obvious as they perform their new songs with growing confidence, and openers Ladylike impressed on only their third gig.

Hosted by Love Thy Neighbour – photo gallery from all three bands below…

Ladylike

Safety Jacket

Divorce

Review and photos by Siobhan

14th October 2022

Easy Life at The Brook, Southampton, 8th October 2022

I had been looking forward to seeing Easy Life at the Brook, primarily because I really like their studio work, but I had been less than impressed by videos I’d seen of their live performances, so I wanted to see for myself. The band is clearly formed around some very talented musicians, who write good songs and do offer a very different sound. However, my hopes for a true live experience were left a little wanting.

The Brook is a perfect venue for this kind of intimate live event. It gives the band a real connection with their fans and lets the fans get close to the musicians because of the unique set up at the Brook. It also has the benefit of a large balcony and plenty of room for people to find the vantage point they feel most comfortable with. Whether that’s right at the front of the stage or sat on bar stools at the back, the high stage ensures a great view for everyone. Not only is the view great, but the sound is the envy of much larger venues. No expense has been spared to make the sound work perfectly. The lighting is also a real bonus of this venue. I regularly photograph bands at The Brook and am always guaranteed of some wonderful photographic lighting. Unfortunately, the promoter of this event, for some unknown reason, wouldn’t allow me to use my professional cameras, so I had to use my simple handheld camera.

Easy Life came on just after 8:15, despite a published start time of 8pm, a minor inconvenience, and there was a full house waiting for them. My enthusiasm was immediately dampened when the backing track started. I had really hoped for a fully live set, but that clearly wasn’t on the cards. I’m not naive enough to think that everything from a studio recording can always be replicated live on a stage, but I suspect that if the backing track had been removed, it would have been a very different experience.

The most enthusiastic member of the band was, without question, Oliver Cassidy on drums. He was clearly enjoying his time on stage, and, halfway through the short set, he even walked round his kit to the front of the stage in an obvious effort to get the crown engaged. He succeeded. The crowd reacted very positively to his enthusiasm, which seemed to be somewhat lacking from the rest of the band.

There was a nice touch during the set when the raffle tickets, which had been given to everyone, resulted in one lucky girl being invited on stage and being given an album, which the band signed for her. Although Murray Matravers (the front man of the band) did smile as he conceded that they were staying after the gig to sign albums for everyone who had paid for that part of the evening.

The set lasted for about 40 minutes, which is what the audience expected, and there was a very welcome, one song encore. It was then time for those who had only paid for a ‘ticket only’ option to leave. Those who paid for the signing part of the evening were allowed to stay to have their merchandise signed by the band. As I had only paid for the gig itself, it was time for me to head out. Unfortunately, no one really knew where they were supposed to go for the signing, other than it was up on the balcony area. Knowing the Brook as well as I do, I know there is a staircase at the back of the room which leads upstairs. The organisers tried to tell people to queue towards those stairs. However, the obvious and main route to the balcony is up the stairs by the main entrance. So, despite shouts from the organisers, it had a feel of an attempt to herd cats. I was quite glad to be heading out.

Once outside I spoke to a couple of Easy Life fans who had very differing views of the show. The guys I overheard were laughing together about the short set, and clearly hadn’t realised the show would be so brief. They were good natured about it and when I chatted with them, they said they’d seen the band previously and were disappointed that some of the music wasn’t live. They wanted to see trumpet and saxophone, as well as a longer set. To be fair, the event was clearly advertised as a signing event with a 40 minute stage set. That didn’t stop the guys I spoke to laughing and saying, “Two stars from me”. To balance the disappointment, I spoke with another couple who were obviously big fans, and were thrilled to have been there, this was the first time they’d seen the band on stage.

In conclusion, the evening wasn’t what I’d hoped for from the band. It lacked some enthusiasm, apart from one or two points in the show, and I was disappointed in how much they relied on pre-recorded tracks. However, there were some real positives. The venue gave a wonderfully intimate feel and had superb sound, which, let’s be honest, is one of the most important things. It’s also great to see bands playing local, intimate shows for their real fans. So many artists who make it to the ‘next level’, often forget their roots, and no longer play at the venues they played before their ‘Glastonbury moment’. So, credit to Easy Life for keeping in touch with the real fans, credit to the organisers, and credit to The Brook.

Photos and review by Peter Nicholson

10th October 2022