Our round-up of live music
in March 2015
For previous months see our article That Was…
Page last updated: 4th April 2015
Saturday 28th March
We were at Pi Bar, in Narborough Road, for the Rock-E-Oke night, organised by Dreaming in Colour Productions and the fantastic band The Bench That Rocked – they played the music for the singers, throughout the night.
We hope to have some photos from the night on here soon.
Friday 27th March
Trevor Cobbe reports from The Donkey
Photo Trevor Cobbe
with Siobhan Mazzei, Quadra, Mikey Kerslake and Trilogy.
Friday 27th March
We were at The Shed to see Nazarene, Bella Diem and We The Brave.
Nazarene is a band we have reported on before; they played at The Shed on February 6th.
Photo RhinoFeroSs
We The Brave – follow them on Facebook
Photo RhinoFeroSs
Bella Diem – sweeping melodies with plenty of emotional impact and lots of interest sounds; very enjoyable.
Wednesday 25th March
The Wild NorthWest, Flight 15, Bloodsugar and El Violento Frankie (from Spain) were some of the bands we saw at The Shed tonight.
Photo RhinoFeroSs
Flight 15 played at the OBS on the young bands night. Commenting on their performance, we said “Their first song delivered an explosive opening to their set giving us a rocket-propelled start to their show that had the audience bouncing. Full of sparkle and fireworks, the three musicians of this Leicester band their lead singer had considerable command of the microphone. I have seen this band several times before and they have started to really impress me. With their razor-sharp timing and songs that were volcanic in their impact, it was difficult to believe that only three musicians could generation such a large sound. Their songs had the audience punching the air with their fists. ”
The lead vocalist, Joel Hughes, has a rack of 3 guitars on the stage and he changes his instrument to suit the song.
Photo RhinoFeroSs
Blood Sugar played at the Glastonbudget auditions in February.
Photo RhinoFeroSs
El Violento Frankie, from Spain; one of three touring bands on stage tonight.
Find out more about El Violento Frankie on Facebook.
Photo RhinoFeroSs
Old House Playground another of the touring bands at tonight’s gig.
Jamie Borland was in charge of the stage lighting tonight; it made a big difference.
Our photographer RhinoFeroSs took many more pictures at tonight’s show. Additional copies are available from MIL for a small handling fee.
Friday 20th March
Glastonbudget Festival launched their 2015 event at The Barley Mow with an evening of entertainment. Now its in its tenth year, Glastonbudget will take place over the weekend 22nd to 24th May. On stage tonight were Fu Fu Sailors, Egg Ladies and Leicester’s veteran rockers Skam. Find out more from the Glastonbudget website.
Wednesday 18th March
The Shed
An evening of acoustic music with James Cottriall, Remy Turi, Sid Non-Vicious, Eliza Marriott, Reuben Wisner and Hannah McNally
A line-up of singers can be a refreshing change from bands, particularly when there are some remarkably good artists on offer. The Shed put on acoustic nights on a regular basis.
Photo: RhinoFeroSs photography
Reuben Wisner is one local artist who is always worth seeing; he is an artist whose reputation is steadily increasing. Tonight Wisner gave us another superb performance of his songs. This young singer, songwriter enthralled the audience with his own compositions. One of his own works – Screens – is becoming an established favourite; telling the emotions of a long-distance relationship, it is a ballad for the Facebook generation. An accomplished work, Screens has listenable vocals and Wisner delivered it with his usual sensitivity of touch and charm. In his song Apologise, Wisner invites the audience to join in with the chorus; he ended his set with Nights Like These.
Sitting at the keyboard Hannah McNally started her set with a slow song that demonstrated her vocal abilities. McNally performed with feeling and delicacy. An able singer, she performed well enough but I think her set lacked variation; one or two more upbeat numbers would have added some uplift to what she was doing.
No such problems with the set by James Cottriall whose set delivered some energetic and invigorating songs. In 1989 Cottriall sang about the fall of the Berlin Wall, presenting a vibrant number that was thematically engaging and performed with aplomb. Fine vocals were combined with impressive guitar work. In Nobody Breaks A Heart Like You, Cottriall upped the pace and gave us something that had resonance and sparkle, establishing himself as a gratifying exponent of popular melodic song. He finished his set with Unbreakable. He also asked everyone in the audience to give him their email address so he could send them a free song. Now that’s what I call marketing.
Singer Remy Turi is someone we have seen before. She performed The River, a song from her recent EP. Turi is a singer whose voice is worth listening to; a young artist, she has charm and plenty of talent.
Remy Turi’s EP The River is available on Soundcloud. Follow Remy Turi on Facebook.
Tuesday 17th March
The press night for Sue Townsend’s The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 ¾ – The musical took place tonight at Curve. Our editor Trevor Locke was there to see the show. Read his review on Arts in Leicester.
Saturday 14th March
We were at The Musician tonight to see six bands perform for the Original Bands Showcase.
Friday 13th March
Photo: RhinoFeroSs photography
Leicester band Abandon Her headlined a show at The Cookie Jar with support from Reuben Wisner, Emily Carr, and Manchester band Jolanga.
Wednesday 11th March
Photo Keith Jobey
Siobhan Mazzei broadcasts live from The Soundhouse.
Saturday 7th March
Upstairs, Downstairs at The Shed
Two stages were in operation at this show promoted by Dreaming In Colour Productions and Emperor Penguin Productions.
Upstairs had Ryan Dunn, The Barmines, Aztec Temples, Regale and Scribble Victory.
and Downstairs were Wet Lettuce and the Magic Beam, The World Can Wait, Silhouettes.
Words: Trevor Locke. Photos: ©RhinoFeroSs
Having arrived late after seeing The Smokestacks, I missed a few acts but we did manage to get some feedback on those that we missed.
Photo: Arts in Leicester magazine
Ryan Dunn did a solo set. Ryan brought a large contingent of fans with him. Better known as the lead singer of the rock band The Tennysons, Ryan performed a lively set with his acoustic guitar. The local lad is often celebrated as a prodigious song writer and his set gave a representative cross section of his musical talent. Delivering his songs with verve and a confident performance, he was well received in the room. Entertaining as always several people told me that his performance was very good. Ryan sang his own songs: The Runaround, Diamond High, Guilt Trip Gun, Conscience Calling, Battlefield and A Sinking Ship. He is an accomplished song writer and performer.
Photo RhinoFeroSs photography
Wet Lettuce and the Magik Bean, from Burton on Trent, an alternative rock band signed to LMC Records. On the band’s Facebook page, it says “alternative rock”, a phase that I think covers a multitude of songs.
Photo RhinoFeroSs photography
With strong vocals from Kyle Jordan and backing from guitarist Sam Wyatt, their set was marked by plenty of punch and serious sparkle. A set that was vigorous, they made considerable impact.
Photo RhinoFeroSs photography
Photo RhinoFeroSs photography
The Barmines, an indie rock band from Leeds, sounded a little bit like a cross between The Arctic Monkeys and Oasis, I thought. That did not detract from their strong and compelling sings, driven by plenty of beats.
Photo RhinoFeroSs photography
To quote from the band’s Facebook page, Drenched with Indie and Laced with Rock, The Barmines are not just another Leeds band… The release of their Debut EP There’s Never Any Romance was played in front of a sold out Cockpit Room 2, just shy of 300 of their “Barmi Army” fans packed the place and shook it to its core. Since then they have played the likes of the O2 Academy in Sheffield, The Cockpit and The Wardrobe plus main stage slots at Strawberry Fields Festival and Bingley Festival playing alongside some top bands like Catfish and the Bottlemen and Reverend and the makers’ sums them up well.
Photo RhinoFeroSs photography
All Hail Regale, from Walsall, were playing tonight for the first time at The Shed. Their style suggested upbeat dance music, like that of Manchester in the 1990s. They will be on a line-up with Dodgy on April 3rd, at the Mosborough Music Festival. The band has been active for a couple of years, I was told.
Follow them on Facebook.
Photo RhinoFeroSs photography
Aztec Temples, are an alternative rock band from Leicester, who formed in September 2014. A four-piece band with lead vocalist Conor Simpson. The band is billed to play at the Musician on 14th March, for the Original Bands Showcase.
Photo RhinoFeroSs photography
Scribble Victory are two artists from Derby. Many people told me how good these were. Having seen them a couple of times before, I agreed with this. I saw the guys for the first time on 13th December at The Soundhouse [Music in Leicester] Then I saw them at The Musician and said:
An unusual act – one guitarist and a drummer – whose superbly well harmonised voices and energetic stage craft brought us a a set full of colour and inspiration. Jamie Thompson and Tomas Ward have been chums since their school days and got together as a duo in November 2013…and they class their genre as Acoustic Folk Pop. Tonight they livened up the room with music that was blessed with energy and ear-grabbing sounds. Their two good voices were backed with instrumentation that had plenty of punch and verve both from the guitar and from drums. Two likeable artists who presented themselves with an engaging sense of humour. Wonderful. [Music in Leicester]
Missing them tonight was a disappointment.
Follow them on Facebook
Nile McGregor sang some of his songs. When it comes to singers who leave an indelible impression, none can compare with Nile McGregor. When he played at the obsUnplugged in January, I wrote:
The evening finished with a set from Nile McGregor. One of Leicester’s notable musical personalities, there is so much one could say about him. He told the audience that he never makes a set list – he just gets up and sings his songs. McGregor sings with feeling, playing his guitar which is covered in stickers that he calls his “memories.” He has had his guitar for ten year, he told us. Powered with passion, McGregor described his genre as “angry folk” and is clearly a master of the impact-ballad. His songs were received by the crowd with considerable enthusiasm. Magnificent. [Music in Leicester]
So, it was another good night at The Shed and hearty congratulations to the promoters for organising it and giving us a great night of live entertainment.
Photo RhinoFeroSs photography
Saturday 7th March
Leicester band The Smokestacks played at Manhattan34. Read our review.
Friday 6th March
The music of Green Day was celebrated at The Shed tonight.
See also:
Auditions for Glastonbudget Festival 2015
