Category: Live Music

Icebreaker Festival, Multi-Venue Southsea, 29th January 2022

I maintain that in the UK, January is a great time for indoor festivals. There’s the post-Christmas lull, an inexplicably long month that goes way beyond its alleged 31 days, and just a general sense of being cold and looking for a fresh start to the year.

Year on year, Icebreaker responds to this beautifully – something to look forward to, a lovely warm atmosphere and always some new artists to discover alongside some familiar and already favourite faces.

My day started with Temples of Youth (above) sounding incredibly polished, with or without the requested reverb that eventually made a guest appearance late in the set. An acoustic set from Joe Johnson (below) also proved to be a welcome way to ease into the day.

One of the joys of this festival is that it’s not just multi-venue but also multi-genre so I often find myself seeing artists I probably wouldn’t catch otherwise, and I was grateful for the introduction to the jazz-infused sounds of Maple Sky (below).

Having made their live debut at Icebreaker two years ago, it was great to see a packed Wedgewood Rooms for Fast Trains (below) as they made the transition to the main stage look easy. Look out for their return to the Wedge in April.

Albert Road edging onto Elm Grove in Southsea is well established for these kind of events now, hosting a number throughout the year with a wide array of pubs, cafes and of course the jewel in the crown that is The Wedgewood Rooms all taking part. There’s no ignoring that there were issues with the door staff at one venue, which was a huge shame and quite unprecedented so unexpected for all. However, I understand that this is being addressed so won’t dwell on it here. It’s fair to note that generally and elsewhere, everyone involved was welcoming and friendly, as has always been my experience at Icebreaker, and they shouldn’t be tarred with the same brush.

More new acts to me included slick electro-rock outfit Dronningen (above) and Van Gosh (below and header) who ran away with the best-dressed award, their costumes only momentarily distracting from the fact that they’re actually really accomplished musicians.

In what was undoubtedly the hottest venue on the street (felt like in the world at the time to be honest but that may be a minor exaggeration), Beige (below) played a great set of hazy rock filled tracks at Back to the Belgrave – previously Acapulco, previously Al Burrito, always very hot in there whatever it’s been called!

For those with a penchant for glam and The Slits, Brighton’s Slant provided just the thing (above and below right), and local alt rock band Broken Links (below left) made a big impression on a big stage.

And a happy way to close my night was with the fabulous Arxx at The Fox (below and centre above), a powerful duo prepping with lucky star jumps, playing a stomping set and getting a deservedly appreciative response from the crowd.

Every festival has its niche, and for Icebreaker the opportunity to showcase unsigned acts is always one that it takes to the max. Here’s hoping that the planned summer event will be able to go ahead this year. Thanks to all involved for another top day out.

You can keep up with Icebreaker events here

Words / photos by Callum / Siobhan

4th February 2022

Rockaway Beach, Butlin’s Bognor Regis, 7th-9th January 2022

Planning a festival for early January with the very real possibility of venues being closed again after Christmas has to be a fairly onerous task. Getting safely into the new year with no restrictions announced would seem a good reason to breathe a sigh of relief, but then to have artists dropping out on a daily basis due to positive testing takes things to a whole new level.

There were points in the run up where it looked like Rockaway Beach wasn’t going to make the finishing line this year but, despite the odds, it proved to be a gamble that paid off. Some inspired last minute substitutions were made and the crowd embraced the changes in good spirit. Here are some of our best bits…

Big slots at Centre Stage on Friday were filled by Buzzcocks (replacing The Futureheads) and Do Nothing (subbing for Working Men’s Club), sandwiching a tricky set from Tricky. A more than solid start to the weekend with much audience appreciation.

No tents to pitch or portaloos to queue for at Butlin’s, and after a night in your chalet or hotel room of choice, there were plenty of highlights on both stages throughout Saturday.

Italia 90 have clearly kept up momentum during lockdown, drawing old fans and winning new ones with an early slot at Reds.

Maria Uzor (one half of Sink Ya Teeth) was an unexpected yet memorable surprise, showcasing glitchy electro-soul with hooks and melodies aplenty.

And darling of the London scene Nuha Ruby Ra proved that her performance works equally well on a bigger stage as it does in a smaller setting, making the most of the light show and never using one mic when two will do.

It’s probably unavoidable that some people will come to see Imperial Wax to check out what some of the ex members of The Fall are up to. The reality is that you very quickly lose the need to make comparisons as they really are a strong enough band in their own right, their musicianship highlighted by overcoming technical difficulties with ease and making the set look effortless.

Another very late addition, Crows pulled in a big crowd who will doubtless be pleased to hear that they followed up their Butlin’s trip by releasing new music and tour dates.

Thankfully one act that didn’t cancel was the incomparable JARV IS. Always one to walk his own path, Jarvis Cocker has become cemented in modern day culture as a storyteller extraordinaire; who else would you find headlining in a beige velvet jacket throwing mini Bountys into the crowd while chatting about Shirley Bassey? An expert in giving the crowd exactly what they want but very much on his own terms, this was undoubtedly the biggest draw of the festival, and rightly so.

Rockaway Beach certainly have a knack of scuppering any chance of a lie in, kicking off Sunday with TV Priest waking everyone up with an animated set turned up to the max, their energy only surpassed by their gratitude for the equally lively response from the early risers.

Another crowd favourite, Hull’s bdrmm continued the clever pick me up to battle Sunday fatigue with their well honed mix of hazy shoegaze lifting the late afternoon timeline.

For a band that’s spanned decades, A Certain Ratio still sound surprisingly fresh, with tracks like Lucinda sounding as good as ever and new vocalist Ellen Beth Abdi fitting in perfectly. With much dancing in the room, it’s fair to say there was plenty of movement with no room for improvement.

In a fine way to end the weekend, Porridge Radio took to the stage. The transition from small, quirky DIY band to festival headliner isn’t an easy one to pull off but they managed to retain the feeling and nostalgia of performances of old, while impressing their newer fans with tracks from Mercury nominated Every Bad.

And that was that, festival complete. Talking about being at home at Christmas, Jarvis told us that he said, “We’re supposed to be playing this concert but it’ll never happen”. Happily he was proved wrong as it turned out that the ever changing line up added some spontaneity to the already eclectic proceedings. With amusement arcades, silent discos and DJ sets into the early hours, Rockaway Beach really is a festival experience not quite like any other. See you next year.

Rockaway Beach

Words / photos by Callum / Siobhan

17th January 2022

Mutations Festival, Brighton, 4th – 7th November 2021

The past eighteen months have been tough on the music industry and, along with the hit to musicians in not being able to play live, many independent venues have struggled to stay afloat. Bringing an abundance of current and breakthrough talent to Brighton, Mutations Festival offered up the chance to take in four days of live music and support a whole heap of local grassroots venues at the same time.

With some tough clashes to choose between, we started Thursday in style with Holiday Ghosts, opening proceedings in the shadow of the pier amusements at Patterns. Singing songs about the city you’re in was as good a way to kick things off as any, and the standard was set for what was to come.

Moving across to the largest venue on the agenda, Chalk played host to the ethereal songs  and bitter-sweet musings of Bill Ryder-Jones. A world away from the TV advert-friendly indie pop of his days with The Coral (though still repping them on his guitar strap), Ryder-Jones has proved to be an accomplished writer, singer and producer. His set could have been twice as long and still not long enough. Closing the first day, This is the Kit filled the room with the sounds of enough instruments to start their own music shop and an ambience that would send everyone home happy and ready to return for more.

Left: This is the Kit, Top Right: Holiday Ghosts, Bottom Right: Bill Ryder-Jones

Friday night and the lights were low, and in a nice touch that ensured Hove wasn’t left out of the picture, the evening’s activities moved across to The Brunswick and The Old Market. Highlights at The Brunswick included Hull’s Low Hummer, wearing their indie hearts firmly on their sleeves, they have a new album release if you’re inclined to hear more. Glasgow two-piece Memes engaged the crowd with their charm, energy and Hazmat suits, ending with a singalong to a German techno track, as you do. Folly Group had to take a short intermission for a guitar string break but picked things up and made a strong impression.

Along the road at The Old Market, the ‘main house’ drew in a big crowd as soon as doors opened. Hotel Lux took starting position, their brand of nonchalant Dr Feelgood-esque contemplations well received by likely a different audience to usual. Next up, Billy Nomates seemingly actually has lots of mates who knew her songs word for word and bounced off her vigourous performance. The biggest pull of the night came in the form of Mr Maserati, king of the migraines himself, the inexplicably charming Baxter Dury. For no discernible reason abandoning his trademark suit for a full camo and goggles ensemble, Dury entertained as only he can, a set showcasing most recent album The Night Chancers while incorporating a string of old favourites and new songs alike. The suit returned with his encore, the crowd had a party, Friday night ended well.

Top: Billy Nomates, Left: Hotel Lux, Right x 2: Baxter Dury

A full day on Saturday began by confirming Keg’s status as ones to watch, except ironically not every could get in to watch them as their reputation meant there were queues up the stairs to The Folklore Rooms to see them. It’s testament to the quality of a band when they sound as good from outside as they do inside the room; their charisma, humour and stacks of energy warrant the hype. And for those who missed out, there would have been photos but it was so packed and hot it fogged up all three available camera lenses.

A trio of recommended acts followed at The Albert, a tight squeeze for the frenetic pace of TV Priest, a very welcome return for the slick post-punk of Social Haul, and a thankfully rescheduled set from Famous who are clearly not as famous as they should be. In the midst of this veritable hat trick of musical delight, back at the Folklore Rooms, Legss were possibly one of the only bands that were ready to start early and had to wait, winning over the room once things got going with their raucous South London vitality. After a quick break, it was back to Patterns to catch some wit and riffs from Mush, followed by current 6 Music darlings Yard Act at Chalk.

TV Priest

Left: Mush, Top Right: Famous, Bottom Right: Yard Act

Social Haul

And so we made it to day four. An early start paid off as we were treated to a spiky yet enchanting performance from deep tan at The Albert, a welcome calm before the beautiful chaos to follow as Lynks took centre-stage at Chalk. Never one to forget their mask, Lynks put on a show that was far from your regular Sunday afternoon entertainment, complete with adroit choreography and guest vocals from Barbara the table. Imagine if you’d come to Mutations and missed Lynks, that would have been a great shame indeed.

deep tan

Left & Top Right: Lynks, Bottom Right: deep tan

The rest of the day kept the stakes raised high, continuing with an immersive set from Nuha Ruby Ra at Komedia Studio. A late start but definitely worth the wait for PVA – having seen them before in multiple venues, Chalk seemed like the perfect fit and they once again balanced keeping existing fans happy whilst doubtless picking up new ones along the way.

There were all kinds of good things happening at The Umlauts’ slot at Patterns, an art school project with the potential to become a masterpiece, check them out if you get the chance. And later on the same stage, way more established but still sounding fresh, Big Joanie supplied a lovely atmosphere, some great tunes and a message of inclusivity to lift the spirits of anyone who may have been flagging.

Left: Nuha Ruby Ra, Top Right: The Umlauts, Bottom Right: Big Joanie

Finishing up at Chalk, Scalping managed to speak volumes whilst only playing instrumentals, silhouetted on stage and painting pictures not just with projections but also the intricacies of their music. This was followed by BEAK> playing their blend of reverb heavy, synth driven tracks to a full house, and we ended the weekend with lots to reflect on.

BEAK>

It’s heart-warming to feel like live music is a normal part of life again, there are stacks of good bands and artists to see, and we can only be grateful that all the venues involved survived the non-year that was 2020. All in all, Mutations was a treat for many reasons, and we’re already looking forward to seeing what they do next year.

Mutations Festival

Words / photos by Callum / Siobhan

10th November 2021