Welcome
To The North
Brudenell
Social Club, Leeds
Saturday
July 1st 2017
Certain parts of the mainstream music media will tell
you that guitar music is dead and there are no good bands coming through. It is
absolute nonsense. There is an absolute wealth of talent just bubbling under
ready to explode. Go to any This Feeling gig, especially one of their festival
stages, and you will witness the evidence for yourself. George Holmes has
worked with This Feeling and was now putting on his own festival of some of the
brightest up and coming bands from The North. 16 acts in 10 hours or so on 2
stages. This was gonna be intense.
The Brudenell is the perfect venue for such an invent.
The main stage is one of my favourite venues. Size, shape, acoustics – it is
perfect. There is a secondary room (the games room) now done out to be an
equally good venue. Also the Brudenell is still basically a working men’s club
so bar prices are incredibly reasonable. (£2.50 a pint compared to the O2’s £6
a pint).
…And
The Hangnails
York based duo …And The Hangnails kick things off. As
always with an all day event crowds can be sparse early doors but this didn’t
stop them putting in a blistering, furiously paced set of firebrand punk gems.
Ever since I first saw Wet Nuns I’ve always been staggered by how just 2 people
can make such an immense noise. Cracking start to the day.
Polar
States
Straight into the other room for the melodic indie pop
of Liverpool 4 piece Polar States. (The back to back bands would become an
issue later). These guys were my first find of the day. Together 2 years but
with a musicianship that defies their age. Already with Radio 1 and 6 Music
plays behind them they are definitely ones to watch out for. Perfectly crafted
gorgeous songs. I loved them.
Heavy
Suns
The last time I saw Barnsley’s Heavy Suns (and it was
only 3 weeks ago at The Isle Of Wight Festival) they were a 5 piece. In that
time they’ve dropped a guitarist and this was their first outing as a 4 piece.
I was intrigued as to how it would effect their psychedelic blues indie rock.
It didn’t at all. They sounded like Heavy Suns always have only a little bit
better. At times there’s an almost Stooges feel to their grinding, filthy,
beautiful tunes. The boys from ‘The Tarn’ are a class act.
Nick
Ellis
The second Scouse act of the day and the first solo
artist. ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris called Nick Ellis’ music “fascinating”. Nick is
a storyteller both with his music and between songs. (The grinder story was
brilliant). For a solo acoustic act he manages to portray a dark, foreboding outlook
but all built round stunning songs.
4 acts in and I was realising that there was no way I
could watch every song by every act. Probably the only downside to the event
was the constant live music. Even a non-smoking, non-drinking massive muso
needs 10 minutes in the sun to recharge every now and then. (As a smoking and
drinking massive muso I really needed it). Plus as always happens timings start
to go a tad array and some bands ended up overlapping. I was determined to
catch every act though, even if it was only a couple of songs for some of them.
Scott
Quinn
Harrogate’s Scott Quinn was next up, alternative indie
pop, just Scott and his keyboard. ‘Young’ stood out in the set, a song about a
friend who had sadly took his own life but written as a celebration. That alone
made Scott Quinn worth another listen.
The
Lottery Winners
Another band from t’other side of The Pennines and my
second find of the day. I’d almost caught the band a couple of times previously
supporting The Wonder Stuff but traffic issues meant I’d missed out. The Leigh
4 piece play what could be described as Lancashire Surf. Maybe it was because
of Katie Lloyd on bass but there was a Pixies feel to them, Pixies when they
surprise us with an upbeat joyous indie pop song admittedly. The overall
feeling is one of fun though, singer Thom Rylance has a natural and
ridiculously funny rapport with the crowd. Behind all the fun though they
really have the songs to back up any joviality. A real highlight of the day and
a band you will definitely hear more of.
Mint
Another favourite of mine and a band I’ve seen several
times previously, these Grimsby lads always put on a show. Its pure balls out
indie rock of the highest order. The room is sweltering but that doesn’t stop
the band putting in the high energy performance fans have come to expect. They
have catches and hooks to die for. Stand out song for me is ‘Jimmy’ (similar to
Scott Quinn’s ‘Young’ it’s a celebration of a friend who is no longer with us).
It’s a slow build of a song that powers into a stunning crescendo. Another
great set. Not even half way yet and it’s already a memorable gig.
The
Howl & The Hum
My first time of catching the York based quartet.
There is a seriously diverse range of music on offer today and The Howl &
The Hum slow things down with shoegaze, distorted, gorgeous echoes. Beautifully
crafted, slow building songs delivered with an assuredness many bigger names
would be jealous of.
Fronteers
I needed food. The pizza van outside was a cracking
idea. It did mean I only caught the last track by Hull’s Fronteers. Again, 4
alarmingly young lads already with a sound and talent that I’m sure should be
illegal. I made a promise to myself to catch a full set as soon as I possibly
could.
The
Strawberries
The Strawberries are on home turf tonight not that
they rest on their respective laurels. As tight a band as you could wish to
see. They have a definite retro feel whilst always sounding fresh and original.
Sam Neil slithers like an enigmatic snake round his mic stand when he’s not
engaging guitarist Joe Dines in head to head combat. Backed by the Ben Heath
(drums) and Ethan Sherwin (bass) rhythm section there is nothing not to love
about this band. There are a lot of people touting this psychedelic blues
foursome for big things. It’s obvious why. (Footnote: new single ‘She Rhymes To
Get Away’ is one of the greatest songs ever).
October
Drift
The week before October Drift were opening up The John
Peel Stage at Glastonbury. The organisers said they’d never seen such a crowd
at that time of day. Through relentless touring and hard work this Taunton
(though often based in Sheffield) band have already built up a sizable
following with a lot of record company interest. It’s fully deserved. It is
live that they come into their own. It is literally a wall of noise with the
most alarming melodies diving in and out of the maelstrom, fronted by Kiwi’s
frankly stunning baritone vocals. Another band who put everything into their
performance. I’ve never seen them come off stage anything other than drenched
in sweat. The Brudenell sound really does them justice today and you can hear
every intricacy. It is simply the best I’ve seen them.
Dantevilles
Dantevilles have already supported Blossoms at some
high profile gigs and will just go from strength to strength. Sadly another
band I didn’t catch much of today (but they are on the radar again when
Tramlines comes round). They are keeping the Manchester indie flame burning
bright with gorgeous, jangly tunes and infectiously catchy choruses.
Bang
Bang Romeo
The buzz about Bang Bang Romeo has been growing and
growing for some time now, so much so that there is no doubt these guys will be
massive. And soon. Showing the commitment bands have to put in these days
they’d played a festival in Gloucester earlier that day then driven straight up
to Leeds for this gig. Not that this distracted in any way from their
performance. Singer Anastasia Walker is like a woman possessed when on stage as
the music takes over. She has a voice without parallel (seriously, there is no
better singer in this country right now) but she needs it to front the
beautiful, terrifying cacophony that makes Bang Bang Romeo unique. They have
the songs, the talent, the theatrics, the presence, the whole package.
Guitarist Ross Cameron will one day be talked about as one of our finest
songwriters. Just check out new single ‘Chemical’ and you’ll see what I mean. With
the Richard Gartland (drums) and Joel Philips (bass) rhythm section in perfect
sync whether it’s the indie pop perfection of ‘Natural Born Astronaut’, the
pounding relentlessness of ‘Invitation’ or the nightmarish crescendo of set
closer ‘Adore Me’ there really is no limit to what this band can achieve.
Hello
Operator
Another band touted for bigger things are York’s Hello
operator. Pure rock ‘n’ roll distorted blues and another band with the presence
to back up their class output. There is no doubt that (like the majority of
acts on the bill today) in years gone by they would have been snapped up by
now. Again though, with Hello Operator it will happen. Any band with ‘Vex
Money’ in their canon deserve immediate success.
The
Sundowners
Another band who appeared on the This Feeling stage at
The Isle Of Wight Festival 3 weeks ago are the North-West’s Sundowners. With
Niamh Rowe and Fiona Skelly on vocals Fleetwood Mac comparisons are inevitable
but to me it’s more Grace Slick or Sandy Denny. Another band bringing
psychedelia into the 21st Century and doing it magnificently. Sadly
again I only caught a couple of songs tonight but they have always been nothing
short of awesome every time I’ve seen them before.
The
Vryll Society
Closing up are Liverpool 5 piece The Vryll Society.
Sadly due to train times I had to go just as they took the stage. In the past
I’ve described them as the ultimate soundtrack to the best come down ever. Superbly
crafted mesmerising, psychedelic grooves. Gutted I had to go because they are
the perfect band to end such a staggering day.
So that was Welcome To The North. 16 bands well worthy
of your attention. Ignore what the mainstream says, the future is very bright
indeed.
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