The Killers

Last Sunday I had the fab opportunity of going along to the Manchester Arena with a few other people from college, to see how a gig is actually set up!

It was so interesting, seeing the lighting being put up and the sound levels being checked; we were also given a talk on what goes in first and all the different roles that the various people have on a tour. I can honestly say that it was an eye-opener, and there are a LOT more people involved than you may think!

On top of having this amazing opportunity, we also got to go and see The Killers at night for free! They were supported by 'The Howling Bells' who played a really short set but they were so good. Needless to say, The Killers played brilliantly; they had so much energy and sounded just as good live as they do on recordings. 

I hope more opportunities like this come along as it was so much fun. (Unfortunately, I couldn't take any photos of the talk or the stage being set up but I managed to get a few good ones from the gig!)

The Killers

The Howling Bells

The Killers

Waiting to go in!

                                                                                                    

Burslem College Gig

Despite being rescheduled from Wednesday evening, to Thursday morning, the February College Gig was packed with lots of energy and great music. 

Rosie Radford

With a theme of blues and 60's Music, there was quite a range of different genres and styles throughout all of the bands that played, with songs from Etta James, The Who and The Ronnettes to name a few. 

'Band of Gypsies' (made up of Rosemary Radford, Daz Bowman Jacob Bloor and Robert Vyse) played four original songs that they have written together as a band. All of their songs were well-rehearsed and played with lots of emotion. 

Mike Tippo

Daz Bowman

Burslem College Gig

The Whiskey Dolls

CHASING TRAITS + PSYENCE + MOLOTOV REVIVAL + LEAVING NEBRASKA

The sudden start to Leaving Nebraska’s set seemed to take the crowd by surprise as they launched into their first song of the night. The band have quite a unique sound and they seem to have a lot of influences and genres flowing through their music; at times they managed to create quite an orchestral sound.

The bass guitar was slightly overpowering at times but that was through no fault of the band. It was clear that the band had worked hard on their own material and the instrumentals were well rehearsed and polished. I thought they could have spoken to the crowd more throughout the set but having said that, the transitions from song to song were very smooth.

Molotov Revival had a powerful opening to their set and they seem to have established their sound as a band. With a very rock ‘n’ roll and bluesy feel to their music, they definitely captured the crowd. The whole of the band had great stage presence especially the singer, Phil Wagg. They had a lot of energy and a lot of bass to their songs. There could have been more variation in terms of the tempo of the songs but other than that, their music is really fresh and well put together.

Echoing vocals can be difficult to pull off in a positive way, but for Psyence, this worked perfectly! Their energy on stage is amazing and the synth added more depth to the sound. As a band they communicate well and put on a really good live show. The heaviness of their music and instrumentals is balanced out by Steve Pye’s smooth vocals; they sounded well-rehearsed and the music had lots of different levels to it.

From the chanting and stomping in the crowd, it was clear how excited everyone was to see the headlining band. The band’s energy seemed to spread throughout the venue and captured the crowd. Brad Malbon’s opening vocals were very impressive and it was obvious that the band were really enjoying themselves throughout the set.

Despite the set being very short, the crowd seemed to really enjoy it and so did the band. Their last song ‘Enigma’ from their EP of the same name went down a storm. Luke Scrivens’ vocals were soft and clean and the band created a multi-dimensional sound, despite being only a 4 piece band. They had a really good live sound and also put on a really great show, so much so that the crowd were left chanting for more at the end of the night.

DELAMERE + YOUTHA + THE REBELLION

DELAMERE + YOUTHA + THE REBELLION @ THE SUGARMILL 01/02/13

I have to start off by saying; this was definitely the best gig that I have been to in a very long time!

Despite being together as a band for only one and a half years, from the moment that The Rebellion started playing, it was clear that the band intend on sticking around for a lot longer than that. With a set full of dirty bass solos and buckets of energy, The Rebellion certainly set the show off with a bang.

Only three songs into the set, the bassist of the band, Andy Robinson, went topless for the rest of the set and that combined with his amazing bass playing (which has to be the best I have seen in a long time) definitely made the start of a gig to remember. The band have a rock ‘n’ roll feel running through their songs as well as their covers but they also bring a modern twist which also makes all of their songs sound a little different and quirky.

The vocalist, Danny Bowers has an amazing energy on the stage as well as a 1950’s twang to his voice. Regardless of the fact that the drummer is almost ten years younger than the eldest member of the band, Charlie proved tonight that he could certainly keep up with the rest of them as he kept the band together with definitive drum beats throughout. The last song ‘Settle Down’ really showcased the ability of their guitarist, Pezz as his talent really shone through.  This band will definitely be one to watch this year as with such a unique sound to their music, I’m sure they will be popping up everywhere.

Youtha were next on the bill, and although I have never seen them live before tonight, they did not disappoint. Every song was clearly very well rehearsed and they had a very full and strong sound which easily filled the room. All of the band (particularly the drummer, Matthew Jones) were very into the gig and were clearly enjoying the atmosphere and being onstage.

The band played really well live; the set was tight and also the song, ‘Black and Blue’ sounded amazing as they added a lot of echo to the microphones which gave it a totally different sound to that on  a recording.

Delamere headlined the night, in celebration of the release of their single ‘Vampire’ which was played flawlessly towards the end of the set. The build up to the start of the set was very mysterious and certainly set the tone for their time on stage. Every member of the band was contributing to the overall sound and there were so many layers going into the music. There was also a subtle tribal sound to a couple of the band’s songs which only made it more interesting to listen to.

With every song the sound of the band changed again and again, adding even more mystery to who influences the band (I later found out that it was in fact The Foals and Biffy Clyro!) but the thing that seemed to piece all of the sounds together was James’ soft yet powerful vocals. Between all of the band members, it was obvious that the communication was good and that there was also meaning behind the music, that they had put a lot of thought into both writing and rehearsing each song.

The harmonies in the backing vocals that came from the guitarist, Ashley, really added a sort of different texture to the sound; the contrast between the vocals and instrumentals were great as there was a balance of both heavy and soft. Throughout the set they really engaged the audience and maintained an original sound.

The Rebellion

(Image courtesy of PBJ Images - paulbentleyjones@pbj-images.co.uk twitter: @pbjimages)