Ocean Colour Scene: Dreamland, Margate

Saturday 24th July, the first gig back, should have begun with uncontrollable excitement. It didn’t. Is this safe? Should we be here? Trust in science was the only thing the brain could summon to urge me to go.  

Strolling into Dreamland, the knots in the stomach remained. Despite a few surging to the front for Black Grape, a clear sense of trepidation prevailed.

And then.

The rush of ‘Riverboat Song’s intro surged through the veins like never before. The psychedelic blues were greeted with an overspill of love. Eighteen months of pain ebbed away into Albion’s ether as Simon’s flawless vocals echoed across the coastline and Steve’s guitars shimmered upon the sunset!

The joyous “if I walk, if I walk, if I walk” reminds everyone of what they’d missed. The collective love of a crowd joining forces with artists. A chance to belong, to hug a stranger in sheer delight once again!

‘Second Hand Car’ and ‘Get Blown Away’, at any time, can plunge the emotions to despairing depths. After everything, you could have heard a pin drop and during Craddock’s mesmerising solo on the former. ‘Get Blown Away’, sent shudders through anyone with pain lingering in their hearts. All that might have been flashed before the eyes and loss swelled in the hearts. For four minutes, tears touched checks, fists punched the air, and lyrics were sung with death-defying defiance. The human spirit alongside British rock ‘n’ roll is a fucking a triumph!

OCS, with no ego and beautiful humility, guided us back to a feeling of hope. What started out with uncertainty ended up being an adventure of our own!

Jetstream Pony: 100 Club, London

Hailing from Brighton and East Croydon, Jetsream Pony are an indie super group, consisting of Beth Arzy (Trembling Blue Stars/Luxembourg Signal/Lightning in a Twilight Hour) on vocals, Shaun Charman (The Wedding Present/The Popguns/The Fireworks) on guitar, Kerry Boettcher (Turbocat) on bass, and Hannes Mueller (Endlich Bluete, The BV's) on drums.

They opened up the Valentine’s Day Sarah Records reunion at the 100 Club last Friday. Despite the annual celebration of love, they delivered some joyously melancholic indie. ‘I Close My Eyes’, with its Byrds-esque jangle and Arzy’s knowing and tumultuous lyrics, ignite the set.

Meanwhile, during ‘It’ll Take More Than Friday’, Boettcher’s bass playing takes the hooks of The Prisoners and threatens to overspill in a riot but, Arzy’s lush vocals simmer everything, just!

The ante is upped again on set closer and, latest single ‘Yellow Pills’. This was the sound of band hitting cutting loose. It took the throbbing intensity of The Membranes and the pop splendour of Phil Spector.

It was on ‘Had Enough’ where the set climaxed though. The Cure meets The Fall intro should have been enough. The spikiness colliding with shoegaze’s beauty was, one of those rare moments of cultures clashing that make live music the ultimate art form.

Jetsream Pony (and The Hannah Barberas) are supporting Even As We Speak at the Lexington on March 28th.

*image courtesy of Richard Weir

The Orchids: 100 Club, London

Valentine’s day, the 100 Club, and a Sarah’s Records reunion. It was a match made in heaven. Headlining, was the Glaswegian 5 piece, The Orchids.

With their 7th studio album in development, an added sense of excitement was in the air and, on first hearing of ‘Caravan’, another indie gem is in the offing.

Sadly, honorary Orchid Pauline Hynds Bari was unwell. Whist her eloquent beauty was missed on vocals, it led to ‘You Could Do Something To Me’ being dedicated to her. The gentle twisting and turning classic was more than a fitting tribute.

Beautiful personifies most of their work, but, on ‘A Place Called Home’, something truly exquisite happened. The acoustic and electric guitars combined to paint pictures of unattainable dreams on the horizon. It showcased the human condition quite like no other band can. A sense of isolation was felt by all but, the sense of belonging it gave the London crowd was tangible.

From ‘She’s My Girl’ through to set closer ‘Caveman’, they injected enough happiness into the room to rid the world of Brexit and Trump. ‘She’s My Girl’, swirled its way through the room like Storm Dennis but with vocals sent from the gods to reassure us all.

The crescendo of love on ‘The Sadness of Sex’ was akin to the euphoria of the great rave djs. Layer upon layer of love was built on this Style Council meets Saint Etienne gem. Friend of the band Michael Deans, joined them on stage to add his saxophone genius to proceedings. ‘Walter’, in particular, was given a stylish and raucous lift.

The night was brought to an end with the cult classics ‘Bemused, Confused and Bedraggle’ and ‘Caveman’. It was akin to the release of ecstasy. We’ve had their love and we’re begging for more!

*Image courtesy of This Is Anorak City

The K’s: Nambucca, London

After supporting the The Rifles last October, The K’s, from Earlestown, put the UK on red alert. Last Saturday, they headlined This Feeling’s ‘Big in 2020’ at London’s Nambucca.

Their Roundhouse support slot, was eyebrow raising. Their Nambucca slot however, this was biblical. More aggression and venom found its way into their Northern escapism meets The Jam sound.

Frontman James Boyle furiously attacked his lyrics with real menace, an approach he should seldom stray from in future. This was the real deal. His naturally far reaching and angelic vocals, came with a nasty streak and elevated him to icon in the making status.

In a perfectly scripted twist of fate, Carl Barat, the guitarist of a generation was in the crowd. Such was the brilliance of Ryan Breslin’s lead guitars, it felt as though the baton was being handed over.

With a sold out gig in Manchester the 25th of this month on the slate, it rapidly becoming clear that we won’t get to see them in intimate venues for much longer.

*Image courtesy of Ricky Atterby.

MOSES: Live at Water Rats, London

London’s MOSES signed of 2019 with a home city gig at Water Rats. It has been another year of great singles, and crucially, real creative growth.

Then, mid set, the bombshell was dropped. Frontman Victor announces lead guitarist Rory is playing his last show with the band. Two years ago, MOSES were very much a band that had a great frontman. On this night, they were tight as fuck, and it was Rory dying on his MOSES sword in glory.

Maybe it was supporting The Blinders in 2018 that turned the corner for Rory. Their slot with the Manchester/Doncaster three piece, all of equal greatness, returned MOSES to Cro Cro Land this past April ablaze. A spiteful punkiness permeated their rock n roll credentials to take them to another level. This power, was out in full force at Water Rats.

To date, MOSES have been a band who have been one paced. Luckily, it was always full tilt and exciting. ‘King Size’, ‘Cause You Got Me’ and singalong anthem ‘River Thames’ were all prime cuts of this energy. However, they’ve never fully done Victor’s song writing justice.

Now, with ‘Joy’ and ‘Findings’ in their live arsenal, they have the ability to take you on his emotional roller coaster. As he sings “give me hope, give me love, give me something that can help me find you” echoes of U2’s ‘Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’ fill the room. His sense of loneliness in a city as overpopulated as London, is the modern day equivalent of Andrew Lincoln’s career defining performance as Egg in ‘This Life’.

What the future holds for MOSES post-Rory remains to be seen but, if this is all it was going to be, its how you sign off in style. It was Ali Cook scoring a ton in his last for England. With the growth shown in 2019 in the studio, it would be one hell of a waste though.

*image courtesy of Ana Ben Ana

Kid Violet: Live at Water Rats, London

London’s Kid Violet kicked of Creation23’s Shambolics sold out night at the Water Rats last Thursday night.

There were moments when they truly threatened to outshine the headliners. The heavenly looping ‘Columbia’ meets ‘Cloudy Room’ psyche guitars of the opener ‘Be Happy’ showcased stadium filling rock n roll ambition. With togetherness and love at its core, it was for all the right reasons too!

The racing riffs of ‘London Wonderground’ walked a glorious line in between The Rifles and Foals. Two distinct alternative crowds that don’t always mix were lured together with devilish effect. Meanwhile, the glam stomping power of ‘I Don’t Care’ is packed with the outcast party spirit of Bowie’s ‘Rebel Rebel’ and has hit written all over it. However, ‘Spaceman’ reached for the escapism of early Noel Gallagher song writing but fell short of the Chief’s early glory.

In frontman Billy Cotter, Kid Violet have an icon in the making. The menace of Liam’s vocals, Miles Kane’s strut and the endearing nature of Slaves’ Isaac Holman ooze from Cotter effortlessly. Despite his star quality, they had a gang mentality. Zac Smiths bass playing had dancefloor hooks at almost every time turn whilst, Pawel Plejewski and Charley Wilkinson’s shared guitar parts continually sparked off each off other.

Yes, yes we did mention them in the same breath as Oasis earlier. Are they there yet? No. When that spirit is ignited, we’re rightly getting fucking excited.

Shambolics: Water Rats, London

Fife four piece Shambolics brought their brand of dreamy rock n roll to the London’s Water Rats last Thursday. Signed to Alan McGee’s impeccable Creation23, the buzz was tangible for their first sold out London date.

Some bands are forever better live than they are on record. For Shambolics, it was more a case of let’s playing with their influences. ‘My Time Is Now’ goes from a Miles Kane anthem to a Donna Summer colossus live. Meanwhile, ‘Fight Inside of Me’ took the extravagance of the Roses ‘Second Coming’ and injected it with the pop-punk of The Buzzcocks.

The set hit magical heights when they combined modern day indie-punk with the 1970s West Coast USA. ‘Sandra Speed’ showcased the blossoming partnership of Lewis McDonald and Darren Forbes. The shimmering guitars of David Crosby and the excess of Stephen Stills combined on a tale of pure escapism, it was undeniable.

Latest single ‘Chasing A Disaster’, walked the tight rope being heavily reliant on The LA’s and The View but, it’s infectious melody was too good to reject. Toxic masculinity, a hot topic of recent times was washed away with warm embracing and carefree dancing during these blissful four minutes.

When Gerry Cinnamon burst onto the scene in 2017, he reminded everyone just how popular tales of everyday are.  On ’When She Goes Home’, we’re given even a bigger reminder. Via Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’, Shambolics lit up the Water Rats with their tale of a naive female protagonist. Put through their CSN harmonies and early hooks of The View, they’ve built a joyous set closer for life.

The big challenge for Shambolics now is, converting all this magic into a killer album. It’s inevitable right?

Rats: Nambucca, London

Liverpool’s Rats headlined This Feeling’s 13th birthday party recently. Just under two years ago, they played the same venue to under 10 people. This time, a packed crowd was buzzing in anticipation!

The night had been electric with stellar slots from Cleargreen, Howlers and Lacuna Bloome, then Rats just tore the place apart with their brand of rock n roll and punk.

Crowd favourites ‘Weekend’ and ‘Figure It Out’ served the braying crowd with a fix of bangers. The latter, showcases just how far this band can go. On record, it has The DMA’s debut album at its core, live, it becomes a raucous monster of an anthem. Meanwhile., ‘Weekend’, with hooks at every turn, united the crowd in a sea of mayhem.

It’s on their last release ‘Jack’ though where they defined their set and the purpose of This Feeling. Full of risk and great social comment, it turned a desperate fight against the pressures zero hours contracts into a performance of righteous punk rock. The cameo from Skinny Man lifted the song to another plain and took the crowd somewhere truly special.

This Feeling are not the only ones putting on nights like this but, they are the best at it. They have backed Rats from opening a night to 10 people all the way through to virtually selling out Nambucca. It was a beautiful sight and a reminder, do not let tossers in the mainstream tell you bands are cyclical. They are always there and they need nourishing. Rats are now beyond their fledgling status and ready to support big bands before owning the tour circuit themselves!

 *Image courtesy of @ChrisDriverPhoto

Cleargreen: Nambucca, London

Manchester’s Cleargreen made the journey to North London’s Nambucca for This Feeling’s 13th birthday this past Saturday. Man alive it was something to treasure!

Some bands will strive for years to deliver a set like this. The attitude, the heart, and, quality outshone nearly all established acts of the moment.

Everything culminated on their cover of Jorja Smith’s ‘Blue Lights’. The contrasting vocal styles of Ali Staley and Liam McIver were joyous. McIver’s, fired up by the injustice received by his friend, delivered a truly menacing performance! This was perfectly offset by frontman Ali Staley’s embracing and inviting vocals. Throw in Josh Howarth’s stunning and destructive guitar solo and it was hard to define this as anything other than special.

There were lighter moments of the set, notably on the ‘Mersey Paradise’ inspired ‘(To Be Understood) In My Paradise. The Squire-esque guitars jangled away with inescapable infectiousness. Meanwhile, Staley announced himself as the next great rock n roll frontman. Whilst all around him was the attitude and rock n roll swagger, there stood a man inviting a crowd into their dreams of freedom. The emotion he conjures from the lines ‘it all means nothing / if you’re not here anymore’ was a real moment.

A defining one? Probably not, there is too much drive and the ability for this is to be it. People of Manchester, do not miss their show with Creation23’s The Shambolics on 6th November at Night People

*Image courtesy of Alan Wells

Miles Kane: Electric Ballroom, London

Dressed resplendently as Kevin Rowlands, Liverpool outrider Miles Kane strode onto the Electric Ballroom, reminding everyone the difference between mortal an immortal.

The joyous funk of ‘Coup De Grace’ brought The Smiths classic ‘Barbarism Begins at Home’ to life until Kane’s anarchic vocals took it to away to something more visceral. The venom remained high on the classic ‘Inhaler’ and ‘Come Closer’. He is unstoppable in this mood!

It is however, on the poppier moments where his ability to hold a crowd in the palm of his hand truly shine. With help from Jamie T, he takes the Camden crowd on a roller coaster of emotions on ‘Too Little Too Late’. On the acoustic version of ‘Killing The Joke’ and slow building ‘Colour of the Trap’, he united the crowd in an almost hymnal singalong.

Everything came together on the soaring pop majesty of ‘Rearrange’. Kane’s ability to channel 60s pop past into something vibrant, sexy and violent was at its peak here.

With a huge support slot alongside Liam Gallagher imminent, the jury will be out on who is the best frontman of today!

Lacuna Bloome: Nambucca, London

Brighton’s Lacuna Bloome took time out from recording their new EP to play This Feeling’s 13th birthday party at Nambucca this past Saturday.

With the spirit of Stone Roses in their hearts, they delivered their brand shimmering rock n roll with aplomb.

The latest single ‘Plastic’ was a stunning piece of rock n roll and social comment. By the time frontman Niall bellows ‘yes it’s changing’, this crowd is either rushing with excitement or frantically messaging their mates to check them out.

Whatever they’ve have doing in the studio is paying dividends. Former singles ‘I Am’ and ‘Find Your Way’ sounded crisper and more dynamic than ever. Perhaps set-closer, a storming cover of ‘She Bangs The Drums’, has shown them their songs are can stack alongside Manchester’s finest. 

With the EP coming in the new year, 2020 is shaping up bloody nicely indeed.

*Image courtesy of @shotbybutch

The Spitfires: Live in Southend

Watford​ three piece The Spitfires returned to Chinnery’s in Southend this past Saturday.

They came on the trail of their new single ‘Enough is Enough’, would it be enough to keep them in the hearts of Essex’s mods?

Roaring out of the traps with crowd favourite ‘Last Goodbye’ and ‘The New Age’. The fury of The Jam and melodic rumble of The Rifles combined with their playfulness to kick-start the dancing. A word that became omnipresent throughout.

New single ‘Enough is Enough’ took the defiant spirit of Hard-Fi’s debut ‘Stars of CCTV’ and threw in, well, everything! The brass, at times hinging on the love of Frankie Knuckles and at others, drawing upon ska, funk and soul they have become famed for. It’s such a raucous carnival affair that, it sets frontman Billy Sullivan freer than ever before.

Remember, their 4th album is imminent, this isn’t a band with a new sheen, this is one with crowd favourites. Nothing touched the vibrancy of the crowd’s reaction than on ‘Enough is Enough’.

Speaking of crowd favourites, ‘Something Worth Fighting For’ was sounding more desolate than ever, clinging to the last shred of hope in a world gone bat shit. Meanwhile. The blistering guitar solo on ‘Return To Me’ and the euphoria of ‘On My Mind’ defy all logic of the working classes in recent years. Social comment and escapist rebellion should always meet these standards!

It’s fair to say, they left Southend as favourite adopted sons

*Image coutesy of Tony Briggs

Liines: Boston Music Rooms, London

Manchester's Liines embarked on their co-headline tour with Bis last week at Boston Music Rooms. After critical acclaimed for their debut album 'Stop-Start' and a plum support slot with Sleaford Mods, was this their time to shine?

It was their longest set to date, it didn’t bother them. Such is the defiance of their punk rock, even the unheard material was met with glee. The dank 'Find Something' throbbed with danger at every turn. Its indomitable groove has a raw sexual energy that threatens to overspill into something violent.

Tamsin Middleton's bass playing on 'Shallow' was an exemplary display of how destruction and angst can be joyous and life-altering. Middleton's hip rolling swagger is hypnotic throughout, none more prevalent on the disco-punk of 'Disappear'.

It was on 'Disappear' where dreams of bigger things for Liines emerged. The hook of Leila O'Sullivan's drumming, combined with the power of Zoe McVeigh's vocals all come together in a moment of outcast bliss.

This was again echoed on modern alt-classic 'Blackout' and the banger 'Never There'. The intensity remains, the hooks filter through, and you left with thoughts of, 'do we have another PJ Harvey on our hands?'

Did they announce themselves as future festival headliners? No, probably not. They proved the co-headline slot was more than warranted. Expect mainstage festival bookings galore next summer!

*Image courtesy of Olivia O’Sullivan

Reverend & The Makers: Electric Ballroom, London

Sheffield icons, Reverend and The Makers took to London’s Electric Ballroom on the 10th October for the ‘Best Of’ tour. Often, and peculiarly ignored by Radio X and BBC6, they showcased what they had been missing!

They’re not of cultural fabric of the UK in the same way of Primal Scream, but, they do have their adventurous spirit at their core.  They push egos to one side and share vocal duty to suit the art. Lead guitarist Ed Cosens delivers 60s pop gem ‘Makin’ Babies’ expertly and, on ‘Black Flowers’, something truly magical happens. Keyboardist Laura McClure’s spellbinding vocals on the Portishead inspired track. As she sings “our love got up walked out of the room”, everyone is under her beguiling spell.

The styles keep on coming, ‘MDMAzing’ and ‘Bassline’ stray into 2am Ibiza territory and set the dancefloor alight. Meanwhile, Cousins’ guitar playing on ‘Black Widow’, finds that expansive rock sound their mates Arctic Monkeys never quite nailed on ‘Humbug’, ‘Suck It and See’ and ‘AM’.

Make no mistakes though, John McClure is the big draw. Literally! It’s no disservice to the band, but his ability to stray from spoken word, to Damon Albarn, to Liam Gallagher and remain true to his Sheffield roots is truly remarkable.

It may be because they never hit truly dizzying heights that they still have the early days feel of “one of us”. More likely, the truth lies in Frank Turner’s ‘Try This At Home’:

“Cause there's no such thing as rockstars
There's just people who play music
And some of them are just like us
And some of them are dicks”

Here’s to another twelve years.

*Image courtesy of Mike Halcrow

The Velvet Hands: Live in London

“Everybody's looking for last gang in town
You better watch out for they're all comin' around”

Falmouth’s The Velvet Hands kicked off their intimate sold out tour off at London’s Roadtrip & The Workshop this past Tuesday night.

The Clash had a gang mentality, The Libertines had it and now, The Velvet Hands have it! Despite the rock n roll, the punk fury and the icey coolness of the vocals, they have warm embracing nature. It’s so inviting that, on the modern classic ‘Party’s Over’, the raucous crowd invite themselves on stage for a dance.

On the debut album record, The Strokes influences were plain to see. Live though, they transcend their NYC heroes. As the BRMC inspired ‘Sick of Living’ catches fire, their welcoming spirit permeates the sweat drenched room. What Richard Hawley does via pop couplets and enriching arrangements, The Velvet Hands are doing with garage punk rock.

New singles ‘Don’t Be Nice To Me’ and ‘This Feeling’ also go down a storm. The word is out! The former, a Cribs meets Strokes banger is the pick of the bunch with its ecstatic closing moments!

Brace yourself Britain, you’re about to get new national treasures!

*Image courtesy of Craig Taylor-Broad

Average Sex: The Victoria, London

London’s Average Sex signed off their first UK tour at East London’s Victoria this past Friday night. Having warmed up for us at our 8th birthday just over 2 weeks ago, we were salivating at the thought of a tour hardened band returning home.

In lead guitarist Sam O’Donovan, they have a king hook maker. Whether it’s The Strokes, Beach Boys, Ramones, or The Charlatans, he can turn his hand to the lot. On ‘U Suck’, he taps into Television and adds the destruction of punk to back mercurial front woman Laetitia Bocquet. Much like Mozza and Marr, he is fuelling the fire of Bocquet for the most part, but, on ‘Dump’ and ‘Ugly Strangers’, his licks step out of the darkness to star.

It is impossible though, to watch Average Sex and not be in awe of Bocquet. Her ability to method act each songs’ narrative is joyous. Whether it’s the hysteria of ‘We’re Done’, the wry venom of ‘Erotomania’ or the raw emotion of ‘My Dead Friend’, she gives the audience something different, almost every verse.

Together, not forgetting their slick rhythm section (Louise Earwaker / Finnigan Kidd / Jamie Graeme), they are band who seem to just get it. It’s not enough to just have great songs, you have to mean it, and Average Sex become their songs on stage. This is integrity will lead them to bigger stages sooner rather than later.

*Image courtesy of The Gig Slut

Apeman Spaceman: The Amersham Arms, London

When 2 members of cult heroes Dogs (Johnny Cooke & Rikki Mehta) formed Apeman Spaceman in 2014, it felt inevitable the world wouldn’t miss out on their genius twice. The success, and more importantly, their vision wasn’t forthcoming immediately. However, 5 years on, it’s all coming together like Hannibal’s finest plan.

The north London outfit headlined The Amersham Arms this past Saturday with a verve and aggression that was undeniable. They took the emotive destruction of IDLES and razor sharp lyricism of Sleaford Mods and put it through their distorted outer space landscapes.  

Latest single ‘Living in a Teacake’, recalled the early guitars and bass licks of Dogs classic ‘London Bridge’. Here though, they go harder and more punkadelic to reach new dystopian glories.

On ‘Check Me Out’, they again find that past sweet spot and combine it with their twisted future. It’s a spellbinding concoction, and when Cooke’s vocals hit full force, they transcend music. They become a devilish subconscious you cannot switch off.

It may have taken five years, but on this evidence it was more than worth it.

This Friday marks our 8th birthday. Come down to the New Cross Inn for a night of great live music from 7pm. Click the image for tickets:

The Clockworks: The Boogaloo, London

Something is afoot across the Irish Sea right now. Fontaines DC, Inhaler, Sick Love and The Wha have all delivered quality albums and singles this year. Last night, Galway’s The Clockworks headlined Alan McGee’s night at The Boogaloo and took their spot in the limelight.

Much like IDLES and Fontaines DC, they’re remarkably fully formed for a band so new. The set is full of Mike Skinner quips, The Rakes’ charm, and unbridled intensity.

Former single ‘Bills and Pills’ stuns The Boogaloo. It’s sublime punk rock. The lyricism of Sleaford Mods and the desolate guitar hooks of The Cribs mark The Clockworks out as future festival headliners.

In front man James McGregor, they have someone truly special for fans to idolise. His attack of the microphone from the first word of ‘Future’ is a volatile death or glory moment. The venomous howl of ‘this is not a fucking joke’ strikes a powerful chord with a drooling crowd.

The pop stomp of ‘Rumours in the Stockroom’ showcases they are not all fire and brimstone. The melancholic pop licks of Editors collide with the sense of urgency. This is vital!

The Clockworks, on this showing, are undoubtedly are band with a meteoric rise on the horizon. They are so immediate, and so necessary, it’s impossible to deny them.

Friday 2nd August marks our 8th birthday. Come down to the New Cross Inn for a night of great live music. Tickets available here: