The Blinders - Camden Assembly, London

The Blinders took to the stage last Friday at the Camden and then, then everything changed.

In three minutes of ICB Blues The Blinders have rendered The Wytches obsolete and made The Horrors classic 'Primary Colours' a footnote. Cabbage might be the frontrunners in the punkadelic scene right now but, make no mistake, The Blinders are its heroes in waiting.

From start to finish, this was more than a gig. It was a piece of art, it was pure drama and exciting as fuck. Frontman Thomas shuffles on stage as if the idea just occurred to him decked out in a John Motson fur coat and black face paint, everything about him screams your new hero. Meanwhile, bass player Charlie, parades around like the offspring of Nick Drake arching his bass at the crowd like Wilko Johnson. This is a band with style and substance.

There is a sense of theatre and poetical beauty despite the mayhem, especially on ‘Swine’. As Thomas decrees ‘I need not to be the man on the street’, a sold out crowd looks on wondering how he has ever been one of us. He is a god.

For 40 minutes tonight, it wasn't about hope or potential, it was about the present. That longing for something heroes to set alternative music lovers is over. Punkadelia has landed in the form of a vomiting, gut wrenching visceral juggernaut from Doncaster.

Sisteray - Camden Assembly, London

Sisteray have been making a lot of good noises with their newly released EP 15minutes and opened a memorable night the Camden Assembly.

The fast and furious ‘Who R Ya?’ opens with it’s Strokes-esque guitars meets the Buzzcocks . It encapsulates everything to love about Sisteray. Every time you have them pegged as a kick ass punk band, guitarist Dan Connolly fires a Pete Townsend via BRMC slice of swirling mayhem.

Social comment is tough get across to live audiences when you’re the second support band. However, with the election looming and frontman Niall Rowan’s charismatic aggression, the Camden crowd are braying for Tory and reality TV blood by the end of this set.

The most poignant moment of the set emerges on ‘Nostalgia Trip’. The QOTSA riot attacks the endless stream of bygone acts hogging the limelight and delivers the line ‘'it's a nostalgia trip I can't afford the ticket', a message not lost on the gig lovers present.

This is a good set with great moments, such as ‘A Wise Man Said’, a furious homage to The Libertines’ ‘Delaney’ or, halcyon rock n roll of ‘White Knuckle Joyride’. Nevertheless, Sisteray seem to have merely scratched the surface of meshing punk, rock n roll and lyrical sniping. This is a journey you must be part of!

British Sea Power: Shepherds Bush Empire, London

BSP’s new album ‘Let The Dancers Inherit The Party’, has reawakened everyone’s love for the 6 piece with its social comment and string of pop anthems. So, this tour surely could not fail.

BSP have always bred a respectful and loyal following, so, unlike most bands 6 albums deep, the new songs were a treat not an excuse for a piss. That said, 6 of the opening 7 being new tracks dimmed the mood after opening with the protest banger ‘Who’s In Control’. The pop prowess of ‘Bad Bohemian’ and the introspective Nick Drake-esque ‘Electrical Kittens’ are destined to remain in the set for a long time.

When BSP get into 5th gear with ‘Lights Out For Darker Skies’ the west London crowd spring into action. Their unique spirit rises to the surface as Martin Noble unleashes his brand of Springsteen meets punk rock.

Conspicuous by their absence are tracks from their classic album ‘Open Season’. The fact that BSP can pull off such a top draw show without classics ‘Please Stand Up’ or ‘It Ended On an Oily Stage’ is a testament to their quality, but what is it a brave step too far?

One note of Abi Fry’s violin on set closer ‘The Great Skua’ gave an emphatic answer of no. The colossal beauty and warmth was enough to think ‘fuck the encore, it’s never topping that'. Perhaps only their early firecracker ‘Carrion’ came close.

One thing is for certain, where there are dancing polar and grizzly bears, there will be a group of indie and punk lovers willing to cherish one of Britain’s best kept secrets.

The Claim at the 100 Club

The illustrious 100 Club played host to the inaugural Medway Weekender. Headlining the first night were The Claim, a genuine hidden treasure from Cliffe in Kent.

They open with the ‘Say So’, a solid reminder of a time when singles could be a blend of infectious and thought-provoking melodies. ‘Do You Still Feel’ furthers this notion, the Roses style drums are met with a withdrawn Boo Radleys-esque vocal during the verses. They serve as a perfect precursor to a rousing chorus and irresistible guitar part.

Closing the set was the classic ‘Sporting Life’. The guitars are as sharp as ever on this paisley gem. The contrast of the high and low guitar parts is a thing of beauty. It builds the tension expertly in this tale of gambling woe and then, as all hope is seemingly burned, comes the lightest of jingle jangle touches.  

What remains apparent, is without frontman David Read, there never would have been an audience for so many beloved alternative singers. He has a great nous of creating something truly interesting within a great guitar melody. Where Ian Brown and Mark Morriss were going for pop nirvana, Read straddles that line of underground/overground like The Simpsons did for its initial 8 seasons with aplomb.

How long The Claim will be back for remains unknown, but this was a special night with a special band so, here’s hoping for a lot more.

Steve Mason: The Barbican, London

Scotland’s finest singer (FACT) brought an extraordinary show to London’s Barbican Centre. Accompanied by arranger and conductor Joe Duddell, a string and brass section, two drummers, a percussionist and pianists, this was something truly remarkable.

Mason’s ability to blend folk, psyche, electronica in to alternative pop music is feat everyone should see live. However, the first part of the second half saw Mason’s angelic vocals twinned with just the orchestra. This, particularly on ‘Boys Outside’, brought out a purity in the song not heard before which, is remarkable as it details his former demons.

Throughout the set, Mason revisited his Beta Band days and rightly decries “I’m extremely proud of all the work”. There is a strong feeling that Mason is enjoying these postcards from his younger self as much as the audience.

‘Dry The Rain’ brought a respectfully sat crowd to its feet and to the Barbican's aisles in many cases. The orchestra shined brightest on this classic, as the song builds and loops over and over, the true spirit of this song encapsulated the room.

Mason though, is not someone that needs to rely on his early days to lift a crowd. ‘Alive’ and ‘Planet Sizes’ go down as well, if not better than anything from his past. On this kind of form, Mason has to be considered for big festival slots this summer. 

Cabbage: Old Blue Last, London

For 20 minutes of this 30 minute set, Cabbage are the best band on the planet.

They open with 'Uber Capitalist Death Trade' and hone the ramshackle beauty of The Libertines via the oddball genius of the Happy Mondays.

With barely time to draw breath, they launch into ‘Kevin’ cause everyone to question everything they know about music. A pulsating channeling of The Sonics via Bo Ningen provides a superbly violent anthem for this small but adoring set of fans.

Some light relief comes in the form of the decadent 'Fickle'. It strides drunkenly wherever the fuck it wants before a warped guitar solo chimes out like an acid ridden four minute warning siren.

Closing the show out are ‘Necroflat In The Place’ and ‘Free Steve Avery (Wrong America)’. The intensity remains, but, the quality dips ever so slightly as the peculiarities of ‘Kevin’ fade. What you are left with, is another dose of Palma Violets or Libertines b-sides. To be clear, they are matching their quality, no mean feat!

Cabbage, at their best tonight, are setting the agenda and blowing all their peers away. Be sure to be on their tour in the New Year.

Farewell to The Enemy

Ten years have passed since Coventry's three-piece The Enemy rolled into town. They were a rare working-class voice in British rock music and Friday witnessed their last-ever London gig at The Forum. Although, from the riotous atmosphere, you’d think it was a band on the brink of the big time.

Nobody left Kentish Town without losing a stone in sweat and jaded vocal cords. It’s what all gigs aspire to be. For anyone who reads TT regularly, sentences such as “why are Radio X and BBC6 not playing this” feature regularly. A sentiment echoed by frontman Tom Clarke on stage as to why they are splitting up.

It’s a cast-iron fact that their debut album is a classic. This should have given them the right for their singles to be a-listed when they returned for the second album. But the indie bubble of the time burst because major labels were destroying it with Scouting For Girls and the fucking Hoosiers, so they deemed The Enemy irrelevant. The presence of these tuneless gutless witless fucktards made the band more vital than ever. Clark’s venom and lyrical insights were needed to uphold a generation of indie fans who were about to be left behind.

Already the UK is a poorer musical landscape without them. As much as we love Frank Turner and The Vaccines, their middle-class and private school backgrounds can never write a song like ‘You’re Not Alone’ or ‘Be Somebody’.  Let’s hope Nicky Wire never gets bored of music!

The night itself was a joyous send-off for the band and its fans alike. The crowd was bang up for it from the moment the DJ played ‘Parklife’ 30mnis before they came on. Any opportunity to sing “now this song is about you” in-between songs was gladly taken, especially in the tube station and, for some, all the way to Bank.

The chink of light for fans should be Paul Weller. His varying and consistently high career since The Jam split will hopefully provide the inspiration for Tom to carry on in some guise.

So. Farewell to Tom, Liam, Andy, and everyone I’ve shared a sweat-filled room with since 2006. You’re not alone!

The Bluetones: Roundhouse, London

With a little charm and a lot of style, Mark Morriss and co were back playing the greatest hits set and Camden’s Roundhouse.  

A lot is made of bands who tour without new material these days and, it's usually negative. In the case of The Bluetones though, they made new music until 2010 so this isn’t a massive trip down nostalgia lane. Even if it was, there is clearly a demand from their fans to watch their concise alternative pop songs still.   

Nothing can be written about the anthems ‘Bluetonic’ or ‘Cut Some Rug’ that hasn’t been written before. They were, are, and always will be classics. What probably wasn’t written enough about the band, was their 2003 album ‘Luxembourg’. 

It should have been another hit album for the Hounslow band and adoring indie fans. However, a new decade was well underway and the Britpop tag was impossible to shake, especially when the lacklustre Nu-metal scene was dominating the share of alternative airplay.  

The performances of ‘Fast Boy’ and ‘Never Going Nowhere’ highlight just how overlooked they were in this period. ‘Fast Boy’, the tale of their weed dealer, demonstrates a shift towards more riff-heavy guitar tracks. Meanwhile, ‘Never Going Nowhere’ took all their classic pop sensibilities and romantically tumultuous lyrics with a slightly more glam-rock-tinged guitar and a bass breakdown so good, it is acceptable to dribble over.  

Morriss’ between-song banter is a stern reminder of just how much new bands could learn from the Bluetones. The dry wit, anecdotes, and jokes are continuous throughout, and crucially, it endears the crowd to the band even more. After their cover of Prince's 'I Could Never Take Your Place of Your Man', Morriss asks that the audience show their love for The Bluetones before its too late by buying something from the merch stall.  

There are sure to be many more nights like this for Bluetones fans to enjoy, it’s a good money-spinner for the band and clearly fun for them. However, to those who booed when Morriss said no more new music was coming, TT begs you, support Morriss' fine solo efforts. Last year' The Taste Of Mark Morriss' is a cracking little indie-pop album that should be in every Bluetones fans' collection.  

Lusts: The Barfly, London

Lusts formed whilst searching for the ghosts of Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemmingway. This kind of purity comes across in abundance during their headline set at John Kennedy’s Xposure night.

Brothers James and Andy Stone played tracks from ‘Illuminations’, a decent but not great album. Tonight though, their performance takes these songs to another level. They inject a style and a sense of marvel into everything they do on stage and its infectious throughout the intimate crowd.

Their debut album showcases classic pop sensibilities in the style of New Order and Echo & The Bunnymen. Live though, Lusts get across their distinctiveness a lot more. There is just enough punk aggression to suggest these brothers are set to travel a very interesting path. 

Perhaps the biggest signifier that Lusts will go on to become a great live band is the difficulty in selecting a highlight. Support bands Whistle Jacket and especially FEWS, both built towards their big hitters whereas, Lusts hit the ground running and didn’t deviate.

They have dates coming up at the legendary Night & Day venue in Manchester and festival appearances at SXSW and The Great Escape. Expect them to make a big impact. 

Misty Miller live @ Oslo, London

There are few finer feelings in life than witnessing a support band steal the show. Misty Miller, accompanied by her band, did just that.

Miller’s performance was one well beyond her years. The wryness and humour in her smirks and movements were joyous. If you are OCD and demand to know the meanings behind songs then she is not for you. On ‘Happy’, her delivery is so ambiguous you’ll wonder if this is Shakespearean tragedy or a huge sardonic piss take.

‘Best Friend’ however, leaves no margin for interpretation. The despair of losing someone close is relatable for all and, Miller embeds so much emotion in every word it transcends almost everything.

Miller’s vocals on ‘Best Friend’ are astonishing, they stray from the punk fragility of Poly Styrene on ‘Germ Free Adolescents’ to the Patti Smith’s powerful ‘People Have The Power’ and leave a packed crowd stunned.

 Miller is on tour in April in support of her debut album, neither should be missed!

Richard Hawley live @ Hammersmith Apollo

Rock ‘n’ roll stalwart Richard Hawley played the Hammersmith Apollo last night, his biggest London gig to date. His quiff was impeccable, comic timing perfect and guitar playing to saviour.

Hawley’s breakthrough as a solo artist came in 2005 with the classic ‘Coles Corner’. Remarkably, it only charted at 37 but is there a BBC6 listener who doesn’t own it now. Hawley, like Paul Weller, possesses a drive to work only with new material and leave nostalgia to the meek. As a result, ‘Coles Corner’ and ‘The Ocean’ only make the encore.

The bulk of the set consists of 2012’s psyche-drenched ‘Standing On The Sky’s Edge’ and his latest offing ‘Hollow Meadows’. ‘Don’t Stare At The Sun’ and ‘Down In The Woods’ are propelled with such genius, the tag guitar legend is not far away for Hawley.

Recent single ‘Heart Of Oak’ is given the full beans to mesmerise whilst slower efforts ‘Tuesday pm’ and ‘I Still Want You’ allow for soul searching and lumps in throats.

It’s no surprise to see Hawley cutting loose on the guitar but, with three crooning classics ‘Coles Corner’, ‘Lady’s Bridge’, and ‘Truelove’s Gutter’ in his arsenal, the urge to use that material is highly commendable.​ 

States Of Emotion live @ The Underworld

States Of Emotion in large, played to a packed audience of loyal hometown followers from Essex at the Underworld. It’s a poignant moment for the band, their debut album has finally been released and based on this showing, they are set to far outrun their roots in terms of fans.

They open with the defiant ‘I Broke The Mould’ and the intimate venue suddenly feels like a big academy venue. It’s clear to see why Huw Stevens and John Kennedy are championing this single.

Defiance is key to States Of Emotion as a band and this gig. Crowd favourites ‘The Way That I’m Wired’ and ‘The Unsung’ are thrill seeking and recalcitrant to the core. They also offer a sense of ambition which, many profess but few deliver in the indie world.

Amid the anthems comes a resounding gear change with ‘Rag n Bone Men’. This diversion combines a more desolate electronic sound with some more familiar psyche guitar parts. A tough sell amongst fine indie bangers but, from the moment frontman Olly Hookings laments his former label Rinse FM, a sense of anticipation is in the air. The slow building number hits a heavenly crescendo and the audience are eating out the palm of his hands.

The desire to make this succeed is bursting from States Of Emotion so much during this gig it seems almost impossible not to imagine bigger venues awaiting them in the future. 

The King Blues: Chinnerys, Southend

Well on a cold Tuesday evening, The King Blues walked into Southend’s Chinnerys and took pride in who they wanted to be punk rock legends.

For only their second gig in 4 years, opening with a spoken word piece might have been a risky move. For King Blues’ leader Itch, however, this was no gamble. For any budding performers, this is how you do it. During ‘What If Punk Never Happened’ he makes the crowd laugh, angry, cry, hopeful, and entertained by the meaning of every single word of the poem.

New single ‘Off With Their Heads’ sends the crowd into a frenzy and ‘Taxi Driver’ almost brings about a riot. This is no reunion gig to earn a few quid. The band are back and their small army are ready for the journey once more.

The rest of the gig is made up of their back catalogue and in short, is punk rock heaven. ‘Mr Music Man’ has the crowd skanking as one whilst ‘Headbutt’ and ‘Lets Hang The Landlord’ to name but two, send a raucous crowd into a frenzy.

Every band will love their fans and vice versa. With the King Blues though, it’s different. There is affection between the two as if their performance is an act of kindness where they drag a mate out of the gutter. Not to do a disservice to the band but this largely comes from Itch. Is there anybody who embeds as much emotion into each song?

10 years on, he still has time for everyone at the merch stall afterward and for this drunk adoring journalist in the bar afterward. It’s not for good PR or the chance to sell a few more t-shirts. It’s because he genuinely got love, so much love, love in his heart and it’s a feeling he will never let go. 

The Sherlocks: Borderline, London

The Sheffield four-piece played only their second London date at the Borderline on Tuesday.

The two sets of brothers are both still young, and this youthfulness, at times, is a real weapon for them. Crowd favourites ‘Live For The Moment’ and ‘Escapade’ are so free-flowing that you can almost touch their teenage escapism.

There are other moments though, where their brazen rock ‘n’ roll loses identity and impact. Kieran Crook’s vocal delivery can imitate The Courteeners’ Liam Fray heavily and some of the guitar playing strays deep into The View and The Rifles territory. All good bands do it but, they are in such recent memory you have to question whether they need revisiting just yet.  

Nevertheless, you fault The Sherlocks too much. They have come a long way quickly and already look set to soundtrack many boozy nights out. Their performance is laden with versus the world attitude and you know what? They look like they will win.