with The Glass Hearts (acoustic), Ryan Dunn and Richard McNevin-Duff
Reviewed by Adam Piotrowski
Theoretically, you should be able to stumble here quite quickly from the mighty Belgrave Gate. I, however, somehow got turned around in the dark semi-industrial area amongst the late-night barbers and dirt car lots, but eventually and excitedly, I found a black sign with white lettering boldly marking the entrance to Leicester’s newest venue, ‘The International‘, forming part of the International Arts Centre.
Tonight, something of a Leicester music legend takes the stage, Blitz Vega, with 3 of their 6 members hailing from our fair city. The band’s somewhat tenuous link to the 1980’s North West indie/alternative scene has diminished slightly as, sadly, BV founding member and former Smith’s bassist, Andy Rourke passed away in May 2023 of pancreatic cancer.
The new album Northern Gentleman, released on 27 September from FutureSonic Records is the product of a promise to a friend – Kav Sandhu, singer and guitarist – to his collaborator in the band, the late great Rourke, whose stark portrait is featured on the cover. Sandu, Happy Mondays guitarist in the mid noughties, also promised Rourke that he would tour the album and Leicester was chosen to launch the album a full week before it’s release.
The evening’s performance was blanketed in this spirit, an oddly satisfying mixture of triumph and despair. The chaps came out with real swagger, sauntering for a few moments as the house music played out, building anticipation in front of a good-sized audience.
Then, layered guitars provided a fuzzy haze over the thumping rhythm of the 5 string bass and driving drum beats. It feels apt to describe this sound overall as alt-rock, but there were elements of garage, hip-hop, funk and electronic music creatively woven into the mix.
The supercharged Lost & Found was powerful and moving, distorted guitars leading the way, with the cowboy hat sporting guitarist launching into a standout solo. The sound was polished throughout and the band tight, the company of 6 musicians providing a full sound, with the flexibility to utilize acoustic guitars, strong additional vocals, synthy electronic effects and even the odd jangle of the tambourine when the mood took them.
There were times when glimpses of the shallow veneer of LA Rock and Roll lifestyle – Sandhu splits his time between LA and the UK – like when the singer described driving down the 101 Highway in California from Malibu with his bandmate Andy. But then the anguish felt real as they launched into the powerful Hole in my Heart, the lazy, druggy Lou Reed style vocal stylings, the lyrics ‘there’s a hole in my heart for you / and there’s nothing I can do / until I see you again.’
The heavy edge of the music was somewhat surprising considering Rourke’s age and deteriorating health, as well as the mostly mild tones of both The Smiths and The Happy Mondays, but it is important to note that some of these songs go back to 2019. It’s probably also indicative of the fact that although this band hangs its hat on the glory days of years gone by, these parts of their histories form just a small chunk of time in their long musical life and career.
The band blitzed through a rousing and defiant Stay Strong Forever, the recording of which featured Smith’s guitarist Johnny Marr. But the peak moment was their exquisite performance of their single, Lost Myself, which was released in July. The verse had an anxious, understated quality to it, and it all came together in the powerful chorus, an undeniable hook, the strength of the double vocals, wrapped up in feelings of longing and melancholy. If this song wasn’t actually written about losing Kav’s friend Andy, you could be forgiven for making that assumption – it details the forlorn feelings of hurt and despair when losing someone close to you.
Blitz Vega walked that fine line between confidence and cockiness, and ultimately in my book, stayed on the right side this evening. I could stomach the odd cliched lyric because overall I was taken by the chuggy garage-psych grooves but even more so by the expression of feeling, of sadness and of love for his friend and former bandmate. The group, as any great group of musicians does, played together as one solid unit, prioritizing the overall vibe and sound over who is playing the coolest solo, providing more than just a backdrop for the frontman to convey complex emotional territory.
Richard McNevin-Duff, the frontman of the Space Monkeys, signed to important independent Factory Records, was up next. The acoustic performance featured songs from the source band and felt folky in a surprising way considering the upbeat, indie-dance sound of the Space Monkeys. This style allowed standout track, Sugarcane more room to breathe, the funny/sad lyrics taking centre stage in a way that wasn’t possible in the original, which sounds more like a Bare-naked Ladies song than a lament on overcoming substance abuse.
The venue, although just a little bit off the beaten track, is a welcome addition to the Leicester Music Scene. The room is quite wide and spacious, a larger space I think than the formidable Duffy’s, The Musician, or either of the Firebug stages, with a decent-sized, slightly raised stage set between chunky speakers. There is a wooden dance floor, a small outdoor terrace area and a decent bar with modern pale ales and mid-range lagers for decent city centre prices (a pint of Camden Pale Ale set me back £5.40). There was a good turnout tonight, with people chatting, laughing, drinking and generally having a pleasant Friday evening in a welcoming atmosphere.
The venue is hosting a variety of musical acts in the coming months including Jesca Hoop, Beans on Toast and a charity gig, A Night for Neil 2, raising money for an important member of the local music scene. There are also a variety of tribute acts if you are so inclined. Check out the listings here.
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