Magic Teapot presents Five Of The Best
The Firebug
17th April 2015
by Keith Jobey
‘This is going to be cracking’ a certain promoter from Wearside promises us. Five bands for a fiver at the Firebug on a Friday. Flipping fantastic!
The format for the evening is that five bands are playing. The running order to be decided on the night, and it is £5 on the door to get in. So at 6pm straws are drawn and Violet Cities land the opening slot. With his previous band James Lewis won OBS in 2010, while with his current band Violet Cities he won Play LMF last year. A decent pedigree already. They play a laid back indie pop style, with tunes that sound like they could have been written by the likes of Brian Adams. There’s a definite hint of American influence in their music. A quality band on so early in the evening, it’s a great start.
It’s a dramatic change of musical styles as next band Theia from Burton upon Trent begin their set. This threesome introduce some hard rock to the evening, AC/DC, Guns n Roses and the like. Catchy song Whoop-Dee-F***ing-Doo allows them to get a bit of crowd participation going. They go down well and certainly have some confidence on stage.
In what was becoming a theme for the gig Goldwater take to the stage and add another style to the evening. Describing themselves as filthy gypsy blues, which seems fitting, they aren’t a band to be outshone by others they share the stage with. No surprise then when they deliver another fine performance that has the crowd dancing and cheering.
Photo Keith Jobey
So what next? How about some grungy punk. It’s time for Flying Kangaroo Alliance to take the stage. It’s a sad day though for the band as Keeley leaves the Alliance. It’s a plus for the audience however as it means the band are fired up and determined to make it a classic leaving gig for her. Rattling through eleven songs in a forty minute slot, only stopping for breath to call Rhett Barrow up on stage to do an ‘aaalllright’. What plans for the future then? Replacement bassists are being auditioned and a UK tour under consideration. You can’t keep a flying kangaroo down!
Photo Keith Jobey
The Brandy Thieves have the task of not only closing the show but also having to follow all the other bands. It’s a task they take easily in their stride though and with their brand of gypsy punk (different enough sounding from Goldwater’s gypsy blues) they soon have the crowd dancing. Their recent break from gigging shown no detrimental effect. It’s a full on party atmosphere by the time I have to run for the last bus. A one that continues into the early hours of the morning.
So we got our cracking night of music. And an unusual one too in that we got to see such a mix of styles sharing the stage rather than a genre based night. The crowd seemed more than happy to watch all the bands with a good attendance throughout the evening.
See also:
Neon Waltz at The Soundhouse with The Jangles and Bloodsugar
Finals of the Original Bands showcase at The Musician
Sumo on 11th April with Boundary, Flight15, Great Imitation and Sepia Sun
