Music for the month of July 2017
Our monthly round-up of Leicester and Leicestershire’s music offerings.
See our review for the month of June.
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Contributors
this month, were Kieran McCavana, Keith Jobey, Kevin Gaughan and Trevor Locke.
Room for plenty more in next month’s round-up.
29th July and 30th July
Simon Says… festival
Our report is in its first edition; several more updates to come.
27th July
The Brandy Thieves at Duffy’s Bar
with Jackie Duffy, T. C. Costello, The Pyrate Queen, Whiskey Rebellion, Joy Doyle.
A night of Whiskey and Brandy at an Irish venue. Tell me of something better. I love Irish folk music. I found my old CD – the one with tracks by The Dubliners, Finbar & Eddie Furey, the Glenside Ceilidh Band and others. I just love the riffs and the foot-tapping guitar parts. That’s about the roots of tonight’s music. Blended with the vibes of eastern European cadences and rhythms of gypsy music. The collision of traditional genres and modern rock. Good to see Jackie Duffy again; one of Leicester’s top female vocalists and ace folk singer. Warming up for a weekend introducing the Band Stand stage at Simon Says festival.
123…1234
Whiskey Rebellion. Much to excite the ears. Racing off at a fast pace they brought a tantalising cocktail of sounds to the room. I remember when they played on New Year’s Eve: 31st December 2016 – The last gig at The Shed as we know it [or as we then knew it, I should say.] On the line-up tonight [was] Poetman, The Whiskey Rebellion, TARRP (featuring three members of The Simpletones), Arc Isla, Restless and Dedbeats. [Music in Leicester]
Nothing quite compares to a performance by The Brandy Thieves. A band that armed with one of the great singers of Leicester – Andrea Kenny.
They put on a set that was as magnificent as any you can see on this city laden with music talent. Glowing with rich sounds, sparkling with joyous rhythms, braced with compelling vocals. This is a band I have followed for many years. The stand out for me as one of the great music acts of Leicestershire. Music that speaks volumes. The audience loved them. The crowd was pulled into the music. They did number where everyone links arms and dances – what’s it called? Zorba the Greek. It gets faster and faster. They put in their own trumpet voluntary. The place went crazy. What a party!
Joe Doyle, a.k.a. Homeless Shakespeare did a set; accompanied by a saxophonist. Good performances from other solo artists: T.C. Costello for example – T C Costello, the Vancouver based ‘Mozart of Multi-Instrumental Folk-Punk.’
This was a really good evening; one of those magic moments that comes round only rarely. The bands were good; the audience was good. It was certainly a lively evening. It’s all about being in the right place at the right time. To find the magic of Leicester. What a craic!
15th July
Cabin Boy Jumped Ship
at The Shed
with On Hollow Ground, When Hope Fails and Ivory Fire.
An intense night of intense music at the Shed. A large crowd attended this sell-out gig.
The show began with Ivory Fire. Pretty good. Loud and energetic. The band’s Facebook page says they play ‘electronicore and metalcore.’ With elements of dubstep. Yes, I think that’s fair. The band from Hitchin in North Hertfordshire is signed to Broken Road Records. It was a thrilling set and offered a good start to the evening.
All the way from Southampton, down there on the south coast, When Hope Fails gave us a sense of what coastal metalcore is about. Similar, in certain respects, to the previous band, they presented a compelling set of metalcore music. I rather liked them and thought – ‘this is band that has a lot going for them.’ Hope to see them again.
The penultimate band almost upstaged the headliners with a massively kick-ass set of songs. On Hollow Ground’s set was cut short, not long after they had started, when one of the fans collapsed and had to be treated by medics; the ambulance crew took her away and then the band carried on, after quite a long interval.
This band has played at The Shed before when they supported Cabin Boy on 1st July 2016:
‘…a super set. With three spectacularly well-synchronised guitarists, they put on a show that was as exciting to watch as it was to listen to. They gave the room a real buzz, driven by the seismic performance by their lead singer. Oh yes, and I loved the way the three guitarists stood as they played, their legs splayed out, looking very determined. Epic. [Music in Leicester magazine]
The usual adjectives apply – volcanic, rocket-fuelled, nerve-tingling, supercharged… very ably put in place by lead singer jack Flynn who held the audience in a tight grip throughout the set. Superb.
The fans went wild for Cabin Boy Jumped Ship, just as they had done before at The Shed. It was much moshing in the marsh when these guys got going, a pulsing performance from the quintet with the face paint from Leicestershire.
at The Soundhouse
They knew how to work a crowd and some of the frenzied scenes of moshing were spectacular. We saw the band at The Soundhouse on 19th October 2014.
at The Soundhouse, October 10th 2014
In my feature article about the band I said
This is a band you have to see as well as hear. I write about bands quite a lot and one thing I invariably comment on their performance value – or stage presence as I often call it. Did the band bring visual impact to their music? Did they live the music? Well Cabin Boy Jumped Ship is one band I can say “ticked all the boxes.” In their case the music and the performance fit together. [Music in Leicester magazine]
Much of the traction comes from the stunning performances given by lead vocalist Conor Peek. This is one of the bands I always want to see when they play in Leicester. To me, they have it all. They are an electronicore metal band from Leicestershire.
As the band’s Facebook page says:
Harsh bass heavy Dubstep and Synthesizer sounds and more familiar metallic groove riff breakdowns are seamlessly blended with harsh screamed and clean vocals, dynamic and innovative drum playing and also refreshing interpretations of the latest club and mainstream sounds tailored for a more alternative audience. Constant catchy hooks and detailed melodic ideas help bring together the bands natural sound and create a flowing style completely unique to them.
I certainly salute that.
7th July
at the Shed
with Day of the Moon, Finches of Attica and Barefoot in Baltimore
Opening the night was Leicester band Day of the Moon. This is a band we have seen a couple of times before. For example, we saw them on 24th February at the Scholar Bar; we said:
The evening was opened by Leicester band Day Of The Moon. I saw them first at The Shed on 25th November when they auditioned for the Glastonbudget festival. Six young musicians who played well. It was good to see a young band, only recently started, getting a support slot with two established, high-status bands so they could play to room full of people at a key venue. I’ll make sure we report on their performance at the festival in May. Tonight they were on good form. Impactful, robust vocals from singer Tom Davis. Vibrant songs delivered with commitment. A band with plenty of promise. Very enjoyable. [Music in Leicester magazine]
Flashback to 25th November 2015. The Shed. Glastonbudget auditions.
From the first bars of the first song my attention was riveted. Tight, sharp playing and strong vocals. These six young people played well together and the band’s performance was impressive
This young band has six musicians, including a keyboard player. Their set started with a lively number pushed along by a strong performance from the lead singer. Their set comprised some of their own songs and some covers, giving us half an hour of fizzy pop and indie backed with plenty of punchy sounds and bouncy beats. The band had pulled in quite a crowd to support their set. Noticeable enthusiasm on both sides of the stage and room. They certainly got my feet tapping. A bunch of teenagers with tons of talent.
The band I came to see was Finches of Attica. I saw them on 12th May and I thought then ‘what a fantastic performance.’ They had a set of songs that rocked the room. Their set had plenty of traction and a plentiful supply of bouncy dance beats.
A fine performance from lead singer Tom Howarth. On the guitar was Bryce Newbold – remember him when he was in Neon Sarcastic? Tonight we heard a set of songs powered by geezer spirit. They rocked out a spectacular set of tunes. Blistering guitar work and compelling vocal layers. Howarth did a great job of moving it along at a brisk pace and grabbing the attention of the audience in between numbers, giving them a good line in banter. They were smashing it – it had strong pace, momentum and trajectory. Finches included their version of House of the Rising Sun in this appearance just as they did back in May, only this time they cranked it up even more.
After the show, Kieran McCavana said: “ Finches Of Attica. The energy they produced. A unique flavour of acoustic rock and indie rock riffs. I got a sense of indie mixed with pop-rock but with amazing originality. They put on a headliner’s performance. I will definitely be going to see them again.
Kieran is a Solo Acoustic Musician and Writer For Local Music Talent.
The final act of the evening came from Barefoot in Baltimore. The band was lead by Taylor Mentos.
A healthy dose of alternative rock from this Redditch-based band. They clearly demonstrated a real passion for their music. Their song Something Witchy is available on Bandcamp and they also have songs on SoundCloud. Lively, engaging and ear-pleasing.
All in all, not a bad night at The Shed; not bad at all.
Lots more to see:
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