Saturday 28th September 2013
Twisted Wheel, Soundtrack, Mondigreen, Floral
It was a typical Saturday night for live music: too many good gigs to go to. Too much choice. I decided to start my evening at the Firebug where the line-up offered some bands I had not seen in a while. Difficult choices but that is what Leicester is like at the weekends.
Leicester band Floral opened the show. This young four piece band was not one that I was familiar with and I have to admit that when they first started to play I was not immediately impressed. Happily, however, by the end of the set, they had won me over. Floral did their Glastonbudget audition on 30th august at the Shed; we described their songs as Indie/Psychedelic/Shoegaze. What stood out for me was the vocals of their lead singer Ellis Turner who had a remarkable voice: remarkable for its tonal quality. He used his voice very effectively and once you had got used to the distinctive timbre, it grew on you. The strengths of Floral lie in their ability to create something different, out of the ordinary and creatively original.
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The main reason I had chosen the Firebug tonight was that I wanted to see Leicester band Mondigreen again. I had discovered this band at the OBS shows, where they got through to the Grand Final. Arts in Leicester wrote, of Mondigreen, the show was launched by Mondigreen, whose two vocalists and guitarists – George Mander and David McGilligan – led the off with the band’s first song which galloped down the straight at a vigorous pace. Imbued with infectious rhythms, the band filled the room with compelling music. Armed with three good singers at the front of the stage, this band has made its mark, even though they are relatively new to the stages of Leicester, their performances have been remarkable. Arts in Leicester
Tonight Mondigreen played seven of their own songs, including three new ones: Equanimity, Mexican and Any Danger. Every bit as good as when I first saw them, they delivered a compellingly likeable set with a satisfying level of stage craft.
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Leicester’s Soundtrack made an immediate impression, mainly for the sensational vocals of lead singer Mark Ryman-Tubb. They presented indie rock with a bite, a beltin’ set that includes some new songs alongside some of their older ones. Yep, really good.
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A quick change of venue as I skateboarded over to the Soundhouse to catch Twisted Wheel. Sadly I had missed The Harrowbrooks and a solo performance by Midnight Wire’s Alex Van Roose but happily, I know I will be able to see them again soon.
Twisted Wheel gave a fizzingly good performance. I was right – it was an unmissable set. Boy they were good! The whole set from TW was sparkling, rocket-fueled rock, pure magic. A real ‘we’re ‘aving it’ band’. The fans went crazy for them. Lots of chanting from the pack in front of the stage as TW launched their set with some trail-blazing tunes.
What also impressed was that they had a varied set list of songs, tuneful, melodic pieces that were compelling and likeable. As for lead singer Jonny Brown – wow was he good! Backed by superb guitar work and massive drum solos (from Eoghan Clifford), it all came together to produce a fiendishly good performance.
Singer Jonny Brown did a solo acoustic set that showed off his remarkable talents both as a vocalist and as a performer. The other band members returned to the stage and they launched into a song that was volcanic, shot through with incendiary levels of passion and energy. Twisted Wheel really rocked and I would say it was, by any standards, a superb musical experience at the Soundhouse tonight. The fans powered up the experience too; it was almost like seeing the Sex Pistols at one of their early shows in London. Legends.
In March 2019, Twisted Wheel headlined at the Music Café with support from Kids in Cars and The Chairmen.
Twisted Wheel formed in Manchester in 2007. The band’s name is derived from the lyrics of a song by Paul Weller. Whilst the band’s Facebook page describes their musical style as ‘indie’, others have described it ‘as old school gritty rock ‘n’ roll reminiscent of the early Jam’ and with new band members, the band’s work is said to be “more hardcore rock n roll punk melodies.” Leeds Music Scene commented: They are, however, one of the most exciting young British guitar bands to emerge in recent years… With a fan club including Noel & Liam Gallagher (how often do they agree on anything?), Paul Weller, Shaun Ryder, Ian Brown, Kasabian, they’ve been attracting the attention of the great and the good from their earliest incarnation. And n January 2009 they were announced as the main support act for Oasis and in June 2009 they supported Oasis on their last ever tour, playing 3 consecutive nights at Heaton Park Manchester to a crowd of over 200,000.
Leeds Music scene.
They also toured with the Enemy and went on two tours with Paul Weller
On stage tonight was bassist Max Lees.
Follow Twisted Wheel on Facebook.
Visit Twisted Wheel’s web site.
Read about Twisted Wheel on Wikipedia.
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