An embarrassment of riches this weekend, which includes The Badgers, an Elvis tribute; Whiskyhead, Sham69, Conky, Casino & Big Blue House.
Check-out http://crewegigs.blogspot.com/ for full details who’s on where & when.
Archive for the 'Crewe Live' Category
22
Nov
10
Are you free on Saturday?
Covers band FOULPLAY have unveiled their new drummer, Andy Bibby. I hear that Andy has an impressive musical CV, having played all over the country with Oblivion for 14 years, as well as with many other bands and musicians. He now works as a session drummer and drum teacher as well as playing with The Brunswick’s resident Booze Band.
Andy makes his debut with Foulplay at The Express, Mill Street, Crewe on Saturday 27th November, followed by The Crown, Earle Street, Crewe on Saturday 4th December. Both shows start at 9pm and are free admission.
Tour Manager Mat Hall said, “Although we were gutted to see Shoey leave the band, we are all delighted to welcome Andy to the team. He’s an excellent musician and rehearsals have gone extremely well. We can’t wait for the first shows!”
For more details about this good-time band, see www.foulplay.info
On the final day of Crewe Live, Welsh rockers 4Sticks gave the stragglers at The Box a performance that could have convinced the unwary into believing they’d been transported to LA some time in the late 60s or early 70s; kicking out original material interspersed with covers of some rock classics, these guys had the sound, the look, and the presence of a band who know exactly what they’re doing, and songs like “Alabama Highchair” wouldn’t sound out of place if someone snuck it into the soundtrack of Easy Rider. It’s no surprise that they’ve earned themselves a regular slot at The Dudley in Rhyl, and if balls-out blues rock is your thing it may be worth making the trip out there — you won’t be disappointed!
…so here’s a 400,000-word epic about the past few days. Back tomorrow with more news on what’s up over the next few weeks, but for now I’m going to crawl into bed and attempt to recover from the weekend.
(Click for full size.)
Channeling the likes of Gary Numan and Depeche Mode via a filter of Juno Reactor and Hallucinogen, Monochrome’s hi-tech twist on retro electronica produced a spirited performance from the confines of Bar 22′s miniature stage in the dying hours of the festival. The Crewe three-piece supplemented their original material with a couple of covers, and the small but enthusiastic crowd were unwilling to let them go without a couple of encores. Monochrome, along with industrial/electro acts Novus:UK and Blind Before Dawn, are playing The Limelight on June 14th.
As events wind down and everyone either heads to the wrap party or home to recover, I’d like to extend a big thanks to all those involved — the bands, the organisers, the behind-the-scenes folk, the venues, the sponsors, and perhaps most importantly all the people that turned up to show support — who all pulled together to ensure this year’s festival was a resounding success.
Roll on next year!
Ok, I’ll get it out of the way right from the off. They are a band. The members are all female. But, Mr Smarmy-Pants NME, this does not make them a “girl group”. When your illustrious predecessors described Joy Division did they refer to them as a “boy group”? No. Sure, the fact that they’re female in a traditionally male-dominated genre does give their music a different sensibility, but it is not their sine qua non.
Now that’s out of my system I’ll begin…
Playing to a packed and already-sweaty crowd at The Box, Ipso Facto once again showed that looks can be deceiving; under the Mary Quant meets Wednesday Adams stylings lies a raw garage-cum-goth sound tinged with a hint of psychedelia, perhaps an inheritance from bass player Samantha’s father, the Animals’ legendary guitarist Hilton Valentine.
The bombastic drums of Victoria Smith provided a relentless backdrop for the organ-pummeling bass, both then kept in check and prevented from running riot by the swooping vocals of Rosalie Cunningham. At times upbeat, at others just plain old down n’ dirty, but never conventional, they provided a set that put a fantastic end to what had already been a day to remember.
All in all, despite the loss of keyboard player Cherish Kaya earlier this year, Ipso Facto have, ipso facto, lost little of their magic, and prove that you don’t have to be a man to have balls.
24
May
09
CL09 Top 5
Unfortunately while I was watching Katatoy at The Box someone was busy breaking into my flat, so I’m probably going to have to skip tonight’s proceedings; the Police have only just left, and I’m waiting for the guy to come and patch up the window. All I can say is I’m glad I had my laptop and camera with me, and that the burglar at least left me my collection of old consoles (obviously not a connoisseur), but on the whole I’m in a bit of a bad mood.
On the up-side it gives me a little time to finally put up some pictures, so I present to you my top five of the show so far:
At number 5, Jasmine:
Not listed on the lineup (so I may well have got her name wrong, sorry) she was a pleasant surprise on Thursday night; despite her diminutive size her alt.folk packed a punch, and as she works at The Box behind the bar I suspect she’ll be making the odd impromptu appearance in the future.
Coming in at number 4, Mutha Humbucker
I’m not normally a fan of covers bands as they have a tendency to lack perosnality, so Mutha Humbucker made a nice change. Their energetic performance and wide range of material proved to be a real crowd-pleaser; it’s just a shame about the name!
Number 3 is James and the Giant
Catchy original pop, JatG may well have been number one on my list if it weren’t for the fact that The Waldron isn’t really an ideal venue. Radio friendly without being bland, they’re definitely one to watch.
Just squeezing in at number 2, Ipso Facto
These girls have, in a manner of speaking, balls. Despite only being a three-piece, they have a massive sound, huge presence, and an attitude that many of their male counterparts would give their right arms for. Soaring vocals, crunching riffs, and a breath of fresh air in the testosterone-dominated world of rock.
And taking the top spot, Katatoy
It’s a shame Katatoy’s set at The Box was during the day as there wasn’t much of a crowd in attendance and they’re too big for The Imp to allow them full rein, but if you missed them you should kick yourself. High-energy and genre defying, with an unusual but powerful combination of funky basslines, huge riffs, kick-ass beats, Hammond organ, and a Theramin (seriously, when was the last time you saw one of them being used?) these guys have a sound that’s unique but immediately accessible; an absolute must-see!
24
May
09
CL09 Day 3
Another quick summary before heading out again!
In what’s becoming something of a theme this weekend Autumn Fall performed an unexpectedly acoustic set; unfortunately this was only their second gig so the extra pressure got to the singer and the performance imploded half way through. I felt sorry for her, and they’d done a good job under the circumstances, so hopefully they’ll be back.
Friday’s Last Kiss were yet another creditable indie band, but with the lack of a real stage at Bar 22 it’s hard to judge whether, under better circumstances, they might have given a more inspired performance. Tell the King continued the trend of missing members, and as there’s only so much “unplugged” indie I can take in a short space of time it would be unfair for me to judge.
I’d been looking forward to James and the Giant, and they didn’t disappoint; I’d tip them as a good bet for success in the very near future, with some well-crafted and catchy tunes (I’m still humming “Ordinary” to myself) that are set to make the foundation of something rather special. (Plus they’re nice guys, which is always a bonus.)
The Lockdown once again hit the limitations of the space in Bar 22; a great combination of fuzzy guitars and electro-synth, but with the keyboard player having to practically stand in the toilets their performance was obviously going to be less than ideal.
The closing acts at The Box once again provided a rousing end to the day; the place was packed, and the Sumo Kings and Bleached Wail warmed the crowd up with a couple of high-energy performances before making way for what, for me, has been the highlight so far: Ipso Facto — noisy, dirty, and powerful, but with a range that belies their minimal 3-piece setup, they delivered an electric performance that took me back to the heady days of seeing Babes in Toyland or L7 play in some dingy basement dive that somehow felt like a stadium.
As ever, more to come later. Unto the fray!
23
May
09
CL09 Day 2
As there’s very little time between now and when Crewe Live kicks off again tomorrow, and as I’m old and decrepit and need my sleep, I can only produce a summary of this evening; I’ll go into much more detail when it’s all over and I’ve recovered from the strain!
I started off at The Waldron to see The Wash, but unfortunately they failed to show up leaving (as far as I could gather) their lead vocalist to improvise an acoustic set. Under the circumstances he acquitted himself well, but the short notice, late start, and minor technical glitches all conspired against him.
Next, Square One for Highwired and To The Bones. Highwired were an unpreposessing looking bunch, but their semi-acoustic set was a joy to behold; catchy tunes, impressive vocal harmonisation, and surprising presence made it easy to forget that you were just watching a couple of guys in flannel shirts sitting on stools.
To The Bones couldn’t have been more different; NME has described them as a ‘histrionic slab of exhilarating white-hot squall’, which does a pretty good job of describing the aural onslaught. They were a little cramped by the small stage in Square One, but still managed to demonstrate great stage presence.
From there proceedings moved to The Box (as full as I’ve ever seen it) for Friend Called Fred, Sgt. Wolfbanger, and Sad Day For Puppets. Fred had a good line in indie rock and got the crowd up and jumping, and Sgt. Wolfbanger followed in a similar vein albeit with a more polished and crafted performance. Puppets rounded the night off in that understated but powerful way that the Swedish do so well, with the blistering guitars perfectly balanced with the dulcet tones of the beautiful Anna Eklund.
More details, pictures, and other excitement from the festival coming soon. Right now, man need sleep…
