Ben Joseph
www.myspace.com/benjosephmusic
Ben Joseph started us off with some acoustic, mellow chilled out rock to ease us into the night of rock and roll debauchery that was to attack our senses. I get the feeling that Ben and his band set out to play stuff a little heavier than they ended up playing, but after some technical difficulties with Ben's electric guitar/amp, it forced him to play acoustic guitar through all of their tunes, not that this distracted any from the stellar performance given. My only critique would be less banter, more music... at least less of the "private jokes" - I know its difficult to see f rom the stage, but there are more people in the audience than the one person the joke applies to...
Ben Joseph Photos
www.myspace.com/last3victims
Next up we have hardcore punk rockers Last 3 Victims... Straight away, no holds barred, knee deep punk rock. At last, Punk played well, or at least, as well as punk can be played... This band, although young, are obviously influenced by the 70's punk revolutionary bands such as the sex pistols and the clash, whilst also having a hint of the newer "screamo" metal within their music collection... A nice mix on the genres, and it played out quite well... Where I think this band are great, but it is also their downfall, is in their inability to read a room... In a room filled with mainly "moms and dads" of other bands, its not always necessary to use bad language in the way that they did, but I guess that's Punk for you, I don't claim to understand it, but I know they would win more people over if they toned down the between-song banter. They stood their ground though, even with the stunted response to their outbursts ; got to give them credit for resilience!
Last 3 Victims Photos
www.myspace.com/shameonthesweethearts
Ahh, The Sweethearts... a band straight out of the 80's, having got every fashion tip they could from Motley Crue... The back-combed hair, the tight pants, the shirtless guitarists... if only I was old enough, it would take me back! My God how this band took to the stage! Playing music which went spot on with the look, this band take this seriously and the amount of effort that's gone into working on every detail of their stage show shines through when they play. I really can't fault this band; they played a blinding show and left the crowd wanting more! They are definitely on my list to see again!
The Sweethearts Photos
www.myspace.com/theblackandreds
What can I say about The Black & Reds? Well, if The Sweethearts didn't capture every last person in the audience's attention, then the Black and Reds surely did! Never before have I seen, or heard, such a phat[sic] sounding 2 piece! Hell, they sounded bigger than some 4-5 piece bands I have seen, most of them infact! A stunning performance! Ash Sheehan really knows how to get the crowd going... and if you wonder what I mean about that, check out the last picture in the following sequence... he took a drum into the audience, and actually enrolled 2 members of the audience into the show which is something I haven't seen for, well, ever! Not to mention his incredible knack when it comes to stage banter, I don't know what it is, but everyone in the room seemed to pipe up when he wanted them too.. I will be making a special effort to see these guys again in a local venue setting, because something tells me we might not see this band in them for much longer! I suggest you do the same!
The Black & Reds Photos
www.myspace.com/stranglekojakmusic
Strangle Kojak, the pop punk band of the evening, at least, that was my take on how the show unravelled. Lets face it, after seeing the Black and Reds stunning performance, little was going to wow the crowd... that was, until the laser show, smoke screens and light show all started happening, with the well thought out, well rehearsed sounds of Strangle Kojak playing! This band seemed to have brought most of the people in the club with them and it seems they have a strong following as the audience were singing along, and I think I know why... Although this isn't what I would normally listen to, they were really very good at what they played! The light/laser/smoke/visual show was an added bonus (especially as a photographer!). Another band worth making special effort for!
Strangle Kojak Photos
www.myspace.com/theshallowcall
The last band of the evening, The Shallow Call... The look, the sound, and the whole package of the Mad-Chester scene... Although their first words were along the lines of "we're The Shallow Call, and we're from Manchester " they really didn't need to utter those words. With hairstyles to rival Noel Gallagher and the music that sends me back to my childhood, rocking out to "Definitely Maybe"... I'm not really sure if the band would appreciate the connection or whether they are trying to stay away from being "the next oasis", but it's definitely the vibe I got from seeing them! This band really weren't my cup of tea though... their playing was good, and their stage presence was appealing, but all in al l , I'm just not sure about the whole Manchester thing... There were people in the crowd who were really vibe-ing with the band though, so I'm not afraid to say that although not my thing they did what they did well.
The Shallow Call Photos
In fact, every band from tonight played exceptionally well and although the genres were varied quite significantly throughout the night, it was still an enjoyable evening. Every one of the bands sounded excellent, and from past experience, I know that a lot of that comes down to the Venue and the engineers therein, so props to those guys.
I would recommend any of the bands you see here, so if you find yourself with nothing to do one evening, and one of them is playing near you, go on, give them a go! I'm glad I did!
Ste Gough
