The Underground Stage
“Royal Chant kick off and by the second song – a double-speed rendition of “I Can’t Make It On My Own” – all memories of acoustic peace are blasted out the back windows. James from Wasters eventually gets to play with electricity tonight, joining Royal Chant for a version of “High Low”, as roaring and […]
“Wasters’ drummer, apparently, has a never-ending nosebleed, so instead of the full band we get singer James and an acoustic guitar. It’s a bummer to miss their modern-grunge pop, but an unexpected pleasure to see the distorted machine stripped back. James’ voice is exposed in this setup but stands tall nonetheless, seeming a bit more powerful […]
“There are a few ways for bands to float my boat. The first and most common is to be loud, fast, angry, bonkers, or all four – that never gets old for me. The second, regardless of genre, is simply to be thoroughly enjoying yourself, which is a bit rarer, for some reason. Why We […]
“Clews are built around two sisters, Lily and Grace, whose surnames I’m really hoping aren’t the obvious Clews (or, to be more numerically correct, Clew). In fact, I’m spending much of the time before they come on reconciling myself to the fact that they are probably and regrettably not named after the ball of thread […]
“Gabriella Cohen and her band open up by asking for, and getting, a moment of silence. As it stretches into uncomfortably long silence territory, Cohen breaks it with a grin and they peel off into the show. It’s a neat trick, and pulls focus from the audience without raising a single voice. Not that this […]
“Georgia Fields arrives after two bands who have incrementally raised the volume and – in an unexpected twist for my normal nights out – turns it waaay the hell back down. It’s just her, on a swivel chair that apparently reminds her of Michael J Fox for reasons she gamely tries to explain, and the […]
“Solid Effort aren’t the easiest band to enjoy, even given that amazing name. It’s not they’re not enjoyable – they surely are -but it’s like watching a fight between a melody and a street brawl. Just when you get comfortable with the wonky pop, they go incoherently hardcore. Just when you settle in to be […]
“The absolute best thing about hanging out in dark little venues all the time is when you catch a band’s first ever gig. Tonight it’s Body Type’s turn to join the scene, who kick off their live debut with the immortal line “thanks for coming out to see us… suckers!” Chutzpah before a note is […]
“Rackett really couldn’t be doing any more right. They’ve played and played and played, they’ve quite clearly landed on a musical spot they’re all delighted to be on, and they’re tight, focussed, and in the damn zone. They’re also madder than a box of frogs. Tonight is the single launch, supposedly, but really this is […]