Will McNicol delivers his unique guitar skills in the Joiners to a hushed crowd and it’s simply magical... if that’s all I take from last night it’ll be enough. The Joiners is one of those ilk of venues that (to it’s credit) can deliver a loud, noisy, messy night, in epic style and leave your hearts and minds ringing out the door. Therefore, it’s a bizarre, but beautiful experience to hear a definately hushed crowd as Will delivers his set. A slightly less experimental and diverse set as I’ve seem him deliver before, but back up by the great sound system and skills of the engineer that the Joiners is (in my opinion) famous for, it’s some of his best work to date. The penultimate track is without a doubt one of the most amazing pieces of music I’ve ever heard.. I shut my eyes at one point and let the bass-ey tones wash through me... and it felt good.

Oh, one major point though.... what was with that annoying clicking sound all through his set if you were up the front?

Next up was "Drew from Babyshambles" new band Helsinki. The vocals on the first track were so loud they hurt my ears and sounded distorted. If that wasn’t enough to send me to the bar, singing the next song in a foreign language was. It takes A LOT for someone to be able to pass that sorta thing off, and the 2nd track I’ve ever heard you play is not it. The only thing that brought me back in the room was when I wondered why they were playing a cover of a Babyshambles/Libertines/Dirty Pretty Things track. Apparently they weren’t, but it was just heavily borrowed. Helsinki are the sort of band that will garner some attention... but it just feels a little off to me. Too experimental and too borrowed.

Kid Harpoon was the headliner. And boy did we know it. You can’t fail to notice when this kid is performing. Playing brilliant singer/songwriter stuff, backed up by a band that (rather than trying too hard to fit in with the indie kids of now) actually makes it really accessible, really relevant, and really good fun. It’s the most Rock n Roll acoustic folk I’ve ever seen.... and it’s bloody fantastic. He ripped up the stage, sent the crowd into a frenzy and at the end of it all you can hear what he’s singing, feel what’s he’s playing, and really emote without feeling it’s faked it any way. A true musician. A rock star. A performer.

Will McNicol, Helsinki and Kid Harpoon played The Joiners, Southampton on Wednesday 12th March 2008 (and it was worth missing the show for it!)

I enter to a busy Pyramids... I thought a sell out although maybe not as the Reel Big Fish gig the week after played testament to... We headed for the side and at the early hour of about 7:30 the first band of what promised to be a four band marathon suddenly appeared on stage.

Although the Ting Tings opened and closed the set with their singles, they were the weakest tracks of the set. Big booming drums (even if they appeared to be being delivered by George Micheal) signalled a statement of intent that this is a very drum-centric band. Heavy simple beats combined with bleep tinged guitars and just enough quirk in the lead singers voice to prick the ears. Pity it was not so much a well composed set, rather a a collection of songs, thrown together to give quick audience pleasers. Brownie points for use of the screens for something other than to throw ads at the crowd to buy next weeks NME!

Up next, Does It Offend You, Yeah? bound on stage to what (I hoped was just) suitably epic intro music, and then proceed though a packed 30 mins of suitably old school disco all amp-ed up with a good throng of electronic ear warping devices. Whilst the musos stand at the bar in disgust at how this electro mess deserves a place in their brain, the true spirit of what DIOY are truely trying to do is being felt by the jumping masses in the crowd. It’s all good fun, even if it’s not exactly Mercury Music Prize worthy stuff, it certainly gets you in the mood for a party.

Unsurprisingly pissed Joe Lean and his Jing Jang Jong take to the stage to a deliciously delivered piece of surf rock that’s almost Tarantino-esque in style. Within two songs he’s banging on a drum to keep himself amused whilst delivering cutting, but, ultimately un-fulfilling vocals alongside a whole musical experience that is, as seems the theme for tonight, a bit underwhelming. I struggle to find what’s so new and therefore worthy of this bands sudden rise to fame. It’s so a hunger very much being fed by the certain type of speedy new musical media so many indie kids have been tempted to the darkside by, with their quirky names and smart waster style another band sure to be big in 2008 but hopefully it’s all flash in the pan as these things with a certain lack of substance tend to be.

After this emotional rollercoaster I was ready for my dead cert of the night - The Cribs. Although I’d never seen them before, they’re the sort of band you get banged on to about all the time, and I had respect for them because you can tell they’ve "done the graft" to get to where they are. And It’s all very good. They delivered solid, working class tunes, without appearing too sleazy, drunken, or, wait- apparently that’s what they’re supposed to be like? The most "crazy" thing Jarmin did was wear a bra thrown on stage outside his t-shirt. Wow. They are a solid act, and definately on a par with the rest of the set tonight but, ultimately, it lacked that magic something you need from a band which such a reputation to live up to.

A little pissed, and a little pissed off I headed to LJRs to complete the night in ample drunken style!

The Ting Tings, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong and The Cribs played The Pyramids, Portsmouth for the NME Awards tour on Thursday 21st February 2008. And it didn’t really offend me too much.

I've never been a huge fan of Envy as a venue for live bands. As a club night, Waster is sublime, and tonight it was heaving, so, having queued for over half an hour I hoped it was worth it. Barely moments after entering the club and getting our bearings, Will Chump's voice boomed on the mic announcing Hold Fast and as soon as the first guitar kicked in I was blown away.

Hold Fast are well known for their "wall of sound" approach, filling the venue and not missing a beat as they wind track into track to deliver a set that draws the audience in to their dark and mysterious world, and doesn't give them a chance to escape. For me, it was the first time I've seen a band actually "work" in Envy. The sound was loud and edgy, filling the room and drawing peoples eyes skyward to the above bar stage to see what was captivating them. Expertly light (the one decent reason for bands to play Waster), the whole band looked fantastic, and the lights helped create the feel that this was something quite a bit different and an escape from the norm of dreary bands. The set appeared to include a couple of new songs (or maybe at least new to me), which were ballsy, brasher, and a good dose more urgent than anything I've heard since. Quirky this band are not, intriguing they are.

Trash Money were up next, and, well, I wasn't exactly won over. Appearing like a band from a trailer park somewhere in the south west, they delivered some solid garage punk, and the few tracks that were big, gnarling and loud worked quite well, but a lot of it fell into a bit of a sea of malaise, the lead singer seeming dis-interested, even when bantering with the crowd. To be honest, we were spoilt by Hold Fast.

The highlight of the night for most was Mike Fielding (or DJ Naboo), as there was a crowd forming like Japanese tourists round the DJ booth by this stage. Three tracks of very obvious, chart dance records into his set we decided we'd seen him, and that would do, so left, thanks to the Southsea Mafia DJs for filling the other gaps round the band much better with expertly mixed tracks and a feel that set the tone perfectly for the night.

I came to The Joiners expecting a treat. The last time I saw Fresh Legs here was likely the best performance I've ever seen from them, the sound being crystal clear, and the air simply electric. Tonight was a little disappointing on both these fronts really.

We turned up just as their set had begun, and the room was much busier than last time (due to Blood Red Shoes headline I'm sure), but there was a healthy crowd actually engaging with Fresh Legs, even though they were likely new to them. The sound felt muffled, and the energy was still there, but, didn't capture me as much as I've come to expect from Fresh Legs. Classic songs such as Scat were still on pretty good form, and certainly got the crowd moving, although a couple of newer tracks that debuted this week (including one they admitted to never having played live before), felt like they needed a bit more work. Ella still stands out as a great front-woman for the band, although her between song banter was very much directed at the people they'd brought with them. Her jerky, disjointed dancing mid-songs works well, and the boys in the band still look cool without even trying, so it was a pity that something was a little off this time. Maybe whenever they finally play the Wedge they'll tweak it back to what I've come to expect from them previously.

Knowing Make Model were on next sent us straight to the bar. Make Model delivery everything from a laptop, even down to lighting queues, so the live performance they are putting on it dampened down by the fact a lot of it isn't really there, and I really wasn't interested in seeing that again, thank you very much! So, we decided to scoot across town to Hamptons and catch Johnny Flynn and The Sussex Wit. (Unfortunately we had missed the other Wit, from B Of The Bang, and heard it was something very special).

Hamptons is a great little venue... purely a cafe/deli bar, with a stage up front, and not much of anything else save for a few tables and chairs up front adding to the creation of a lovely intimate feel. Johnny Flynn took to the stage with his steel guitar strapped to his shoulder and gave us the perfect wind down to the irritation from the crowded Joiners. The clue is in the instrument, but his style is bluesy tinged country, but without feeling dated or too far removed from what is relevant now. Lyrically he's writing about the same sort of things indie lad bands are writing about, but is delivering it with far more style, and in a way that is instantly watchable. Although Johnny himself comes across as a bit shy when chatting with the audience, you wouldn't believe it so from his performance, which, oft quiet draws you in, then belts out a strong melodic chorus. The bands style is so well honed that at times you are forgiven for thinking they're just playing traditional folk songs from days gone by. A stand-out performer by far, and a welcome and refreshing change to see.

Fresh Legs played the Joiners and Johnny Flynn played Hamptons (which is 0.6 miles, or a 10 min run away), Southampton, on Tuesday 5th February 2008.

Tonight was the second time I'd ventured to Southampton for Patchwork Parachute at Kolebka (although just one of many recent trips to the town... what's going on?), and this was a bit different for me. Whereas last time I knew about half the line up and was sure it would be good, this time I'm going on knowing the opening act and otherwise just trusting the organisers, the venue, and a mere taster of the line up delivered by bulletins...

Rocking up to a quite empty room an hour after doors did concern me a bit, but, it was only 8 o clock, I just hoped more people where on their way for Will McNicol. Fortunately, by the time he started the venue was at least a third full and the crowd just great and were looking on in awe during his set. Will is someone I've only briefly had the chance to review before but quite simply is one of the must see acts I stumbled across last year. This classically trained guitarist treats his guitar the way a horny thirteen year old treats their body. He's always finding new and exciting ways to draw out sounds, and, even images, from that little wooden box. Playing the whole of the guitar, from fret to base Will draws you in on little journeys through other worlds with his sound. Even when playing his guitar more "traditionally" there's something quite magical and special about the, at times soft, at often loud and full on, notes rising from his fingers. Tonight he plays a couple of new (to me) pieces also, Tempting Fate, which is simply THE most mental thing I've seen with a guitar. It's like a fight between Will's hands across the guitar and you don't know whether your ears or eyes are bringing you the most pleasure from the performance, and, Atlantis, a dark, booming epic, still with a sense of possibily and hope that Will's music fills you with. Simply brilliant!

As the next band took to the stage, I thought Patchwork had pulled off a right coo, seeing Pete Doherty in front of me. Blinking I noticed it was not the eponymous front man of The Libertines, although you'd easily be fooled into thinking it from the music being produced. Sounding like The Libertines from a past time, The Glad Rags are a solid act. Considering they're essentially producing lad rock, it's still got a bit of a different edge, with, I felt, a heaving swing edge and even elements of jazz popping up from time to time. There was a particular girl in the audience in a pencil skirt, and I could almost picture her dancing the Charleston to their music. As music of this ilk can often suffer from the vocals weren't very strong, which did make me wonder about the leads confidence as a front man at time, but, on the whole the band carried themselves well. A special big of fun was the percussion / one-man brass section. Playing trumpet, horn, cow bell, some kind of banging sticks, he came across like he'd discovered the Sunday school music box, but was perfectly talented at playing them all, which gave an interesting quirk to their performance. A big contrast from Will, something louder, a bit brash, and properly rocking and rolling, it sent the tempo well for the rest of the night.

The Libertine-a-like fest continue with the next band, High Priests, there being evoked a feeling of Carl Barat (bizarrely crossed with Conor Oberst) about them. Visual comparisons aside, it's quite rock and roll, but the song writing doesn't really pack that much of a punch. Musically they've got alot going on, and it's a very big, full sound, which is impressive considering there's only three of them on stage at there was about half that for the previous band. But, for all it's punch, and loud guitars, unfortunately for me it lacked substance. The lyrics where quite simplistic and relied on the repetition of a simple phrase quite often. I don't know if this was intended to be a hook, but, barely a week on, I can't remember a single song, whereas I can with most of the other acts. None of this is to say they are a bad band though. They are perfectly adequate, there's just not a lot that hasn't been done before or feels that fresh going on. By the time they had finished the crowd that had built for Will and swelled for Glad Rags had thinned out, and the reception was warm, but not exactly toasty.

Fortunately they built back up for the next act, Gloria Cycles. Hailing from Brighton (although you'd be forgiven for thinking it by the lead singers accent), their set up is quite straightforward, their style is effortless (although the lead seemed to regret the tweed jacket two tracks in), and their songs are solid, and at times, micro-anthemic. Musically they are sweet and sensitive one minute, then racy and energetic the next, but it's all delivered with spot on tuneship and a good heart. A particular treat was the few times we got to hear the female bassist sing. Possessing a powerful but soft voice, she carried us through some more mellow moments, and was a perfect foil to the male leads powerfully honest voice. I really enjoyed this bands performance. Songs that are well structured, are about real life, and grab you without too much of a shock, but make sure you're safely put down at the end of it.

Thomas Tantrum were, without a doubt, the band I was most excited about seeing. The first time I heard Shake It, I was hooked, and I was hoping for more of this quirk-pop brilliance tonight. Unfortunately, it didn't really live up to my expectations. The first couple of tracks had a different feel to what I knew, which is fair since they are a band of many levels. A bit of a noisy mess though... the vocals were muffled, and this was evidence by Ms. Tantrum herself whining about not being able to hear herself in the monitors. This performance was repeated for the next song, then Shake It was delivered, albeit without the edge, and energy felt from the mastered version. Now, another problem was creeping in as apparently the bass monitor was feeding back. This was blamed on an over-loud bass amp by the sound guy. Ney said the bassist then one and a half songs later the whole sound and lighting rig blew and a dejected Thomas Tantrum hung about the stage for a while before sloping off. Very disappointing. I appear to merely have relayed the facts here, but, to be honest, how can you review what wasn't even half a set such as that?

The end of a long, heavily rock and roll tinged evening was to be brought to a close by Ratty Rat Rat. When the rig was all powered back on stage, they stumbled back on stage, and just had fun. It's humourus guitar driven indie rock, with a lead singer who was drawing everyone in to his drunken mess. The band had blatantly been on the sauce all night, but it didn't really matter. How seriously you can take a band that employ cat meowing as part of their vocals on one track and slightly un-balanced Russian dancing on another I don't know, but that would be missing the point. If you want decent tunes, well played despite the inebriation, and to have a laugh, go know further. Closing track of the set, Mexico, was an instant classic, it's still ringing round my head now (or maybe that's an effect of the drumstick that caught me in the face), and the band all fell down in a heap of over-energised excitement, like little kids after too much pop and running round the playground. It was an apt way to end the night, if it did leave me a little jealous for being sober, and sent everyone home with a cheery grin on their faces, the mark of a good gig, and the trademark of a Patchwork Parachute!

Will McNicol, The Glad Rags, High Priests, Gloria Cycles, Thomas Tantrum and Ratty Rat Rat played for the musical tour-de-force that is Patchwork Parachute, at Kolebka, Southampton on Saturday 2nd February 2008.

The Rebs are a quality band, doing a lot of things right and not much wrong. I think they've perfected the formula of how to deliver what every local band should be doing and I hope it brings them great things. They're not overly complicated, trying to be gimmicky or too experimental. They are solidly penned, catchy tunes. So relentlessly hooky that you're singing along the first time of hearing them, and so stylishly deliver without any effort or sense of grandeur. The Rebs have it all, and it makes me excited about live music again. I've never seem them deliver a bad set and tonight is no exception. Front man Russ is a front man (a factor that seems so lacking in many bands these days), and, his cocky, charming nature carries the set effortlessly between songs, as does his voice, never coming across as anything more than a typical bloke singing about typical things.

After a painfully teasing wait for the "NME championed" The Lost Boys to come on stage, I was hoping for something to carry on the spirit I was already feeling and had already consumed. And, set all in a row with various instruments, four floppy hair lads took to the stage, and sounded like a poor imitation of something I've seen before and not been impressed with. The Lost Boys feature a vocal delivery so similar to Foals they might as well be singing Karaoke to Mathletics. It's not to say it's necessarily a bad thing, but it's not exactly as interesting, nay, watchable as Foals. Yes, I did just call Foals watchable. Quirky vocals aside there's little more of depth to carry it through. We decided to leave after a few songs into the set, but a few more (after finishing our drinks) it was all over. I think the people chanting for The Rebs to come back on were right.

Special mention of the night much go to the venue itself though. Where before I saw Lennons as a dingy dark little club, I am now truly envious that we don't have a place like this in Portsmouth. A music policy that is spot on with a great mix of new, old, and even local chucked in for good measure (Ally played Arthur, and I love him for it), a great atmosphere, and a stage that is small enough to fit even Narder Rebs' immense stature... it was heaving when we left at about 1, and I wholly expect stayed that way till chucking out time.


The Rebs and The Lost Boys played Lennons (which I'm jealous is in Southampton) on Saturday 26th January 2008.

The Cartel are a great little live band. Now operating as a three piece due to the loss of their bassist to the education system, they still belt out solid, ballsy tunes, and it was such a welcome relief to see them on stage at Punchfunk, curated by Club 12th Hour. Let me rewind a little.

Portsmouth producer Psaila is always up for trying new things, and, after the success of Club 12th Hour's birthday on the pier (I mention it a lot, but it was a bloody good gig), another pier outing was to take place, this time in conjunction with the massive Breakneck/Punchfunk nights the pier is famed for. Now, Breakneck is Drum and Bass, which isn't really my scene, and Punchfunk, well, I believe it's electro-nu rave, so I can maybe stretch to that... But, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised to have been searched on the way in (after waiting for a guy arguing that the bouncers wanted to take his gum), and I almost bailed whilst still in the queue. Little tip though, hide your drugs in your shoes - they never check there!

Well, getting in, I made my way across the expanse of the Gaiety Suite surrounded by sound, and the odd person dancing with whirling legs in dark corners. If that wasn't enough to put off my indie-kid exterior, surely the skull motifs and neon day-glo hut would have done? Fortunately I found myself into the smaller, more intimate surroundings of the Albert Tavern, all decked out in white blankets adorned with Punchfunk logos and a stage that looked fantastic! Layer upon layer of drums, decks, amps, instruments, keys and various flashing lights, all sounded by big fuck off speakers and a barrier at the top created a great club feel, even if The Cartel looked a little odd on it.

They held their own though. Slightly odd neon lighting aside, The Cartel barraged through a solid set of the tunes that stamped their name all over the summer of last year. The sound of the Cartel is rock and roll in the typical mould of a hundred lads with guitar, but they do it well and it's just catchy as anything. The keep it energetic, faced paced and insistent throughout the whole set, only dropping for the softer moments in tracks such as Babel. Wrapping it up with a new song that's classic Cartel they don't suffer at all from being one less this time round, and it makes you wonder whether they even need a new member.

Now, intimate the pier may be as it's half full with gear and the outside world is shut behind sheets, but, when a large number of security burst in and are constantly wandering round opening doors you are shuttered back into the reality that you are on a pier in the middle of the water and it's freezing. We were cold and tired, but I hadn't seen Hijera properly and wanted to give them a proper viewing.

Shame really. It's chav rock with half the sound coming out of a laptop. I'm often overly harsh about pre-prepared backing tracks, but it does sometimes work, and the sound they are making is interesting, when allowed to just ebb around your ears, the problem is it's so bloody irritating to watch. The lead "singer" is shouting down the mic as if to mask the fact he can't actually sing, I assume. As if anyone was in any doubt for the last couple of tracks he ditches his guitar and prances about in front of the stage, tugging his hood up to show some kind of bravado. It works for his peers I guess, but I prefer a little more style and actual charisma delivered with my electro-pop-rocks thank you very much.

Sadly we leave before The Exits make their entrance - I've seen the pictures and they look stunning under the lighting, a perfect booking for the night - but, as previously mentioned, the venue felt less than welcoming tonight. Fair play to Psaila for trying something different, but it didn't really do it for me... now, where did I put that gum? ;)

The Cartel, Hijera, The Exits and Japanese Popstars (who I wish I could've stayed to see) played South Parade Pier for Club 12th Hour / Punchfunk on 25th January.

After the sucess of her first guest blog, I thought I'd post Ellie's thoughts on Club 12th Hour's collaboration with Punchfunk (at least until she finds somewhere for her work!)... for balance, my own thoughts follow in the next post - let me know what you think! - Chris

 

Firsts all round for me this time, Club 12th Hour, The Cartel and Hijera. Unfortunately excess got the better of me before The Exits and I went home to collapse but here's what I thought up to that point (I'm assuming you don't care what I did when I got home).

 

The night was a collaboration between Punchfunk, Breakneck and Club 12th Hour. I had mixed feelings before I got there – Drum and Bass not really being my thing I wasn't sure what I'd make of it – but I do so like seeing live bands. Oh and that Psaila's a nice bloke too so I was intrigued to see what he was up to.

 

After running around South Parade Pier trying to find a way in and being searched for gum and other such offensive items we stumbled into a big room echoing with beats and other dance type noise I'm not entirely accustomed to. A few bodies lurking in the corners but at 9:15 the whole thing hadn't really kicked off yet. We wondered our way to a smaller room at the back (and apparently entirely exposed to the elements) that was the home to Club 12th Hour for the night.

 

Again not overly full yet but a nice amount of people aiming their ears at The Cartel and wiggling around to the beats. Was a very 'cool' atmosphere, everyone looking like they belonged to the scene (what ever that is), dark room and blinding lights not letting you ignore the stage. A platform flanked by huge stacks of speakers and a pretty JD poster at the back… oh no, that would be a Club 12th Hour banner, now we are too cool for school J. Liked the fact the DJ and band lived in the same place, nice to make that connection between the two. DJing may not be such a visual sport as jumping about in a hoody with a guitar (I'll get to that) but they are none the less showcasing the music and is nice to have them up there two.

 

Now, the temperature is not something I would normally deem worthy of mention in a review but it was the first time the warmth of the lights has been the main reason I'd like to jump the stage and join the band! The band in question being The Cartel. I've heard the name a lot but somehow managed not to know anything about these guys. What attitude! I would never want to compare anyone to Oasis but they certainly have guts. Actually, it was a kind of Manchester vibe I was getting, think Stone Roses but with a southern accent, and no Bez. They managed to bring me out of my cold sleepy state and get me dancing anyway. A great example of the indie electro crossover that is currently so prevalent.

 

Next up Hijera. Now where to start. The loud hooded noise coming from the stage made me reconsider my earlier thoughts of jumping it, cold it is. The place had filled out a lot by this point. And I was suddenly starting to not to resent the ample amount of bouncers dotted about as I watched a load of people throw themselves about to the sounds being mate by some hoody wearing boys shouting un-distinguishable noise down a mic while waving some guitars about. Hmm, I guess this just isn't my thing. They all played in time and tune and all that I just found it boring. High energy and a 'fuck you' attitude only work if supported by substance and I couldn't find any! Some kind of variation in level may have uncovered a deep and meaningful centre – I don't know – but there was no such let up. On the plus side I met the percussionist's girlfriend in Southampton and she seems nice.

 

That was it for me I'm afraid. Many nights out and being cruelly kicked out of the house early in the morning finally caught up and I made my way home. Was sad to have missed The Exits though. Saw them at the Guestlist gig and they had loads of  technical problems so will have to look out for them to see how they sound when it all goes right! Overall a good evening. Seeing a venue, promoters night and bands I've not seen before is always great and this was no exception. I'll be back and I'll be ready to stick it out till the early hours next time.

Havant Arts Centre is an odd gig venue... from having the bar in a totally different room to the stage (so you have to guess when the bands start), through to over-enthusiastic lighting (they appear to have a strobe light tonight), and other quirks in between, you'd be forgiven for thinking gigs there wouldn't work. But, with a constantly solid line up of bands, an all female fronted line-up tonight, and a rock bottom ticket price, this venue is doing something right for it's monthly unsigned gig nights.


First act, God Send, are a lovely band of lovely people, and although their attempt at throwing a birthday bash through the magic of their gig went a little by the wayside (the stage was adorned with streamers which was fun, Fizz burst from a present to start the set with an attempt at playing Happy Birthday, but it didn't really work), it was all done with a good heart. Failed Happy Birthdays and staled songs later, and after the saccharine sweetness of the first couple of tracks have subsided, I'm standing watching Fizz bounce about like a whirling dervish, Joe act like a rock God in the making, and Matt and Toby doing their thing with typical aplomb. The things I like about God Send are they are constantly trying new things. Each set is different, and with each new song they pen you can tell they are experimenting and still trying to find their musical way. When done well, the chirpy, sickly sweet pop is a good piece of fun, although I feel the bands strengths lie in solid rock chords with Fizz's potentially earth shattering voice on top. And that's God Send really... when they are on form, they are a musical equivalent of gorging on penny mix-ups, then discovering the dark chocolate at the bottom of the bag, but, alas, tonight it all feels a bit loose. They have the ability to pen some great tracks, but delivered them in a slightly disjointed manner tonight, that suggests some nurturing is required. Chatting to Toby (the bass player) afterwards he blamed it on lack of time to rehearse and lack of money for a decent rehearsal space. Something that dogs many young bands I'm sure - roll on the summer when I'm sure we'll see more of the potential God Send have inside them.

Arthur bizarrely manage to sound more like themselves than ever before. Where once they were again a lovely band writing emotional pop rock... it's now all ramped up and jam packed with post-teenager angst. From the first track they grab you with urgent guitars, fast paced and frankly, at times, just a little bit naughty, lyrics all delivered with a naturality and honesty that manages to feel much more believable than so much of the NME dross they're undoubtedly inspired by. Aside from some at times distracting lighting effects, as previously mentioned, their set is free from some of the technical difficulties experienced when I last saw them less than a week ago at the, usual faultless, Boileroom. Fair play to Havant Arts Centre, they know what they're doing sound wise when putting on a gig, and the stage looks fantastic. It's a joy to be able to properly hear the lyrics, especially the lead singer, who's voice comes across crisp and strong with a edgy realism. The crowd were loving it, and the performance really shows how much they've grown as a band since their last outing here, at least a year ago. I hope it won't be so long before we get to see them again.

Head-liners Hold Fast burst, well, probably more likely ebbed, onto the stage (I missed the start due to being at the bar with no concept of what was occurring), but barely moments in to their first song and they've already captivated the crowd with their unique brand of dark and brooding electro rock. Fronted by Golden Plectrum award winning Roberta Collins (officially the sexiest woman in Portsmouth music, 2007), the band deliver a non-ending wall, or in the case of this venue a cube, of sound, barely pausing for breath between songs. Unfortunately, as oft is the case, it's difficult to hear the vocals, but Roberta's voice is refreshingly different (if brooding can be refreshing) from the chirp-pop/rock of God Send, whilst still feeling the urgency of Arthur's performance. Well produced it could sound amazing, I just don't know how they can get more clarity when live. Maybe that's not the point. By the end of the set you are left full of the sense that Hold Fast have done no less than taken you to deep dark places - and you've loved it!


God Send, Arthur and Hold Fast played Havant Arts Centre (which scrubs up well) on Thursday 24th January 2008.

Review of the Acoustix night at The Cellars – 23/01/08

Given the notable absence of Chris from the little pub which appears to be making quite a big noise I thought I would write a review of Wednesday's acoustic night at the Cellars. So here it is, read on if you please.

I turned up after finally finding a parking space to catch my first glimpse, sadly short lived, of First Night Nerves. Only having caught a song and a half I can't say a lot about them but the singer's voice carried beautifully around the little venue and the last song had some catchy appeal. 

By the time I'd found somewhere to perch Will McNicol was being introduced. What a job! Quite how you can prepare an audience for what they are about to witness I don't know. I have seen Will a few times and this was a treat I had been looking forward to. He didn't disappoint as a silent room watched this 17 year olds hands create pictures with his guitar in a way I personally have never seen before. The classically trained guitarist created moods and soundscapes by using and abusing his acoustic guitar in weird and wonderful ways.

He kept the crowd amused with a bit of chat between songs and came across as the kind of musician you could introduce to your whole family! I'm sure daughters, mothers and grandmothers would swoon alike. I particularly liked the bit of info on Slapdash. I like the idea that he saw what another guitarist (Can't remember his name, sorry Will – I was paying attention, honest!) was doing, 'gave it a go' and created something so delightful. Right. That's quite a lot of words on the blond prodigy but I'm sure anyone who's seen him will agree he'll live up to anything I could write about him and he's worth every letter.

Next up was Hayley Harland. This I was also intrigued to see. The only knowledge I had of Hayley was coming across her and swooning over Weston Doll in a corridor of Express towers before her rendition of Winter Wonderland on The Guestlist, and a quick look over myspace, so I wanted to hear where her original stuff would take us.

Musically we are looking very much in the Lilly Allen, Kate Nash direction. Not particularly two artists I have much love for however lyrically Hayley is far less objectionable so I listened on intently. She started the set with a song made of nursery rhyme lyrics and carries on with a personal and innocent sound until a song about suicide came along and gave us a peek into her deeper side; oddly followed by a Leona Lewis song. Then back to the bubbly (as in bubblegum) fun with Love Wars… Choo Choo, choo-choo-choo…

Now we have the dreamy love child of power ballads and folk in the shape of Georgia Wonder. Another band I'm new to. A slightly gappy set could have been filled with some slightly less tentative banter to cover re-tuning and changing of instruments. Other than that Georgia Wonder provided a mid-week break from the bustle of Pompey life with pretty songs and another lovely voice. We then had a repeat of the theme from Hayley's set where we suddenly found ourselves drawn into some heavier material with a song about the thoughts of a suicide bomber. Choo Choo, choo-choo-choo…

That just leaves us with the anagram wrapped in an enigma that is Moma Jest. They're not really that much of an enigma but I felt I should get the Mighty Boosh type similarities out there straight away! I'm not actually sure which one is Moma and which is Jest (Tom or James), I know, bad research but I'll find out eventually, but the first thing I noticed the first time I saw them was that a man baring a remarkable resemblance to Noel Fielding had just walked on stage. Then I swear we saw the premier performance of a brand new Boosh sketch being acted out between songs!

Anyway, Boosh banter aside Moma Jest are just likeable. I like them! I'm sure I am not alone. How can anyone not be enthralled by the interplay between the two boys? Their music is also a treat for one and all. With songs that make you want to tap your feat and wiggle your bum to like Breathe Easy, and pretty little songs like Dancing Like Liza which draw you further into the happy Moma Jest wonderland. They have the complete package if you ask me. Catchy songs, they look great on stage, chat and make the audience feel a part of what's going on and leave you with their melodies skipping round you head.

 
Well that's my opinion then. Thanks to Chris for letting me spill my thoughts into his blog. Would like very much to hear what you think. Agree or disagree. So leave a comment and I'm sure Mr Stoneham will be kind enough to pass them on to me.

First Night Nerves, Will McNicol, Hayley Harland, Georgia Wonder, and Moma Jest played The Cellars at Eastney, the little pub that's making a bit noise, on Wednesday 23rd January 2008.