with Furies and Amongst Liars
It was just one of those nights … a night that would go down in history. The stuff of legends. The COVID lockdown behind us, rock fans from all over the country converged in Leicester and were in a celebratory mood.
On Saturday 5th February we piled into the Soundhouse. Some were there for the second time that weekend. Happy people greeted each other, meeting, in some cases, for the first time in many years. In other cases, it was “Oh Hello! I haven’t seen you since last Saturday.”
So, what’s the big attraction? Skam, one of the longest-serving bands in Leicestershire was on the headline slot.
Opening up was Furies, who had not played since 2014. I was there that night when they gave their farewell gig. I said they would be back one day and I was right. In front of me on the stage was Alex Beattie belting out a fine song with his incredible voice. What I heard brought it all back to me. High-octane, rocket-fuelled rock songs that were stunning.
I was there at their first ever gig when I said they were accomplished. Now, they have entered the halls of the legendary. ‘Insanely addictive’, I wrote in 2012. ‘ Neal Hill produced a hailstorm of drum beats …’ adding, with a flourish, ‘Tightly executed musicianship that bristled with electricity and flooded the room with a solar storm of music.’ Tonight, I can think of nothing better. Songs like Falling Down, Easy, Rip It Up, Shut Me Out and Into The Night were a few of their numbers tonight.
Sandwiched between Furies and Skam was a performance by Amongst Liars, not a band I have seen before.. The music fitted in well with the other bands on stage tonight. I can see from the band’s page on Facebook, ‘We are really excited to announce that our debut self-titled album will be released on 8th July 2022!’ They went down well with the audience with their offering of alt-rock. It seems they from somewhere in the South East – Brighton, according to one source.
Up next were headliners, Skam. A quick entry of the word ‘Skam’ in this magazine’s search-box will reveal how much we have covered this band and how much we love them. I could bore you with lectures about the history of music in Leicester (one that has numerous mentions of this band) but I won’t. Not now. All I need to say to you is how much we all love this band – still – and hope to continue to do so for many years to come. They stand on the highest pinnacle of our local rock range.
Skam are how we define legendary, here in Leicester. They are the stuff that dreams are made of. Tonight (indeed this weekend) Skam showed us what rock is all about. Steve Hill, Matthew Gilmore and Neal Hill.
The art of the trio. Steve Hill, Skam’s lead singer, is one of the very best vocalists and guitar players I have ever seen. His previous performances have taught me what rock music stardom is all about. Bassists do not often come into the spotlight; one of the exceptions to this is Matthew Gilmore. He is both a gifted bass player and a fine singer. Above all he has delighted fans with his humour and stage craft in a way not seen with many other instrumentalists.
Technical brilliance and emotional impact are what they deliver.
See their performance with special guest, Liam, from Hell’s Addiction from the gig here.
The weekend was promoted by Strangling Vinyl Promotions.
Reviewed by Trevor Locke
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