Our photographer Kane Howie went to Milton Keynes to check out Marshall Live at Arena MK. There were two stages at the event, the main stage and the Discovery Stage in which new and upcoming bands played and had the public vote on who they wanted to play the main stage that evening. Headlining the event was The Hunna with support from Yonaka, Barns Courtney, Keywest, Press to Meco, D_Drive, Rews, King Creature, Bad Touch and Thousand Thoughts. The night was hosted by Daniel P. Carter. Check out the photos below.
Kimberley-Anne Simmons
Teleman @ Cambridge Junction 23/04/2019 Review
There is nothing better than a show at an old school music venue on a school night. We were looking forward to catching the second date in the short Teleman Tour. Kane and myself turned up early to grab an interview with the charismatic four piece, while the support act, Uh, were performing their soundcheck. We were surprised that the usual queues at The Junction were not forming, but put it down to people getting a bite to eat before the show.
The Junction is a great venue for getting close up to the action. It is purpose built on the old cattle market site and holds a capacity of 850 people. The acoustics are always good and it is basically a square space with a small stage against one wall, the mixing desk normally against the opposing wall, and the rest of the dark space for the crowd. Small bars either side mean you can get cold drinks without missing the action. It’s also very well set up for people with disabilities with helpful staff on hand, so it is pretty much all that a music venue should be.
The venue was slowly filling up when the support band, Uh, took to the stage. A male and female duo, Uh announced that they were going to start with meditation. They then went on to play a hypnotic electronica song with spoken lyrics. Their set contained various songs of a similar ilk, which at least got the crowd swaying. It was all in all very ‘Cambridge’.
Once they had completed the stage was bathed in blue with the customary smoke slowly filling the area. We noticed that the venue was now full, and our first fears that it was going to be a quiet night were unfounded. The very eclectic crowd waited patiently until the appearance of the main act was signalled by the stage plunging into darkness and silence from the amps. A heavy bassline signalled a start to the proceedings and the stage was engulfed in a red hue as Teleman took to their positions on the stage. The unmistakable synth intro of ‘Fun Destruction’ rang out as the cheers from the crowd were dying down. The crowd really started grooving to ‘Family Of Aliens’, the title track of Teleman’s new album.
The setlist was always going to have a fair share of numbers from their new album, but Teleman mixed it up a bit with tracks from their previous two albums and some from their EPs. As Tom had told us in our interview, they also had some fun with the live numbers, with more instrumental interludes, where all the members of the band could show off their musical skills. They like to keep their shows simple, to let the music do its talking. The lights were subtle and fairly static, except for some elements of strobing during songs like ‘Cactus’ and the interaction with the audience was fairly minimal. In fact it was not until the end of ‘Repeater’, five songs in that Tom said ‘It’s nice to be back in Cambridge.’
It was obvious that the band like to jam in a live environment and like to play with sound. ‘Submarine Life’ was full of distortion, but also had Tom playing a tambourine and the band clearly enjoyed this number, as did the crowd. Pete Cattermole put down his bass at one stage and swapped places with Jonny Saunders. Tom proclaimed that if they were swapping over they were trying something new and said ‘That’s exciting isn’t it?’ The crowd responded with a ‘WOOHOO’. Now Pete and Jonny were on synths, accompanied with Hiro’s simple percussion as they preformed ‘Sea Of Wine’, a song that really showcases Tom’s vocals.
It was after this that we were treated to an insight into the Rock N Roll lifestyle of Teleman on tour. They had, had a nice day at the Botanical Gardens, but being the Rock N Roll Rebels they are they had broken in! Well when I say broken in they said they had just walked in really! This drew a lone ‘Good on Ya’ from one of the fans.
We were treated to a lot of numbers from ‘Family of Aliens’ in the first two thirds of the set, but then Teleman ramped things up with songs from their first album and EPs such as ‘Strange Combination’, ‘Not In Control’ and ‘Cristina’, the latter two being a surprise as they tend to be songs in the encore. The crowd had been moving more and more and by the end of ‘Song For A Seagull’ it was a writhing organic mass from the front of the stage to the back of the venue. This ramped up to a fenzy during the crowd pleasing ‘Not In Control’. This is normally a good time to exit stage left and leave the crowd wanting more, which is exactly what the band did. A drum machine played like the ticking of some unseen clock, and simple white lighting shone on the, now, empty stage.
Tom came onto the stage on his own for the first song of the encore. With a simple spot on him he performed a delightfully stripped down version of ‘Nights On Earth’. The show had seemed to flash by and there was only one song that could now finish off the night. Jonny, Pete and Hiro joined Tom on stage and ‘Dusseldorf’ capped the night. With a heavy drumbeat, hand clapping, everyone signing in unison and the whole place jumping, that is the perfect way to end a cheeky show on a school night.
Review by Tony Creek
Photos by Kane Howie
Interview with Teleman at Cambridge Junction
Interview by Tony Creek
Photos by Kane Howie
Thomas Sanders, took some time out to talk to us ahead of the Teleman show at The Cambridge Junction on the 23rd April. As their support band, Uh, were running through their souncheck, we adjourned to the salubrious surroundings of the car park, to talk about their latest album, musical direction and the difference between touring in Europe and the UK amongst other things.
Kane stole my first question when he was shooting a few pictures, so this is not your first time in Cambridge then?
No we’ve played here, I do not know how many times. We have played quite a few headline shows over the years and with other bands. In fact I remember playing cricket in this car park with The Maccabees. We have played smaller venues in Cambridge too. We have played the Portland Arms at least twice.
Your latest album is entitled Family of Aliens. Does this represent you as a band?
Yeah, to an extent. I don’t want to speak for everyone in the band, but sometimes it is a kind of feeling of being a bit detached about everything that is going on around you, and you kind of feel, where do you fit in all this? It is often hard to relate to the stuff that is happening in the world, like politically. You assume that the majority of people are on the same planet as you, and then you realise that there are people living on a completely different planet. You start to question where you belong, where they belong, where do you all fit in?
The new album seems to have a different sound to the other two.
Yeah it does have a different flavour. Each time we go into the studio, we try and push the boundaries a bit further and be a bit more playful. As a writer I have moved away from the guitar quite a lot. Just because I got a bit bored playing the guitar all the time. I still love it and play it in the shows. We do not want all our songs to be focused around the guitar. In fact a lot of our new songs,on what will be our fourth record don’t really have any guitar in. We may have gone to far.
So more synth based?
Yeah, and just anything really. I have been writing on the piano a lot which I really enjoy. Trying to not let yourself get tied down to traditional habits. The way I have been writing my whole life has always been the same.
It is a conscious decision to move then?
Yeah it is definitely. I like to challenge myself. I kind of come from an indie and Britpop background. That was the music that I loved when I was a kind. Those are about the verse and the chorus, a very formulaic structure. Then the second chorus a double chorus and then you get your middle 8. For years I thought this is how you have to write a song and it got so ingrained that I really struggled to move away from that formulae. I guess it is the same with anything you do, not just music. In any creative process you can get in this groove of habit that can be difficult to break. So I have been enjoying writing to one groove that doesn’t change.
I am not talking about more recent contemporary music that is lute based. Songs like Iggy Pop’s The Passenger, doesn’t change, its just one riff for the whole song and it just gets better and better. You don’t get bored, and it is not until someone points out that you realise there are no chord changes. Some Fleetwood Mac songs are the same. A couple of their songs only have a couple of chords, and they are such great songs, that you don’t even notice.
There is beauty in the simplicity then?
Yeah and it can be so hypnotic about hearing the same thing again and again, and if you are loving it for 4 minutes, why change?
What are your influences, you mentioned Britpop?
Britpop is what I grew up on, but I would never call it an influence or a conscious influence on what I am doing now. I am not really aware of anything that is influencing me. I have been listening to some New Order recently and I really admire the way they interweave guitar into music where you wouldn’t really expect guitar to come in. Like music driven by drum machines and synths, it’s quite a fine art. It often sounds quite awkward when you try and fit in a guitar into music that is focussed around electronic music. So that’s quite a good lesson to be learnt from those guys.
You have just got back from Europe. What were the crowds like there?
Europe is very different. It is a very different experience touring Europe. On some levels it is much more enjoyable. The hospitality is great and you are looked after better. A lot of the time the people in the towns you play in genuinely appreciate that you have come to their town. They are really made up. In the UK we have an over saturated music scene. I do not mean that in a negative way. Any band you want to see, you know that they will playing in a town near you soon. The competition is high, and the standard in venues is often very low. There is no government funding, or very little that I know of.
A lot of smaller venues, are shutting down aren’t they?
Yeah exactly, for various reasons. But when you play in France, or you play in Holland, the government is putting money into venues across the country and they are astounding, like beautiful places too play in and there is definitely a difference. There is something about playing to a UK crowd that is very special though. It’s much more raw and there is a higher level of energy in the room, I have never really found that in Europe.
So what can we expect from one of your shows?
There’s going to be a lot of energy and there will be material from all of our albums. We kind of rework some of our songs to give them a more interesting twist for live. We don’t really like our songs to sound like they do on the record. I am always a bit disappointed when I go and see a band and it sounds like I have just put a CD on. I could just that at home. It is really nice when you get another angle at a live show I think. We try and make sure that everyone has a unique experience whether they know our songs or not and that everyone has a great time.
Bears Den @ Shepherds Bush Empire 24/04/2019 Review
London based band Bears Den stopped off on their ‘So That You Might Hear Me’ tour at the legendary venue Sheperd’s Bush Empire, in which is a very important place for them as noted during the show as one member was formerly an employee at a local pub just along the same road as the venue. Both London shows were sold out and it was their last UK show before jetting off to play all over Europe.
Arriving at the venue with a capacity of 2000, the room is filled with excitement from the crowd. Whilst patiently waiting for the first act Tusks to arrive on stage, people were sipping at their beverages , chatting amongst themselves with many also observing the merch stall.
The stage was lit with blue lighting with a gentle haze of smoke while two vintage styled rugs were seen covering the floor. Around 8:00pm, the lights began to dim and support act Tusks took to the stage. Tusks is actually the stage name for performer Emily Underhill. Her style of music is most suited to an electronic indie pop genre. Her sound can be likened to that of London Grammar. The artist expressed that she was very grateful to be supporting Bears Den and especially for two consecutive nights as it is a venue she has always dreamed of performing in. Her set showcased a total of six songs including the single ‘Be Mine’, which is featured on her new album that is due for release in June. She was well received with the crowd who were now really looking forward to the headliners.
The stage was cleared quite quickly and was all set up for Bears Den. With guitars all ready and also a little wooden piano. As the lights dimmed they had the most nostalgic sci-fi style intro as the Terminator theme tune played them in. The duo walked on with four supporting musicians. It was still pretty dark with just a few white lights that focused on the band from below as they played their first song ‘Fuel On The Fire’. Shortly after, their second song of the evening saw singer Andrew Davie said how great it was to play the venue again and that we do have more songs to play.
The crowd swayed and danced during the performance. When playing ‘Sophie’ the band turned off all equipment and came to the front of the stage and asked for complete silence and kept it simple with an acoustic rendition of the song. They also performed an unplugged song in the crowd later on in the show which was ‘Blankets Of Sorrow’.
When performing, ticket holders enjoyed singing the lyrics along with the band. Bears Den played a wide range of new and classic songs which included music from their latest album which was only released this month (April 2019). The album is due for release just a few short days after this gig at Sheperd’s Bush. Band member Andrew toasted the show with a shot and expressed a huge thank you to everyone who has supported them over the years.
At the end of the evening the band brought their show to a close with probably one of their biggest hits to date. ‘Agape’. It was the perfect way to end the evening.
You can catch the band on their European tour and also at Citadel Festival in London on 14th July 2019.
Review and Photos by Kane Howie
PHOTOBLOG: Kt Tunstall at Cambridge Junction 14/03/2019
Rock chick Kt Tunstall stopped off at Cambridge Junction on her 18 date UK/IRE tour on 14th March. She was supported by East London singer Gorran and indie rocker Laurel. The show was a sell out so there was a huge audience for all 3 acts. Our photographer Kane Howie was there to snap the event.
Jessie J at Cambridge Corn Exchange 19th November 2018
On Monday 19th November, popular live music venue Cambridge Corn Exchange invited ticket holders of all ages to it’s site as they played host to one of the biggest British female pop icons- Jessie J.
After taking some time out of the lime light , Jessie J has paved her back back onto the music scene with the relrease of a new studio album and a brand new live music tour.
The solo artist was first introduced to the world of chart music when she released her debut single ‘ Do It Like A Dude’ back in 2010. The single was a hit as it appealed to a wide audience. From then on she has released hit after hit and has even worked with acts including Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj and B.O.B.
Joining Jessie J on her long awaited R.O.S.E tour was London based soul artist Sincerely Wilson. The singer took to the stage alongside a guitarist as they performed a brilliant acoustic set on the night. We got a taste of his music as he sang original tracks ‘Easy To Love’ and ‘Make It Out Alive’ as well as a great way to show case his vocal range by performing covers including Princes ‘Kiss’ , Oasis ‘Wonderwall’ and not forgetting a great take on the Spice Girls ‘Say You’ll Be There’.
After a short break where music was played into the venue, the lights went off and screams from the audience roared in excitement as we were given a brief intro to the show before Jess took to the stage.
The tour is named The R.O.S.E tour relating to the names of Jessie J’s latest studio album. Each letter of ROSE was related to different parts of the show. R- Realisation, O- Obsession, S- Sex and E- Empowerment. The sholo artist made a very strong start to the show as she appeared in a gorgeous ensemble- black pvc looking shorts and a crystal entrusted fish net style over lay. She opened the night with the track ‘Oh Lord’.
For each segment of the performance there were 3-6 songs as well as a costume change and an introduction to each section. I must say Jessie J can appear to wear anything and still look amazing. Her costumes were quite memorable. As well as the black crystal attire at the beginning of the evening we also saw her wearing a pure brilliant white tailored suit and a hat- clearly inspired by the late, great Michael Jackson. As well as an Elizabethian style burgandy dress with ruffles galore. The last outfit of the evening was what made her look like the shining star that she is, as she dazzled in a golden sequin jumpsuit and gold heeled boots.
As expected we got to see Jessie perform some new tracks off of her recent R.O.S.E album, but we also got the chance to sing along to some of her more iconic hits too. For example ‘Do It Like A Dude’,’Bang Bang’ and ‘Nobodys Perfect’.
Earlier i reffered to the artists as a shining star. There is a reason for that Jessie J is one amazing and inspirational woman! She has no end to her talent and has a very impressive vocal range as many already know. However, before the event that evening I only knew Jessie as a woman that comes across as a bold artists with a bit of an attitude. Goodness me the media has portrayed this woman so, so wong.
Since I began writing music reviews around 3 years ago, I have been lucky enough to attend and review many live shows and events. I won’t lie i do have some artists that i favour and absolutely love to watch perform, but never have i seen a performance like I did from Jessie J.
Yes the show and the music was spot on and great fun, but that really was’nt what made the show for me. It was the artist herself that made the night so memorable. She clearly admires her fans and is a hugely compassionate person. I remember a couple of stand out moments to support this. The first was when she stopped her performance to go and speak to a teenage girl stood in front of the stage who was looking a little unwell due to the fact that it was crowded and warm in the room. Jessie knelt down to the young girl’s level to ask her if she was ok and to see if she needed any help. The artist also spoke to all the security in the room to kindly ask that they give out water to the audience that needed it. The second memorable moment was when Jessie had spotted a young tot with her relatives who happened to be wearing golden sequins just as she was. It turned out the tot was just three years old. As it was getting late the little lady was getting sleepy so she decided to completely change her set list by performing huge single ‘Price Tag’ earlier on so that this young girl would not end up falling asleep and missing it. After the popstar had finished performing the song she then serenaded the little girl and another memberof the audience too, by adding their names to the lyrics.
Our photographer and I even got the attention as Jessie J gave our photographer her microphone to sing along with her and shortly after had spotted me with my phone held up in the air recording her show by singing a love heart with her hands at my camera.
The female artist had a lot of time for her fans there that evening. She even spoke about her own personal experiences and shared inspirational words with everyone. She stared “Focus on yourself and loving yourself. Life is way too precious not to enjoy your life.”
Jessie J has to be without a shadow of a doubt one of the most amazing women on the planet. She gave us a performance of her music there that night, but she also displayed affection, her caring nature as well as a cracking sense of humour.
Photos by Kane Howie
Against The Current & The Faim live at The Forum, London 29/09/2018
The O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London has played host to many amazing artists over the years. Just some worth a mention are: Ellie Goulding, Kasabian, Ed Sheeran and Bastille.
On Saturday 29th September 2018, The Forum welcomed two more great live acts – Against The Current and special guests The FAIM.
Upon arriving at the venue, there were queues of excited fans that trailed right around towards the back of the building. When entering the lobby, our photographer, myself and all other attendees were scanned and had bags searched by the security teams on site. The guidelines regarding security needed to be strict for such an event. So much so that even sweets and packets of gum were confiscated. For those of you that may not know of The o2 Forum, here is a brief description of the venue. The building is separated into two tiers, the floor for standing ticket holders and the upstairs balcony for a seated ticket area. At the back of the room was a merchandise stand for both acts of the night and a bar running down the length of the room on the left hand side.
The Acts
Both Against The Current and The Faim have recently been extremely busy performing live at many locations around the world.
Against The Current are an American pop-rock band from Poughkeepsie, New York. They originally formed back in 2011 and have grown exponentially popular with fans since their music videos on their YouTube channel became a viral sensation.
Current band members Chrissy Constanza (vocals), guitarist Dan Gow and drummer Will Ferri have all become household names around the world following the success of their early EPs and their debut album “In Our Bones”. The trio have just celebrated the release of their second album “Past Lives”, which was released on 28th September 2018 – just one day before this live show at The Forum. Vocalist Chrissy confirmed this by stating on stage “this is our first live show since the release of our second album!”
Playing live at The Forum this past weekend was just one short stop on the band’s busy world tour schedule.
Let’s not forget that the tickets were advertised as Against The Current and Special Guests. Those special guests were the lovable lads that make up The Faim.
The Australian based band ( formerly known as Small Town Heroes) have seen soaring success under their new name. Their debut single ‘Saints of the Sinners’ was co-written by the brilliant Pete Wentz of American rock band Fall Out Boy – giving the song a very edgy vibe. The band have been rocking their way through a very busy 2018! I personally love these guys and have seen them perform live three times. I have also been fortunate enough to meet them a couple of times too. Honestly, they are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. They always have time for their fans and show the highest appreciation for their ongoing support both in person and on social media.
Live Performances
Around 8.15pm, the lighting around the stage dimmed, leaving just a little blue light on show. Before we knew it, there were some beats coming from the drum kit as we were given a small introductory solo from the band’s drummer Sean Tighe. As the beats continued in a looping rhythm, each band member came out on stage one by one and picked up their instruments before the final entrance came from the band’s lead vocalist Josh Raven as he ran onto the stage being greeted by a huge roar of excited screams. One of which came from myself. The Faim jumped straight into performing their first song of the night ‘My Heart Needs To Breathe’.
Soon after we got to see them perform singles ‘Midland Line’ and ‘When It Comes’. The latter was great to see as I’ve been to a few of their shows before and hadn’t seen this performed live.
Roughly half way through their performance, the lights dimmed once more and the high energy had eased. Lead singer Josh introduced a song of theirs with a heartwarming message for everyone there that night. He had said that at some point in our lives we have all been through times or periods where we have had to face situations and “negative vibes” so the song he was introducing was about learning to face our fears and deal with them to move on. The song he was referring to was ‘Make Believe’. It is a song that contains very relatable lyrics for so many people. So this is one that always seems to resonate well with fans at their live shows.
Of course, the band had picked up the pace again to continue to perform. There was so much energy both on and off of the stage. I say off of the stage as during ‘Saints Of The Sinners’ the band’s front man came down to perform in the crowd.
The Faim even personalised one of their songs for the venue’s location. As they played their latest release, ‘A Million Stars’, the lyrics were altered. There is a line in the song which is as follows: “Last I heard, she was spotted in Portland, Been two years, haven’t seen her again”. “Portland” was changed to “London” which worked really well and was a nice little tribute to all of us there.
They ended their set with the song that is also the title of their current EP, ‘Summer Is A Curse’.
One last thing to add about The Faim‘s live show in Kentish Town. The award for most amusing moment goes to the band’s bassist and keyboard player Stephen Beerkens who picked up his keyboard, whizzed around and rocked out on it hard like a guitar. It certainly made me chuckle.
After the show, both Josh and Stephen were situated at the back of the room by their merch stand to greet their fans, pose for photos and sign autographs. I also managed to speak to Stephen to ask about what’s next for The Faim. He said that they have had a very busy 2018, but they’ve all had the best time! They will continue to tour with Against The Current on their European tour and will also be heading to America to write and record new material. Exciting stuff!
After a short interval, a buzzing atmosphere filled the room as the night’s main act were about to take centre stage.
Will Ferri (Drummer) and Dan Gow (Guitarist) from the band were first to make an entrance, quickly followed by vocalist Chrissy Constanza. As she walked out, she was greeted by huge screams from her fans. There was one particular fan standing quite close to me in the crowd, he was appearing to be having the best night of his life as he sang along, swayed and danced. This man even approached me to say “Chrissy has the appearance and the voice of an angel”. The petite, but energetic vocalist was often seen performing whilst standing on a platform at the front of the stage as she showcased the band’s songs.
Against The Current opened their London show with their single ‘Strangers Again’. The song proved extremely popular with the audience as vocals from the band could barely be heard over the vocals coming from the audience as they sang along. This was also the case as they performed well known hit ‘Gravity’ where Chrissy also made a request to everyone in the room saying “If you have a light on your phone, lets light those flashlights up!”. The room was quickly filled with hundreds of bright white twinkling lights as they swayed in the air.
As the act wowed us with performances of older songs, putting on quite the visual display under pink and blue lighting, they continued to knock it out of the park as they gave us a taste of some material from their new album. One of the new singles played from this new album, was the band’s latest release, ‘Voices’. This track, along with ‘Almost Forgot’ gives their latest material less of an edgy, but more of a pop sound. I quite like that Against The Current is a band who can easily showcase such a wide range of musical styles.
The trio also appear to have a really great connection with their fans. Early into their show, Constanza noticed a fan in the crowd waving a piece of artwork, and asked the fan if she could take it from them. It wasn’t long before she was off the stage and down into the crowd to collect the picture from her fan.
As expected by the enthusiastic fans, it was clear that they weren’t ready to go home as the act ‘finished’ their set with ‘Demons’. I’m actually quite surprised that The Forum still has a roof on its building, as all that could be heard was loud chanting demanding more.
Members of Against The Current did indeed return to give their fans more for an encore that included the acoustic song ‘In Our Bones’ before then closing with ‘Wasteland’ and a blast from confetti canons from either side of the stage.
Against The Current and The Faim gave us a night to remember, leaving us with fond memories and looking forward to future material and shows.
Both artists are continuing their current UK/European tour. Against The Current’s 2nd studio album ‘Past Lives’ and The Faim‘s current EP ‘Summer Is A Curse’ are available to purchase and download now! If you love your pop/rock music then go and get them now! I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
All photos byKane Howie
To view more photos click here
Indoor Pets at Bedford Esquires-22nd September 2018
Saturday 22nd September 2018 saw the return of Indoor Pets (formerly known as Get Inuit) to the small loft like venue that is Bedford Esquires. The band had previously played at the venue back in 2016 when they supported Spring King.
Upon walking into the venue – on arrival, our photographer and I could already hear the loud bass beats at the beginning of the first act’s set for the evening. The act to kickstart the night of live music was Indie/Alternative band Luna Rosa.
Luna Rosa are a band that originally formed in 2015 and have since seen great musical success. They have played shows up and down the country and have even racked up an impressive run of playing over 200 gigs in just a few short years! Quite the achievment. They released their debut EP in November 2015 and their single “This One (High On The Groove)” was aired on many radio stations and was well supported by the team behind BBC Introducing.
Their music style is somewhat unique and is accompanied by the gruff husky vocals of the band’s front man. Although at this early point in the evening there wasn’t many people in the room, the band were still well received as people watched on with their drinks in their hands and their feet tapping on the floor.
From Luna Rosa we saw them perform original songs including “Fever” and their latest single “Fear, Filth, Dirt & Death”. They finished their set at exactly 9pm, leaving time for a short interval to allow their follow up act to set up their equipment on stage.
The second act of the evening was Indie/Rock band Monarchs. The trio performed in a very eccentric manner and gave us quite an energetic show. All three band members were very happy to play up to the photographers and expressed they were excited to be back performing in Bedford Town. Although Monarchs are currently an unsigned act, they are well known on the music scene as they have supported other artists such as Spring King, The Amazons, Honey Lung and The Wytches just to name a few.
Monarchs have also played to a sold out crowd on home turf in Northampton as they wowed at their own headline gig.
During their live set at Bedford Esquires, they performed singles “Darker Shade Of Black”, “Adjectives and Similies” and even latest single “You Got Me”. By this time in the evening, the amount of people in the room had more than doubled. They, along with the event’s main act had appeared to be very popular with the townsfolk of Bedford.
As expected, the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement as people of all ages were waiting for the night’s main act to enter the stage. Upon walking on stage and briefly introducing themselves, the band members of Indoor Pets jumped straight into their performance. Although, quite early into the first song of their set they faced some technical difficulties, causing their performance to come to a halt. Despite the hiccup, band memebrs Jamie, Ollie, James and Rob were happy to talk the crowd through their technical hitch and were able to fill the time with jokes and laughter. It wasn’t long (maybe about a minute) before they were back on track to give us a great energetic performance.
Indoor Pets have gained a huge following since forming and have only got better with each live show. I have seen them live once before at Wilkestock Festival under their previous name. I was impressed by their self labelled “Dirty Pop” style of music and heaps of enthusiasm back then. Now I’m an even bigger fan after hearing both older and new music from the Kent based act on Saturday evening. Their new material is a little edgier, but it hasn’t strayed too much from their original sound, which to be honest is great to see. Their set list included singles “Being Strange” and new track “Heavy Thoughts”. After a fun and rather bonkers set, the band exited to the left of the stage as crowds of people were left loudly chanting “Encore! Encore!”.
Less than a couple of minutes later, the lads walked back onto the stage while stating “We don’t usually do encores. No one ever asks for them”. They played one last song for the excited audience that stood before them. They began to play their well known single “Cutie Pie, I’m Bloated” when once again, they endured more technical problems. The band members appeared to find this situation rather amusing as they commented “we messed up the first song, and now we’ve messed up the last one!” Again they were able to resolve their issues very quickly and professionally to give us all a great end to our Saturday night.
Indoor Pets’ latest single “Hi” is out now and is available to purchase on Spotify and Apple Music. They are also continuing to play more shows in various locations over the UK until the end of 2018.
Photos by Kane Howie
For more photos click here.
Wilkestock Festival 2018
Wilkestock is one of the best annual events in the small festival scene. Returning for it’s 11th year, the festival provided possibly the best line up that it has ever had. For those who aren’t aware, Wilkestock is situated at Frogmore Hill just on the outskirts of Stevenage in Hertfordshire. The tiny festival consists of a main arena scattered with recycled sofas, two bars, and also several other stages around the outline of the main arena, all constructed from straw bales. No bricks and mortar needed! Wilkestock even introduced a brand new addition for 2018, the “Home Grown” stage.
This years’ event basked in glorious British sunshine for the whole weekend which was perfect to lie back, relax and enjoy a cold brew to watch the huge array of bands on the multiple stages. On arrival to the site and after picking up my press passes for the weekend, security had ensured to do a full bag search to ensure everyone’s safety. Wilkestock, unfortunately have had security problems in the past, although for this year’s fun filled weekend, they appeared to have stepped up their game.
Of course aside from the stage points, the festival also provided appropriate bathroom facitlies, a camping area- with a fancy shower block making it’s debut this year, a childrens area including crazy golf and inflatables to play on, also stalls including sales of traditional festival attire and accessories and also a glitter tent where everyone could treat themselves to a sparkly makeover (this small tent was run by some very jolly people and artists). Surprisingly this small sparkle filled tent often filled with men. It was great to see them walking around with crystals on their faces and glitter filled beards. One thing that stood out for the glitter stall was that all the glitter that was used was biodegradable and is made from plant sources. Very eco friendly. And I can’t leave out the food court! Oh my goodness, there were some simple, yet amazing food on offer at this festival. I sampled many, many seasoned sweet potato fries, a pizza (which in my opinion was a little over priced at £8 for a simple cheese and tomato stone baked pizza so there isn’t much to them, although still tasty), and also noodles. The Chinese/oriental cuisine vender served some delicious meals and even though I opted for the simplest most plain option on the menu – I think it was even called plain and simple noodles (which was also a vegan option), but it was big in flavour! So Wilkestock provides ticket holders with three days of great live music variety. The whole weekend just kept giving, with brilliant performances from all. Although I have chosen to highlight my top acts for each day of the event.
Friday 31st August
Day one of Wilkestock 2018 was opened by grunge/rock band Tigress. The five piece from Chelmsford took to the Main Stage to perform their edgy tracks including, “Paranoid”, “Hangman” and more. Unfortunately during their set, they were faced with a few techicnal difficulties so there were occasionally left in silent pauses while not much happened on stage to fill the silence. Although the band did make light of the teething problems and were able to continue with their set fully, with no further hiccups.
Continuing with a heavier style of rock music, Defences put on an unusual performance. I can kind of liken their music to a combination of Evanescence meets Linkin Park perhaps. Roaring male vocals and softer female vocals to assist. The band released their debut album last year and appear to be doing well in the music scene.
Later in the afternoon the Bella stage opened and also had a great variety of artists. One I particularly enjoyed was Bedfordshire based all male pop/punk band Behind The Lines. Not only did they perform some awesome tracks, they also packed out the tent for the duration of their entire set! If you like music from acts such as Bowling For Soup, Sum 41 or maybe even Blink 182, then this band will probably be one for you to check out.
Later in the day, I also got to see a great set performed by Radio 1 favourite, Fizzy Blood. A rock/alternative band who are currently making their way up into the music world. They also actually sound far better live than recorded in my opinion. So if you get the chance to see them live, then I reccomend you buy a ticket.
The most stand out act for me on friday was Glasgow based rockers The Lafontaines. Taking to the Main Stage, their set included mostly upbeat feel good catchy music, which got many people up off of their rather comfortable sofas. At one point the band’s front man even leapt down from the stage to take a walk around the main arena. He also decided to literally couch surf before leaping off of one of the recycled furniture pieces. Thanks to our photographer, there is an epic jump shot of this exact moment. We managed to catch up with band after their set backstage and their singer was rather impressed with this photo that we had managed to capture.
Friday evening also saw another big techincal problem. Unfortunately the festival was left in darkness and almost silent as the main generator had failed (rumour had it). This had affected almost the entire site, including the food vendors appliances. In total this issue lasted for around half an hour, although during this time the Bella Stage at the back of the site was still able to generate power. So even though the poor Main Stage was hung out to dry, the feel good party vibes continued in the Bella Stage. Despite the rather large technical hitch, people really weren’t too bothered. Everyone was still in high spirits and were happy to chug down their drinks from their refillable plastic cups.
Thankfully with the efforts of the organisers, volunteers and production teams, the generator was back up and running. The site was once again lit up with light and a buzzing electric energy. Everyone was more than ready to welcome the evening’s headline act, Mallory Knox.
The Cambridge based alternative rock band were anticipated by many. I for one, was very much looking forward to seeing them perform live. They have had a lot of airplay over the years, particularly from the very popular BBC Radio 1. As expected, they put on a brilliant show for us all to see, although there wasn’t too much movement on stage from the band, there was an array impressive laser light shows accompanied by smoke machines and performances of all of their well known hits including, “Black Holes”, “Ghost In The Mirror” and personal favourite of mine “Shout At The Moon”.
Saturday 1st September
Although a little tired from Friday night’s frivolities, myself and our photographer headed back for day two of Wilkestock! Saturday was opened by this year’s local Battle Of The Bands winners Slap.
Slap were shortly followed by the band Fiende Fatale. Their set was just a tad eccentric and I won’t lie, the singer’s appearance was somewhat different to say the least. With smeared bright red lipstick (putting The Joker to shame) and a vest covered in hot dogs, the vocalist dominated the space he had with his on stage antics and interesting lyrics in the band’s music including a song titled “Vegan Cocaine”. An unusual act, but it totally works, they seemed to be quite popular there that day.
Another act worth mentioning is Wilkestock veterans The Scruff. The band have been very well recieved in previous years while performing at the festival. The band’s lead singer Adam, opened their set with probably the most amusing statement of the weekend “I’ve had a stella for breakfast and a hash in the van on the way here, but who cares? The sun’s out!”. The Scruff have returned to the festival fresh from playing at this year’s Reading and Leeds Festival. During their set we heard songs including the band’s current single “White Flag” and the very emotional “Her”. They ended their set with a brilliant instrumental piece before exiting the stage.
There is one act that cannot be forgotten wherever they go. They always leave their mark. The act I’m talking about is the very bonkers Strange Bones. There is no other place to be for this band except on the main stage. The band, from Blackpool, brought in some impressive crowds to surround the main stage as they performed. Before this band had even entered the arena to perform, our photographer had said to me “The singer is known for jumping into the crowds”. Low and behold, he was spot on! The singer leapt from the stage numerous times, not only to perform and just be part of the crowds of people but also to just lie back and crowd surf too. As their segment went on they were still pulling in new onlookers to join the masses in the main arena. There is only one way to describe a live music set from Strange Bones, and that is loud, lary, madness!
All female rock band PINS brought a different vibe to the day. It was a performance to showcase girl power. I heard many people infront of me using that phrase over and over again. With two band members looking like love children of Sia and Lady Gaga, they certainly brought something different with their style of music, including heavy guitar riffs. Halfway through their set the bands drummer gave us an impressive intrumental solo. The main vocalist had great onstage presence and was often seen standing up on the drumkit platform to perform.
After a fantastic performance just two short years ago, the festival welcome back Eliza And The Bear. They have just finished a tour to promote their newest album “Group Therapy” which is due for realease in October this year. As anticipated just as they did two years ago they proved to be a very popluar act within the Wilkestock community. As far as the eye could see people could be seen up on their feet dancing, even on platforms and props scattered around the grounds. We got to hear performances of their singles “Lions Heart”, “It Gets Cold”, the almighty anthem that is “Friends” and not forgetting an awesome cover of Earth Wind and Fire’s well known hit “September”.
Saturday evening was brought to a close after a performance from headline act The Fratellis.
Sunday 2nd September
Althought their was a variety of performances on the Sunday the atmostphere was far quieter and much more relaxed. Performances included sets from Minnie Birch, Didi, Zoe Phillips, Crystal Tides and more. The final act on main stage came from Oh My God! It,s the Church! What a way to end an awesome weekend!
Throughout the entire weekend inbetween each act there were also DJ sets from DJ Adam O and Matt Crawley which encouraged giant, not necessarily pitch perfect sing-a-longs.
Wilkestock Festival is an event that you will unlikely be dissapointed by, with affordable ticket prices and alot to offer as there is something there for everyone, no matter what your taste in music may be.
Don’t forget to check out the Wilkestock site for more information and next years tickets here!
For more photos by Kane Howie check out our flickr page here!
Bedford Park Concerts 2018!
The first weekend of August 2018 saw the return of the brilliant Bedford Park Concerts. I had an absolute blast last year, so I was excited to attend
again. For those of you who are not already award, this is a three day event that begins on the Friday evening and comes to a close on the Sunday. The
organisers have never failed to provide a fantastic line up. Previously they have given us performances from Jason Donavon, Tom Jones, UB40, Dizzee
Rascal, Kaiser Chiefs and more. Once more for 2018, ticketholders were able to make memories with friends and family whilst watching yet another
handful of brilliant acts.
Upon entering the site at Bedford Park, I could see a wide variety of food vendors, ranging from fish and chips and pizza to vegan street food and
sweets. Also there was an abundance of bathroom facilities and access to a couple of different bars serving everyones favourite beverages. Also importantly, the teams from the brilliant St Johns Ambulance were placed in their own gazebo at the back of the park and also stationed on patrol at various locations around the site. As previous
years the event was sponsored by BMW Barons Bedford, so there was also an array of automotive beauties on display and test drive booking options.
Friday
Friday 3rd August i had the weekend kicking off to a great start. The entier evening was filled with chilled reggae and soulful vibes. At times I even
felt like I was being transported to a beautiful beach covered in white sand with crystal clear waters in my mind. It was one of the most chilled out gigs I have ever been to.
Which was really quite nice and very enjoyable. During this relaxed segment of the evening we got to see performances from British Reggae band ASWAD,
who are best known for their infectious hit singles ‘Don’t Turn Around’ and ‘Shine’. To which were the final two songs of their set.
Also Friday evening brought us a brilliant segment from The Christians, the band had celebrated the achievement of 30 years together just last year. The band from
Liverpool have also seen huge success in their debut album which sold over a million copies. Their set included their first single ‘Forgotten Town’
which turned out to be quite apt as they had to ask the audience exactly where they were performing which was quite amusing. We also got to see them
perform their cover of ‘Here Comes The Sun’ which was originally performed by The Beatles after the song was written by George Harrison.
The next act certainly took it up a notch as she ramped up the energy while she dominated the stage.That lady was the sensational Jaki Graham. She
stood out in her eyecatching fringed attire while wowing us with her vocals. It was clear to see she could not wait for her turn to be on the stage.
Graham appeared to be so genuinely happy to perform, she even stated “I came out feeling like Jaki no mates,but here you all are, I love you” which was
followed by plenty of air kisses to the crowds of people before her. From Jaki, we heard hits including ‘Could It Be Im Falling In Love?’, ‘Ain’t
Nobody’ and even new music including the title track of her new album, ‘When A Woman Loves‘.
Of course, this night belonged to one man, the legend that is Mr Billy Ocean. The Trinidadian-English recording artist is well known for his catchy
R&B pop hits, predomintally in the 1970s and 1980s. I was born in the late 1980s but even I can appreciate his amazing talent and infamous hits.
People of all ages were so excited to see this man perform live. Billy’s set was clean cut while he showcased his smooth moves as he dazzled in a
brilliant white suit. Billy Ocean may not be as young as he once was, but this performance proved that age certainly is just a number. His
performance was one of nostalgia and high emotion as he serenaded us with singles including ‘Caribbean Queen’, ‘When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough
Gets Going’, ‘Suddenly’ and the huge ‘Love Really Hurts Without You’.
Saturday
On Saturday 4th August, we got to see a very different line up compared to the previous evening. The evening was filled with pop and dance tunes. We
saw performances from up and coming solo act Hannah Jane Lewis, DJ sets in between main acts, male solo artist Sam Willis, who was sat for most of his
set behind a keyboard playing beautiful music and gracing us with vocals that could closely be likened to international pop star Bruno Mars. So if
you’re looking for musical “Treasure” be sure to check out Sam’s music. Also there was a very lively set from the band that gave birth to Harry Styles’
music career. White Eskimo. The quartet rock-pop band were all smartly dressed in fitted black suits and slim ties around their necks as they gave us
quite the show. They certainly knew how to work their magic on the audience, especially impressionable girls within their teenage years. Although,
some did try to cause a stir by chanting “Harry!, Harry!, Harry!”, the lads remained focused and professional as they were seen laughing off the little
stunt and carried on with a brilliant display of musical genuis. The down to earth band members clearly loved to play up to the cameras and also took
time out after their set for a meet and greet with their fans at the VW Campervan style photobooth on site.
What impressed me most about these performances weren’t actually anything to do with the acts at all. I can’t continue with this review without mentioning some of the best talent that I saw all weekend. Just to the leftof the stage as the acts were live, also live were some people communicating in British Sign Language. These talented people were performing songs along with the acts on stage. What a phenominal idea! I’ve been to a lot of gigs and festivals since becoming a writer for such events and never once had I seen this at any other event before. Bedford Park Concerts are one of the small handful of events that actually include this thoughtful feature to their line up.
Shortly after 8pm, hundreds of people were seen moving as close to the front of the stage as they could possibly get, as something exciting was about
to take place in the park. All over the site I could hear chanting demanding “We want Jess!, We Want Jess!” Everyone was stood waiting in ancitipation
for female solo artist Jess Glynne. The music scene first intriduced us to the female soloist back in 2014 upon the UK release of Clean Bandit’s
mammoth single ‘Rather Be’. Jess‘ vocals shone on the track.
Although a little later than expected, Jess walked out onto the stage, gave everyone a quick “hello” and got straight down to business to perform the
first song of her set, ‘Ain’t Got Far To Go’. The chart topper also included her well known string of hits such as ‘Right Here’, ‘Don’t Be So Hard On
Yourself’ and ‘Hold My Hand’ before then slowing things down to what I can only state was a very emotional segment of her time on stage at Bedford
Park. Glynne stood quietly at the front of the stage to introduce her next song of the evening and then dedicated it to a young girl and her mother.
She continued to say “before I came on stage tonight, I got to meet a very special young girl, she’s so special and deserves some love”. The singer
then continued to sing her balled ‘Home’. Many sang along as they swayed their hands gently through the air. It was rather difficult to hold back the
tears during this stage to be honest. It wasa beautiful and heartfelt few moments. Jess Glynne is well known for her upbeat pop
tracks, so the pace was picked up once again, getting everyone into the party mood they came to experience. This performance brought so much to the
weekend’s event. Fun, emotion and pure pop brilliance!
To close saturday night, the organisers of the concerts had the perfect plan. To end the night on a huge party! Woo Hoo! Bring on Felix Buxton and
Simon Ratcliffe, aka Basement Jaxx! The duo hit the stage and took their place behind a huge DJ deck as they pumped out some ravetastic tunes. As they
played remixed of their own hits including the mighty ‘Red Alert‘, crowds of people were jumping around like hyper school children without a care in
the world. All under a fantastic laser light show. What a way to end the night!
Sunday
As with previous years, the final day of frivolities at Bedford Park brought the most pompous yet patriotic day of my festival season calendar. The
Bedford Park Proms. Proms day has always been known to feature performances showcasing a variety of renditions of songs from musicals and film
soundtracks. Before attending the event that day, I had said to my partner (to quote myself) “I guaruntee that we will hear music probably the biggest
film sountrack of the last year, The Greatest Showman”. Yes,I was pleasantly 100% right! It’s a soundtrack that I personally love to listen to very
regularly, so I was excited to witness the children of the Pilgrims School Choir sing ‘A Million Dreams’ followed by the Bedford Girls School Choir
singing their version of ‘The Greatest Show’ – which had a brilliant foot tapping routine to go with it. Parents, teachers and pupils from both school choirs should
feel incredibly proud of their efforts during their performances.
What was fresh to see was a a brilliant set from the very talented Joe Bygraves. It was like watching a protege of Ed Sheeran’s standing on stage with
an acoustic guitar and soft vocals. He and his music were definitely a bighighlight of the day in my opinion. Not only did he perform his own
versions of songs including Ed Sheeran’s ‘Galway Girl’ and Wheatus’ ‘Teenage Dirtbag’, he also had a great range of original songs to offer too, including ‘Childhood Sweetheart‘ and another, which was inspired by the fiesty fictitious character Daenarys Targaryen from the popular TV series Game Of Thrones. Joe’s music can currently be found on both Spotify and itunes. I highly recommend you check him out – especially if you’re a big fan of a certain red headed guitar playing male
solo artist.
The official start to the Proms begins now! The Bedford Town Band kicked things off with a pretty impressive feature. All of their music was taken
from the 1996 film ‘Brassed Off’ which starred Ewan McGregor.
Of course, the Bedford Park Proms wouldn’t be the same without the return of the mesmerising talents that make up the London Gala Orchestra. I’m no
classical music buff, but I didn’t need to be to appreciate just how magical their symphonies can be. They even had me singing rather loudly “Just One
Cornetto!” (Some of you will know what I am referring to there) haha. During some performances the orchestra were also joined by other guests including
the Bedford Choral Society and of course the evening’s operatic soloists. Tenor Jeff Stewart and the nation’s musical sweetheart Lesley Garrett. Both
were intruguing and enchanting to watch as they performed both alone and together. The pair even at one point sang a beautiful duet while drinking a
glass of tipple and dancing as if they were ready for the wow at the ballroom.
Lastly in true proms style to end the evening and the weekend long event, the site was filled with sea of red, white and blue flags and costumes during
a very british and patriotic segment before the big finale! A very spectacular firework display that filled the air with colour and sparkle and
contentment in our hearts.
There is no doubt about it that the organisers of this annual event deserve a huge round of applause and a pat on the back for yet another job well
done and a successful 2018 weekend event. I loved every minute of last year, I had so much fun this year, and preparations for next year’s weekend are
already underway. I only hope I will be lucky enough to attend as a reviewer for a third time in 2019.
For more photos click below
All photos by Kane Howie www.kanehowiephotography.co.uk