Pastel: The Dome, London

Manchester’s Pastel finished their UK tour at London’s Dome in Tuffnel Park last Saturday. It’s their first tour since their critically acclaimed debut album ‘Souls In Motion’ was released.

*Banner image credit: Gary Walker

Last time headlining in London at the Garage, the band crossed over. A magical performance blessed with a spellbinding psyche that enticed a crowd into a unifying moment of escapism.

Image credit: Gary Walker

With the album not charting as well as they might have hoped, could they cope with the pressure? Could the band do it again?

Form is temporary. Class is permanent.

In the past, their gigs have been a display of talent—of a band with the songs and attitude to define a generation. Pastel is now toying with its crowd like master performers. The adrenaline rush of ‘Gone Too Fast’ is dipped into the Verve-eseque soul of ‘Leave A Light On’.

From then on, everything was beguiling, seemingly slight of hand as the Mancunians ascended to their throne as the band of the moment. The atmosphere hit a fever pitch amidst lysergic fog emanating from James Yates and Joe Anderson’s guitars. The guttural anthemia of ‘Heroes Blood’ and the rolling majesty ‘Deeper Than Holy’ spiral into the sweet release of ‘Isaiah’. It lands the band in a realm of glory, of a world where bands don’t have to serve up wet-fisted indie and half-baked Arctic Monkeys lyrics. In Pastel Land, bands are great, and they strive for more!

‘Souls In Motion’ may not have graced the heights of the album charts it deserved, but the people know. They have spoken. Loudly, in numbers, and with arms aloft, they ushered in their new heroes.

Image credit: Gary Walker

Dogs – Olby’s Soul Café and Pioneer Club

“When something’s good  / It’s never gone.”

Fourteen years have passed since we last saw Dogs on stage at Dingwalls. Earlier this year, a shock post from their social media account announced they would support The Rifles at Olby’s Soul Café in Margate and the Pioneer Club in St. Albans. We were at both to witness their comeback.

It may have been The Rifles’ name up in lights in Margate, but night one belonged to the prodigal sons Johnny Cooke and Kevin Iverson. War stories from 100 Club gigs were swapped with the glee usually reserved for kids going to bed on Christmas Eve.

Chants of “We are the dogs” went up every few minutes. The atmosphere built with the electricity that diehard fans thought would never return. If this was supposed to be a bit of fun for Cooke and Iversen, it was anything but for the crowd.

Images courtesy of Sean Kelly.

The fourteen years of hurt never stopped us dreaming.

Cooke, visibly nervous, introduced himself with a whisper. The fallen icon riddled with self-doubt was eased back into things by Iversen’s divine version of ‘Turn Against This Land’. Step forward Dogs’ loyal fanbase. ‘Tarred and Feathered’ followed to unleash an outpouring of love, grief, regret, pain, angst, joy, and ecstasy.

I know that was then, but it could be again!

Cooke may have entered nervous, but he left victorious. He found his snarl on ‘This Stone Is a Bullet’ and ‘London Bridge’. His poetic cadence oozed its rhythmic flow on ‘By The River’, and on the classic ‘Tuned To A Different Station’, he found the voice that, for some, was one of its generation!

In the ode to Orwell’s ‘1984’ ‘Winston Smith’, the crowd is sent into a spin of emotion. The melodic uplift at “Because I know there's something / I just can't get to it” soared, releasing the torment of what might have been, what should have been for this eloquently powerful beast. A mini stage invasion ensued on ‘Dirty Little Shop’, sending memories of the 1234 Festival’s glorious chaos to the fore.

On night two in St. Albans, Cooke and Iverson were a different animal. The nerves banished, Cooke stepped into his role of performer, and their harmonies were enriching. It was less emotional, a more typical support slot of winning people over, and win they did.

It’s too soon to say if we have our band back, but we’re out of this jail and will be dreaming for now!

Electric Sheep Inc. - Inn on the Green, Shiiine On '24

Rhyl outfit Electric Sheep Inc. made their Shiiine On debut two weekends ago on the Inn on the Green stage and we were there to check it out.

To outsiders, Shiiine On has the unfair tag of a nostalgia festival. There’s some, granted. Step inside Minehead for that weekend, and you’ll see the established perfecting their craft on new albums, but, furthermore, you’ll find nuggets of fledgeling gold like Ecko, Deja Vega (no longer fledgeling) by any means, and Holy Youth Movement being given grand stages to emerge from the shadows.

With nine years of unearthing the UK’s finest new bands behind them, Electric Sheep Inc. in the Inn on the Green came with a buzz.

They did not disappoint!

The intoxicating Velvet Underground drama of ‘Liberation’ unfurled with breathtaking power, while ‘Cough Syrup’ and ‘Moosha Moosh’ swayed from the Mondays to PiL debauched and undeniable.

On former singles ‘Queen’s Nose’ and ‘Taste of It’, the band went from engaging to weekend stealing. As frontman Christian Pimley wrenched “your sheep, annnnnd your cattle, iii’mmmmm not dying for you” from his soul, he found a space between ‘Bummed’ era Ryder and PiL era Lydon to reign supreme as the next great frontman. So many proclaim their colossal stature; Pimley exuded it as he glided effortlessly, making a tiny pub stage look like a vast arena. Coupled with Cameron Kelly and Josh Jones’ spiralling guitars, rock ‘n roll announced its greatness once again.

Set closer, ‘Taste of It’ doubled down on this with its warping majesty. Pimley’s snarling vocal cut through the Mondays-esque grooves with a euphoric intensity. MORE

A festival so synonymous with Happy Mondays was arguably treated to the finest thirty minutes of post-‘Pills, Thrills, and Bellyaches’ ever seen—great lyrics, effortless swagger, and a venom that could kill from a hundred paces.

Ecko: Centre Stage, Shiiine On '24

Ayrshire’s Ecko have become cult heroes at the Shiiine On Weekender since their 2022 debut. Their rags-to-riches debut was a tough act to follow last year, but they still impressed. If the band remained at this level this year, it could only be considered a success. Could they go further still?

Pressure? What pressure?

Shoulders were loose, guitars were slung low, and this was a band with confidence oozing through their souls. On ‘Danny MacKenzie,’ frontman Jamie Warden moved with an ease not seen before. He stepped on the intensity when the power came on top and then eased off into a gentler, aloof mode, visibly allowing an aurora to build around him. Like all great frontmen, he wheeled away from the limelight when it was Matthew Welsh’s (lead guitarist) moment to shine.

A practice they doubled down on during ‘Play Pretend’ when Welsh became the lead singer for the first time. With Warden in such great form, heads turned rapidly. The most exciting band of the decade just added another intoxicating dimension to the band. Welsh's vocal snarled with bullish defiance, his incredulous Keith Richards-esque solo and Liam O’Connor’s career-best bassline crunching its way to glory set this band out so far ahead of the rest.

After the behemoth performance of the latest single ‘Let Go’, the band cut loose on ‘Think Three Times’. The perfect ying and yang of these two felt like a set closing pair for a long time. The violence of ‘Let Go’ tempered by the glee of ‘Think Three Times’ to send thousands home joyously became an inescapable image.

Ecko, three years into their Shiiine careers, played with the skill of a mainstage headliner. Pumping the room full of adrenaline on ‘Miss Hurricane’, and dipping it on ‘Sour’ to show their genius, Ecko propelled souls into the darkness and lifted them out via a haze of psychedelic immortality.

The main stage awaits!

Trip Hazard: Chinnerys, Southend

Southend’s Trip Hazard recently opened for Desperate Journalist at Chinnerys as part of the Indie Cult Club and we were there to check them out.

*banner image courtesy of Oscr Visuals

Image courtesy of Oscr Visuals

On set opener ‘Nasty Party’, frontwoman Lottey set the stage ablaze with her compelling punk rock volatility. Her iconic indie sleaze hair thrashed with abandon to Sam’s heavy-hitting guitars. If they can harness this power in the studio more, then the next voices of a generation will be born.

Lottey continued her masterful performance on ‘Body’ and its reprise. The struts, the pivots, and the knowing looks to band members were nothing short of mesmerising. To have a crowd in the palm of your hand when the songs are not quite there is truly astonishing.

Whilst their cannon currently lacks the hooks and anthems to catapult them further, it’s surely only a matter of time. On ‘Yellow’ and ‘High Horse’, the seeds of great songwriting are beginning to take root. Both brought the temperature down and gave the band space to breathe bringing the power of Black Honey and The Big Moon into play.

Trip Hazard set a standard at the Indie Cult Club that’s making their next moves unmissable.

Desperate Journalist: Chinnerys, Southend

London’s Desperate Journalist kicked off their UK tour at Southend’s Chinnerys last week. Playing for Indie Cult Club, it marked the run-up to their fifth album, ‘No Hero,’ which is out on September 27th via Fierce Panda Records.

*image courtesy of Indie Cult Club

Five tracks from No Hero feature in the set, with latest single ‘You Say You’re Lonely’ and ‘Unsympathetic Parts 1 & 2’ shining brightest. The former was nothing short of a pin-drop moment. The pain and anguish oozing through front woman Jo Bevan’s vocal was intoxicating at times, but she cut through it with the aid of the sumptuous keys, and her vocal uplifts that were worthy of pop music royalty. It’s so easy to see why Brett Anderson loves this band; it’s less so to understand why they’re not national treasures. On ‘Unsympathetic Parts 1 & 2’, bassist Simon Drowner’ bass playing is hitting its peak on the latter. Flitting between hopeful and crushing, pulling the intimate Southend faithful from dark to light whilst guitarist Rob Harvey sprinkled cinematic shimmering guitars to build an aching atmosphere.

Over the past three studio albums, the band has become a masterclass of emotional depth and gothic textures. But when they launch into the free-flowing "Why Are You So Boring?" Two songs in, they remind everyone that every so often, pop majesty lies beneath the blackened eyeliner.

It’s not all emotion-fraying Johnny Marr licks and Cocteau Twins moonlit eloquence. The mid-point is set ablaze by the poignant rollercoaster of ‘Cedars’. When they let their melodic instincts loose, Bevan goes from cult hero to rock icon. Her vocal wrapping around Harvey’s ecstatic guitars proves that band chemistry is still worth dying for. In set closer ‘Satellite’, they have a behemoth record of sending any crowd home with their jaw dragging the streets in awe.

Their backward, misspent youth gave the intimate Southend crowd something to cling to with teenage obsessive levels of devotion. Some bands entertain, but some can impart a devotion, a connection, that makes you howl their brilliance into the night in the hope that everyone will listen. Desperate Journalist are that band.  

The Sway: Truck Festival, This Feeling & Hunter Boots Stage

Liverpool’s The Sway recently treated the Thursday ticket holders to Truck Festival to a mesmerising set on the This Feeling stage.

Bands can dazzle, they can enthral, that’s the easy bit for fledgeling bands. Having the craft honed to back it all up takes time, often until albums two and three. The Sway delivered it in abundance in this set.

All images courtesy of Alan Wells Photography.

‘Dreamer’s devilishly rumbling licks, a la their Scouse elders The Stands, sauntered through the summer air as though they’d always been present. ‘Changing’ had an eloquence that defied their years even more. The lo-fi vocal and angelic back vocals are kissed by moonlit Dave McCabe-esque guitars, which hold a crowd in disbelief.

Track after track, The Sway continued to delight with songs with the melodic ease of a band basking in years of success. ‘Songs & Poetry’ swayed with Shack’s guile, DMA’s innocence, and the romantic glee of the Sarah’s Records cannon. ‘Living It Large’, heavier than most in the set, still knew when to step on and off the gas. Drip fed the excitement with Lou Reed's “oo oos” and lysergic licks as and when, like Townsend in his pomp, toying with rock ‘n' roll disciples.

You wait, and you wait, and YOU WAIT, for a band to have the talent, integrity and poetry. So often, one or more is missing. The Sway have it all. They looked like a band of brothers, all standing at the front of the stage, confronting yet enticing, all songwriters and singers but crucially, no ego!

The Sway will play the coveted Rewired all-dayer at Signature Brew’s Blackhorse Road venue. Click the image for tickets.

Good Health Good Wealth: Truck Festival, This Feeling & Hunter Boots Stage

Some bands stride on stage with purpose, with a sense of destiny in their eyes. Good Health, Good Wealth strolled on in their own time, looking like extras from The Business and the re-make of The Firm. The This Feeling and Hunter Boots audience drew breath; coming next was either awful or genius.

All images courtesy of Alan Wells Photography.

Frontman Bruce Breakey moved in micro-movements, redefining what it means to be cool AF every millisecond. At the same time, guitarist Simon Kuzmickas looked slicker than Serge and as coly withdrew as Chris Lowe.

‘Love Hangover’ grooved into the room with effortless confidence. Breakey’s deeper spoken word sections were delivered with subtle, wry nods and winks to a crowd marching straight into the palm of his hand. Their most recent single ‘Gold’ showcased the vocal talent of Breakey. It offered the kind of crossover hit the alternative world sorely needs to drag mainstream eyes to it.

On set closer ‘Snatch,’ GHGW turned the vibrancy of Truck Festival into the gritty smoke-filled warehouse clubs of London. They beefed up their laid-back record to become a festival banger, all the while, Breakey’s slow vocal drawl in the verses cutting through a room ready to erupt with excitement. Pulling from Man Like Me, Audio Bullys, and MJ Cole, this duo are ready to be catapulted to stardom and tear up a bland industry.

Fingers to the sky, the weak became heroes once again. Genius!

Spangled: Truck Festival, This Feeling Stage & Hunter Boots Stage

Two weekends ago, we were at Truck Festival to witness Manchester band Spangled headline This Feeling and Hunter Boots stage.

All images courtesy of Alan Wells Photography.

A year earlier, they were on early to a big crowd on the Market stage, and as such, the intimate tent was rammed well before their arrival. The buzz was palpable, sent into a frenzy with radio icon John Kennedy’s rabble-rousing introduction.

Bounding on stage like kids on cherryade, Spangled opened with Swordfish Trauma to show the world everything great about the band. Frontman Ben Johnson’s Roald Dhal via Neds Atomic Dustbin's sense of gambol lit up the playful lyrics. The guitars strayed from the funk of Prince to the psyche of the Roses, sending the packed tent into an Ian Brown shoulder-swaying march of blissed-out glory. As Haliday let loose in the solo, there was a tangible feeling that Hendrix had made the soundtrack to Miami Vice.

‘Crank Up The Splendour’ tapped into the Roses’ cuter songwriting style with the paisley guitars swaying in a hazy glee. Johnson, equally as distinct as Brown was, allows his steeliness to melt and rise throughout. His time on the bigger stage last year has lent him the tools to take a crowd on a journey within one song, let alone a whole set. A masterful performer has been born.

Elsewhere, the set explodes with the amusing ‘Horizon’s Glance’ and the Blur-esque ‘Charlie Hills’, but the heartfelt ‘Good Life Better’ is what sends this audience home with irremovable memories. The gothic psyche guitars sent shivers through the souls of all who witnessed this ode to a lost father. When Johnson sings, “That's when all of the scars inside of my soul were gone” in the closing stages, Spangled transcends to a higher power. Guttural, poetic, and vital, the band shows there is a substance anchoring their gaiety.

Click the image below for tickets to their upcoming show:

Megan Wyn: Godney Gathering, This Feeling Stage

Wales via Manchester singer-songwriter Megan Wyn recently played the This Feeling stage at Somerset festival Godeny Gathering.

All photos courtesy of Rhona Murphy

In 2023, Megan Wyn announced herself as a serious player with a jaw-dropping set at Truck Festival. She followed this up with a string of heavy-hitting singles and, now back on the festival circuit, she looks set to continue her domination.

At Godney, it felt less like an announcement of future talent and more like the arrival of a seasoned pro. On her former single, ‘Are You Bored Yet?’ she made regret the most melodic it had ever sounded. The rise and fall in her harmonies were breathtaking.

On ‘Jealously’, she dedicated it a “dick” from her past, and then proceeded to deliver a mesmeric Pj Harvey meets Kim Gordon banger. If there’s a better ode to cutting loose dead wood, we’ve yet to witness it.

This weekend, Wyn continues her summer festival journey with Kendal Calling and Y Not Festival.  

Rosellas: Godney Gathering, This Feeling Stage

Manchester’s Rosellas recently played the This Feeling stage at the Somerset festival Godney Gathering and we were there to check them out.

All photos courtesy of Rhona Murphy

With the sun finally appearing, their blissed-out rock ‘n’ roll was perfectly timed. The dreamscapes of ‘Switch Off’ floated in and out of the ether like otherworldly messages of hope. Meanwhile, ‘Is It Any Wonder?’ and ‘The Same Curse showcased songwriting talent beyond their fledgeling years.

A step back to 2021’s ‘Damaged’ and even further to a cover of New Order’s ‘Blue Monday’ saw the band take the Gidney faithful to another realm. Gentle sways gave way to souls being freed as their dramatic guitars took hold.

An undeniable set from a band destined for great things.

The Mezz: Godney Gathering, This Feeling Stage

All images courtesy of Rhona Murphy.

Oxfordshire four-piece The Mezz followed up their breakthrough performance at the Isle of Wight festival at the Godney Gathering in Somerset recently.

Playing the This Feeling Stage, they had their guitars set to delight! Their former single, ‘Now I Found You,’ oozed with so much charm that, by the end of its proceedings, it had become a fan favourite for future gigs. The crisp synths and delicate guitars dazzled with main stage charisma.

‘Town Boy’, taken from their self-titled EP released in March, was, and will be for years to come, the perfect platform for frontman Ben to become an icon. His infectious vocal rises to inspirational in the climatic moments, matched only by his sumptuous guitar parts.

The Mezz are set to play The Macbeth in London with Billy Otto on August 9th. Click below for tickets:

Shed Seven: York Museum Gardens

Friday, 19th July, Shed Seven played the historic York Museum Gardens, the first band since Roxy Music in the early seventies.

All images by Nicola Gibson.

Seven years after their comeback album ‘Instant Pleasures’ and six since their riotous show at the Castleford Bowl, Shed Seven returned to their home city with a number-one album (‘A Matter of Time’) under the belts earlier this year. It would be fine to repeat the Castlefield energy, but the stage was set for them to take the throne rather than 2018’s storming of the gates.

Where ‘Instant Pleasures’ and Castleford were an outpouring of emotion, a statement of defiance that the band was back, the opening night in York witnessed the band leave the pack to ascend to indie royalty. No longer the underdog, they glided into the position the sold-out crowd knew they belonged.

The Sheds responded to the proclamation by having Laura McClure, Rowetta, and Pete Doherty reprise their roles (and more) as though this was a Glastonbury 2024 set. Frontman Rick Witter and McClure’s vocals glowed with a folksy charm, releasing a warmth of affection only the likes of Richard Hawley can match. Rowetta’s power was never in doubt but seeing her alongside a frontman who remains in his prime was striking. Resplendent in her Shed Seven robe, her colossal delivery on ‘In Ecstasy’ and ‘Disco Down’ bounced off Witter’s melody like two heavyweight champs regaling in tales of their glorious bouts.

Despite McClure's melody and Rowetta's soul power, Pete Doherty's moments on stage stole the show. Banks’ aching guitars, Witter’s vocals beset with hope, and Doherty simultaneously beleaguered with joy and remorse were iconic. As Doherty sang “we survive, decompartmentalise / And is it any wonder, we live on borrowed time” the sold-out York crowd looked on in a rare moment of silence. The emotion and stature of the gig, of Shed Seven fighting on to be headliners and have a number-one album, and for Doherty to beat his demons coalesced in six minutes of achingly beautiful defiance.

Witter, jovial throughout (ten thirty curfew became a catchphrase), pointed out that back in 1996, in the heady days of labels splashing the cash, they knew they weren’t the chosen ones when their calls for a choir on the classic ‘Bully Boy’ were met with one solitary child. This was rectified by the Huntington School Choir who brought the Britpop classic alive with their euphoric harmonies.

If there was any doubt that the band couldn’t lift this homecoming gig away from the usual excitement of a tour, then the choir, the collaborations, the Liquid Gold Versions, the proposal, the brass, the strings, the joyous free-for-all of ‘Chasing Rainbows’ confined those doubts to history. After the dust had settled, the most striking feature is how the new material lit up the set with the greatest hits backing it up. Then can be no more fitting tribute to a band who have hung in there and kept their self-belief.

Who knows, in another thirty years, we may just get that ‘On Standby’ intro right.

Suede: Ally Pally, London

Last Thursday, Suede headlined the Ally Pally Outdoor Summer Season with fellow icons Manic Street Preachers in support.

Suede’s second incarnation band has been the blueprint for returning or older bands. They’ve walked the tightrope of nostalgia and creative output with aplomb, culminating in 2023’s classic ‘Autofiction’, a brutally personal dissection of Brett Anderson’s grief for his mother. The prose of the romantics was twisted into Ian Curtis’ poetic nihilism, giving their day dot fans something new to clutch to their hearts.

With such raw pain barely in the rearview mirror, they set out on tour with fellow lifers, the Manic Street Preachers, with most expecting a more relaxed greatest hits approach. On paper, they were right.

In reality, Suede’s huge (sort of) homecoming was a piece of intense performance art. Yes, it relied heavily on the past for content, but it was delivered with artistic credulity; no one was left uttering the dreaded B word.   

Osman’s throbbing bass on the opener ‘Turn Off Your Brain and Yell’ lit fire to a set that burned uncontrollably for large parts. Anderson, resplendent in his mournful-cum-disco-chic black, strode the stage like an actor stepping up to Hamlet. Steely-eyed, soft of heart, and defiant in spirit, as he decreed, “come on now and reveal yourself, and I’ll bend to you”, the vast crowd responded in kind.

The bulk of the set felt like two great sides of vinyl. Sex, drugs, and rock n roll fuelling a fire of flamboyance and righteousness. Both sides are bookended by pin-drop moments that will live forever in the hearts and minds of all who drew breath to witness. The grandiose ‘Still Life’ made its tour debut to bookend the first half of the set. As the moon drifted across the skyline, the eye was drawn to the greed of the city and then closer to London’s endless flats. Just how many were “there by the window” waiting? Wrapping up the second half was an acoustic version of ‘The Wild Ones’. Anderson and Richard Oakes stepped back at points, allowing the crowd to become a congregation rejoicing in a hymnal unison.

From the old to the new, Suede proved the adage that if a job is worth doing, it is worth doing well. Whether it’s shaking the snake-like hips to the glam roar of ‘Metal Mickey’ and ‘Trash’ or immersing himself in the bitter, venomous love of ‘The Only Way I Can Love You’, Anderson is a work of art. Backing him up is lead guitarist Oakes. His rock ‘n’ roll hedonism on Beautiful Ones and ‘New Generation’ would have stolen the stole in any other band. As a unit, they attack the potency of Anderson’s lyrics with the snarl and tenderness they deserve.

Nine years on from the release of ‘Bloodsports’, Suede have proved that musical journeys are worth traversing. From humble beginnings to 2023’s career-defining album, the people have been willing to follow and on that night at Ally Pally, Suede gave them something to follow for another generation.

Echobelly: Chinnerys, Southend

Britpop icons Echobelly have been on the road recently, and we were there to see them at Chinnerys in Southend. Supported by Keeley, they were playing as part of the burgeoning Indie Cult Club.

*all images courtesy of Harvey Oscar Brown (@oscrvisual)

For bands like Echobelly, it can be tricky to negate the past. Southend was no different, with endless chatter for small pockets of the room. What those people forgot about the past, though, is Sonya Madan is a badass frontwoman who takes no prisoners. Her beguiling stage presence and telling said people “to shut the fuck up” was met in equal gratitude from the loving faithful.

Madan, at times, is utterly mesmeric. Arms aloft, gliding slowly across the room to ‘If The Dogs Don’t Get You, My Sisters Will’ as Glen Johnsson’s guitars trip with a thick psychedelic fog. There is something beautifully theatrical about their partnership. Madan’s vocal is devilish, enticing you into Johnsson’s spell, which can’t be undone.

This dynamic blossomed further on ‘Scream’ and set closer ‘Dark Therapy’, the former providing a real pin-drop moment. The pain and anguish oozing from the howling guitars was palpable. ‘Dark Therapy’s all these years on, still has the same emotive hypnotic power. The sliding guitars and Madan’s reflective and empowering vocals rise and tumble with breathtaking magnificence.

Although the set mainly contained the protracted art of their canon, in ‘In Great Things’ and ‘King of the Kerb’, they have two of the bona fide great singles of the 90s. Instinctive, sexy, and of their time, they transport you to a time when the art-rock scene of 1994 was blossoming in Camden. Images of debauchery at Blow Up club nights and record deals being signed in the Good Mixer rush to the forefront of elder minds becoming carefree once again.

Thirty years on since their debut album, Echobelly show no signs of slowing down creatively. Long may they reign.

The Crooks: The Water Rats, London

Chesterfield’s The Crooks headlined The Water Rats for This Feeling this past Saturday. Copy we originally had penned in 2020. Four years on from the crushing despair of that tour cancellation hadn't caused a lack of interest, but it had caused trepidation.

*banner image credit: Charlie_green19 - Courtesy of the band.

In 2020, the buzz for the cancelled tour was off the scale. There was a clear sense of glory awaiting the band as, single after single, amassed legions of fans. In the build-up to Saturday, a lot of what-ifs lingered. What if their time had passed? What if the band and fans were not as one anymore?

We needn’t have worried.

The electrifying opening of ‘What You Know’ and ‘Silhouette Sunshine’ was a pulsating moment of release. The band are still us, we’re still them! Their time apart clearly left its mark, as there is a real sense of now or never. Rock ‘n’ roll needs this desperation to thrive, and the Water Rats faithfully needed it more.

On ‘In Time’, the band make the intimate room feel like Knebworth. Modders’ guitars on ‘In Time’ howled into the night like warning sirens of hope. Frontman Jacko, stepping off the gas to allow a cuter DMAs-esque vocal to offset the colossal-sized guitars to shine, confirmed that all “what ifs” can get in the bin.

Wave upon wave of euphoric emotion is packed in the set. ‘Nevermind spirals towards pure ecstasy, while ‘She Walks Alone’ took you into the emotional trenches and spat you out with King-sized belief in humanity again.

On ‘Better Days’, the band breathes, leaving Jacko to do something utterly magical. His vocals were blessed with the infectiousness of Tommy O’Dell (DMAs), the raw power of Tom Clarke (The Enemy), and Noel’s ability to make simple melodic twists sound like messages from God. This stripped-back moment was a moment for the lost. For rock n roll fans fed up with overpaying for the old guard to half arsing the past. This was about now! As he decreed, “We need to find our way again”, a collective sigh of relief oozed through the air. Being in the moment for something youthful, a spirit that wanted (and will) change the world, was spine-tingling.

You spend a lifetime waiting for bands to pull it all together, to have the look, the melody, the politics. Only when it appears in front of you do you realise that you allowed pretenders to take the throne in the intervening years. The Crooks are the real deal. They allow you to pour your dreams, heartache, and regrets into their chest out of a sense of working-class glory. This gig will be etched into the minds of all who were there. Triumphant, yes, but this felt like the beginning, not a crowning moment.

Pastel: The Garage, London

Having sold out the Camden Assembly last October, Manchester’s Pastel were back in the capital to play to a packed crowd at The Garage.

Image Credit: Matthew Eynon. Courtesy of Spirit of Spike Island.

At the Assembly (Barfly), their latest single, ‘Your Day’, whilst good, was jarring. Its urgency countered their more blissed-out fan favourites. To great effect, this purposeful spirit was doubled down on at the garage—the former single opened proceedings with an aggressive front-foot mindset, which they rarely deviated from.  

With the intensity levels pulsating, the latest single, ‘Dancing On A Pin, ‘S.O.H.O,’ and previously unheard tracks fired out quickly. Breath only was taken when frontman Jack Yates asked us “to fund his haircut.” It was a masterclass in substance over style, allowing little time to comprehend what was happening—dizzying, mystical genius!

As the band led the room to the precipice, the release of ‘Isaiah’ was a divine moment, but it was ‘Deeper Than Holy’ that truly ignited the crowd. The song, previously well-received at Islington Town Hall and the Camden Assembly, took on a new life on this night, transcending the stage. The crowd arms aloft and wide, bellowed for it with an unhinged willingness to prove what it meant. Powerful, soul-freeing energy was released into a psychedelic haze of smoke and red lights as the band, and fans became unified in their shared experience.  

Pastel have now crossed over. The world is theirs. Their howling guitars the warning sirens for the world, get your shit together; systemic cultural change is nigh!

Dirty Blonde: Chinnerys, Southend

Last Friday, Manchester’s Dirty Blonde opened up for 00s icons The Subways at Chinnerys in Southend as part of the Indie Cult Club.

Images courtesy of Gas & Shutter and Indie Cult Club

Former single ‘Come Over’, an opener that could set fire to any setlist, emerged from the gutter dripping in sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll. Filthy basslines and snarling licks swelled with devilish temptation. 

A rock anthem with a three-act structure is hard to find, but they delivered just that on ‘Don’t Cry’. Allis McKay, delivering a rare angelic vocal, sowed the seeds of romantic betrayal and a vulnerability in the protagonist you immediately root for:

“Celebrating with a bottle of Tequila
Too busy dancing to have the chance to miss you
Oh no are you sad? Well read the signs”

McKay’s vocals were deliciously sniping and sardonic as she laid waste to the ex. The melodic euphoria coursing through the cringing bleakness of the lyric “I got a missed call from your ex” was a moment of juxtaposition to saviour. When Dirty Blond hits bigger stages, one young person from Manchester will be cowing at their parents, eating their mummy’s sausage and beans for comfort..

Then, in the closing stages, the solo fires out with Noel Gallagher’s early sense of freedom and Slash’s showmanship to give the protagonist ultimate closure.

Dirty Blonde's dramatic storytelling was enough to captivate the packed Southend crowd, but they didn't stop there. They closed their set with ‘Run’, a monstrous guitar record that blended Royal Blood's intensity with BRMC's leather-clad rebellion.

What Wolf Alice started in 2015, Dirty Blonde are destined to end with a thunderous jolt to the guitar scene!

Dodgy: Islington Academy, London

Last Friday, the veteran Dodgy played their 1996 album ‘Free Peace Sweet’ in full at the sold-out Islington Academy in London.

*images courtesy Stephen Fothergill.

What was their highest charting album of the time was to be their last for sixteen years (excluding ‘Real Estate,’ which frontman Nigel Clark did not feature). Despite the success of the album and singles alike, the band split in acrimonious fashion, not reforming until 2008.

What caused ructions around then has dissipated now. They easily recapture the youthful energy of ‘Trust In Time’ and ‘You’ve Gotta Look Up’. The former’s La’s jagged edges chime joyously with Clark and drummer Andry Priest’s sumptuous harmonies. Harmonies which truly take flight and soar on ‘You’ve Gotta Look Up’.

Despite the nostalgic joy that ‘Good Enough’ brings, it was, and is, former singles ‘In A Room’ and ‘If You’re Thinking of Me’ that lit up the album and this gig alike. ‘In A Room’ swayed with an ease that, rightly or wrongly, a generation of bands and media has tried to recapture. The poignancy of ‘If You’re Thinking of Me’ burrows straight to the heartstrings with its touching sentiment. Both catch fire creatively via Andy Miller’s guitar. The solo on ‘In A Room’ takes on a warped Stephen Stills number with intoxicating results. Whereas his blasts on ‘IYTOM@ tap into the majesty of Roger McGuinn's lysergic energy and Gene Clark’s jaw-dropping melancholy.

Cutting through West Coast and Laurel Canyon melodies was ‘U.K. R.I.P.’ cutting through their West Coast melodies with the hints of Transglobal Underground, trip-hop, and the Levellers’ trippier moments. Originally an anti-Britpop triumphalism rhetoric, it now takes on darker tones in a post-Brexit, post-Johnson, and post-Truss Britain.

Twenty-seven years on, Dodgy and ‘Free Peace Sweet’ still have something to say sonically and spiritually. Here’s to another twenty-seven.

Ecko: The Elephants Head, London

Last Sunday, Ayr’s Ecko made their live debut in London at Camden’s Elephant’s Head, supporting Bless.

*image credit A Deeper Groove

To date, Ecko have built a reputation as one of the most exciting bands in the UK but, not really beyond the confines of the Shiiine On Weekender. A free gig in a pub with unexpecting punters and tourists posed pitfalls we’d not witnessed them experience. For the few Shiiine On faithful in attendance, it built a pre-gig tension. What if it was just the magic of the Shiiine On Weekender carrying them?

Step forward, the boys from Ecko!

Batting away the security guard who checked their ID with grace and humour and adorning killer casual clobber, the future of rock ‘n’ roll was here to allay all fears.

The heads of unexpecting punters in the pub craned like the Regan McNeil with increasing frequency throughout their set. The hooks, vocals, and solos were as good as we’d all remembered from their two Weekenders.

Many, if not all, fledgeling bands flock to Camden as a rite of passage. It becomes a “thing” for them, attaching the history of the mercurial road to their insignificant futures. Ecko, however, are the kid at school you always wanted to be. Cooler and smarter, they roll out of town like Johnny Strabler, leaving everyone in their wake reeling.

Camden has gained another great origin story.