Opening this year's main stage at Shine On are London’s recently reformed BLESS. Despite the time away from the scene, the cult heroes are back after recently supporting The Rifles and headlining the Water Rats for This Feeling. Would this be the launchpad they needed for the big time?
*banner photo credit Alexandra Haddow
Photo credit: Alexandra Haddow
Frontman Joei Silvester is well known to the Shiiine faithful having knocked out killer DJ sets and played iconic sets the now-defunct band The Shakes. The latter looked destined to headline festivals worldwide, let alone Shiiine. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.
As crushing as this was to fans, seemingly water off a duck’s back for Silvester who strode on stage to Supercool Indie (where’s Dylan?) spinning The Specials ‘Friday Night Saturday Morning’. King-like, admiring his public, surveying outsiders to overcome, the confidence oozed from his soul and, beautifully, never wavered.
BLESS. a band akin to the Roses or The Coral where every member is a serial talent. Only in this band could a lead guitarist with riffs and licks as savage and punchy as Jake Barnett be overlooked for Silvester. On ‘That’s Love’, he pulls in nuggets of gold from ‘Bill McCai’, ‘Riot Radio’, and such is his talent, makes 00s also rans Little Man Tate and the Harrisons sound like rockstars.
Photo credit: James O’Mullan
It is Silvester who stole the show though. He sets fire to the stage with his northern soul dancing amid the frenzied keys and guitars. He wielded his rhythm guitar like Wilko Johnson as he charged the stage with his rifle set to stun. The drama, eloquence, and sheer showmanship in the way he fires his gun were delivered with such power and emotion that you could feel thousands being sucked into his orbit.
Alongside his star quality was the guv’nor David McSherry on bass. Looking hard as fuck and powering everything with aplomb. On keys and sharing vocals was Kieran Kearns, who would be the star attraction in any other band. Wayward, hilarious, and blessed with great soul, Kearns never lets the set drop when they switch up main vocal duty. Last, by no means least, was Moses Elliott's fluid genius on drums. Together, they walked on stage just another band to this audience. During the soon-to-be classic set-closer ‘Daddy Didn’t Make It As Rockstar’, they exited as the flag bearers of rock ‘n’ roll.
This was less a launchpad to success and more a Soho backstreet toward rock ‘n’ roll purity. Apathy has been put on notice! Not since The Libertines has a band had this much chemistry. Combustible? Probably. Better to burn out than to fade away.