Hailing from Sheffield: home of Pulp, Arctic Monkeys and a rather unfortunate history in steel, Slow Club paddle at the edges of mainstream indie-folk. Fortunately for them, Bath was in a whimsical sort of mood, and their Fleet Foxish style was well received by the crowd. Hipsters, folkies; a smattering of hippies and the occasional housewife. The dingy dance floor was packed to the walls, and they bopped to the duo with genuine vigor. If anything, Slow Club seemed surprised by how nice everyone was, never facing boos, trash talking or cat calls, gliding through what proved to be a cozy little set.

Currently signed to Moshi Moshi Records, the pair has two albums to their name, the peppy Yeah So, followed by their most recent addition, Paradise. To a cursory ear, their work seems rather twee. “Hackney Marsh” is a prime example, being a gentle, ukulele-like harmony of tinny strings and saxophones. “If We’re Still Alive” is a different brand of cuteness, mixing Fleet Foxes with an Arctic Monkeys beat, as vocalist Rebecca shifts her voice to a throaty, almost bluesy tone.

Swinging between poppy, ethereal and melodic, Slow Club falls firmly under the Indie label, “the Dog” even making use of those constantly heard, Arcade Fire “woos.” Thankfully, the pair does manage to maintain their identity. Rebecca Taylor, effortlessly glamorous, shows incredible range, moving from husky, to soulful, to a blond, powerhouse of perky pop crooning. Her sound is leant strength by Charles Watson, holding up the harmonies with his own mellow voice. The effect is mesmerising. Even better, it’s deliciously distinctive, giving Slow Club some much needed individuality in what is, let’s face it, an increasingly homogenised genre.

Slow Club is undeniably twee. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have substance. Each song is masterfully constructed, vocals and music blending elegantly in one. On the slow side, there’s “Never Look Back,” Watson’s lounge-like chords lying gently over Rebecca’s quicksilver “oohs,” the similarly low key “Only If You’re Certain,” proving a lyrical bullet right to gut.

Unlike many musical acts, Slow Club isn’t aiming for a spectacle. Their clothes are stylish yet subdued, commanding the stage with kooky bemusement. Sometimes they look like deer in the headlights. Others they seem downright confused. Between playful bickering and a startled, slightly self conscious approach to the audience (“we’re Slow Club. Yeah.”) you’d be forgiven for thinking this was their first time on stage. Is this bad thing? Far from it. In a world of posturing, prima donna songsters, it’s refreshing to see someone real up behind the mike. There’s no fakery here. Just two, genuinely nice people, here to play some music and have a giggle if they can. Rebecca isn’t the sort of person who’d hang around the corner, expecting an encore. Instead she asks for a bathroom break first, striking a “pee for a play,” type of deal. Professional? Probably not. Endearing? Definitely.

Treading in the footsteps of Indie greats, Slow Club may struggle to stand out amongst the crowd. But they have passion. And character. A genuine act, adorable and playful, they brought some joy to the murky Bath dusk, and were worth every penny of the ten quid ticket. All the best, wherever they’re headed.

Words and photo: James Noakes

Now Rizzle Kicks are touring around the country and headlining their first tour, the audience is filled with enthusiastic high pitch teens who rushed to the front of the arena to show love for the rappers turned singers.

Kicking of the show is Josh Osho who since getting signed to Island records, has been consistently receiving rave reviews up and down the country. At the young age of 20, Osho’s constructive songs resemble artists who have been in the industry twice his time. Arriving on stage, casually dressed, repping a snapback cap, backed by a simple band and DJ on the decks, Josh began his set with ‘The Ebenezer Hotel’ a song that’s been written about his time living in a hostel and having everything stolen except his guitar. Josh’s impressive soulful vocals filled the room and pleased the young crowd, fantastically grabbing the audience’s attention.

Concluding his short set singing latest single ‘Redemption Days and after his after his short performance Osho didn’t shy away from the crowd and waited around the arena greeting and having photo’s with his ton of new fans.

As the lights come down, the electrifying screams from the crowd is a signal that the wait is now over. As Rizzle Kicks bursts on stage to the theme of inspector gadget, the audience are in a frenzy for the young stars. Performing notable fan favourites including ‘Dreamers’, ‘When I was a youngster’ and ‘Travellers Charm’ each song receives a great reaction.

Jordan and Harley are accompanied by an impressive backing band, which included a fierce drummer and a saxophonist who pulled the whole show together. Rizzle Kicks delivered a tight performance which was full of energy, young talent and an array of sing-a-long, live for the weekend anthems.

The biggest reaction of the night came from fan favourite ‘mamma do the hump’ which dominated the crowd and not only had them singing, but dancing along too.
As the show draws to a close with a triumphant ‘Down With The Trumpets’ – complete with several bras thrown onstage – at this time, in this moment, Rizzle Kicks are superstars. The room erupted, hands flew, and sweat poured to the end the night on an excellent high.

Words and photo: Mike Lewis



Now, Professor Green is touring the country and is headlining sold out shows. Enthusiastic teens who queued from midday, rushed into the Great Hall in hope of securing a perfect location.

Kicking of the show is ‘Ray Charles’ rapper Chiddy Bang who set the temperature high while warming up for the crowd for the ‘At Your Inconvenience’ rapper. Chiddy Bang from Philly smashed through a rushed set that got the crowd pumped with a seamless mix of old and new, taking classics from ‘The Preview’ and fresh tunes from latest release ‘Breakfast’.

Straight after DJ IQ’s chart packed set, the noise became deafening as the huge frame of Stephen Manderson ambles onstage around nine o’clock. Bursting onstage with his trademark wry grin, Professor Green, arms aloft, tears straight into ‘At Your Inconvenience’.

Bolstered by a full live band and two backing singers, the sound is near faultless as every single hand in the room is thrown in their air during ‘Oh My God’ and the vicious ‘D.P.M.O.’
After the show stopping double barrelled assault of ‘Just Be Good to Green’ and ‘Need You Tonight’ it was easy to see that Professor Green has a real chemistry with his band and his songs work really well live. The bulk of his set consisted of material from his new album “At your inconvenience” but didn’t forget material from his first album. It was hard to hear him over the crowd at the best of times but when he broke into “Monster” before leaving the stage for an encore, it was near impossible.

After a deafening ovation from the crowd, Green and crew returned to play a variety of older tunes, arguably for the fans that have supported him from the beginning including ‘Upper Clapton Dance’ and the bass thumping ‘Jungle’. Finished up on his best selling song to date ‘Read all about it’, sent the crowd into raptures and the performance of his first number one was deserving of the massive reaction it received.

Words and photo: Mike Lewis

The day kicked off with all girl alt-choir Gaggle at the O2 Academy. An instant feast on the eyes, as all twenty singers appear in their Geisha inspired get-up, complete with colour-tastic make-up and enormous headgear. Led by choir master Deborah Coughlin, the full force of their poppy tunes hits us like a wall of delicious post riot grrrl influence but just a little sweeter. The girls have been getting plenty of hype from the likes of NME and with their debut album out this summer, it looks set to be a Gaggle good time.

Next up were Stealing Sheep upstairs at the O2 Academy 2. This venue doesn’t really lend itself well to shorter members of the audience but the folk-tinged influence of this Liverpudlian all girl group was enough to keep the crowd at ease. Their rough and ready approach had hints of Warpaint whilst entertaining the idea of creating a whole new genre with wisps of folk, punk and synth-pop.

Tall Ships were next to take to the stage and after witnessing them on Monday supporting the brilliant Dry the River, the crowd were eager for another taster. Bursting into their sketchy time signatures and epic crescendos, they certainly riled up the Simple Things crowd for the evening. Single ‘Chemistry’ was a particular highlight but the sound guy could’ve done with a bit more tweaking.

By the time the guys had gotten through their first three songs, downstairs one of the most hyped artists of the year was beginning her set. Canadian songstress Grimes definitely played up to her quirky persona with her 90’s geddup and ironing board synth stand. Having been regularly played on BBC6 Music and a favourite at independent record stores, the O2 Academy was packed to the brim. Playing songs from her latest album ‘Visions’ the 24-year-old stole the show, as her confidence led her fearlessly across the stage. Single ‘Oblivion’ had the crowd singing and swaying along, proving that this girl is going to get even bigger.

Across the pond at Thekla, Three Trapped Tigers were bursting into their fury of noise to a raucous crowd. The band has been heavily hyped over the past few months, with some even stating that ‘it’s the sound of imagination itself.’ But to be quite honest, the sounds erupting from the stage sounded very familiar, just churned out in a louder sense to appease this whole new alternative dub-step thing thanks to duds like Skrillex. Nothing new here.

The evening’s entertainment was well under way, so a trip to arguably Bristol’s best venue The Fleece was certainly in order. Hosted by Vice, the venue had a new whiff of a hipster take over, complete with overly-eager-steal-your-boyfriend shot girls. Japanese quartet Bo Ningen quickly took the pain away with their awesome alternative rock. Their energy and approach to a tighter-than-your-whities set was truly refreshing and an absolute highlight of the whole day.

TB2 and Lakota finished off the day with fantastic sets from the likes of Space Dimension Controller and Marcellus Pittman. Despite the arrogance, Space Dimension Controller did the trick for the dance floor but it was Pittman that really stole the show. Playing perfect 80’s montage soundtracks and funky house, he had the whole room gushing with love and some serious dance moves. A perfect way to see out the festival.

Words: Sammy Maine
Photo: Louise Brady

Support tonight comes from Dancing Years and Tall Ships. The first reflect Dry the River’s folk influence, with pin-droppingly quiet verses and rip roaring crescendos. The audience are respectfully sombre during the set. Tall Ships are next with their Foals-like staggered time signatures and frantic punk enthused set. They really seemed to be enjoying themselves, and by heck, so were we.

After a patient wait of around 25 minutes, the stage lights dim and our ears are greeted with Michael Jackson. Not quite what we were after but a good start. The band open with single ‘No Rest’ – rousing the crowd to sing-a-long with Pete’s heartfelt belting.

Bassist Scott is quick to say hello – especially to avid fan Jeff – and modestly thanks the crowd for coming out. The guys play a mirage of album tracks, including ‘History Book’ and the beautifully presented ‘Shaker Hymns.’ Latest single ‘New Ceremony’ creates such a stir that a semi-stadium vibe ensues, securing it as the band’s catchiest song.

After a few jibes from Scott towards the band’s guitar tech (Mumford & Son’s banjo tech by day – traitor) Dry the River dive into the highlight of the set. Unplugged, Pete begins ‘Weights & Measures,’ with the audience hanging onto (and singing) every word. It’s a lovely moment for the band, who soon realise the audience’s devotion. Mid-way through, the guys return to their rip-roaring best, finishing the song with their token epic progression.

To avoid any pre-Madonna antics, the band decide against the whole ‘encore’ thing. The set comes to an end with a punkier-than-your-average rendition of Lion’s Den. The guys really go for it with the audience in tow, all aggressively – yet lovingly – bobbing their heads. Will Harvey deserves an extra special mention, as his skills as the band’s violinist really mould the pieces together perfectly.

With band member Mums in the audience and a reception such as this, the gig feels like a sort of homecoming. Rightly so, as the crowd at tonight’s gig seem to have taken Dry the River to heart; let’s hope the rest of the country do too.

Words: Sammy Maine
Photo & video: Yatin Amin

Prophets have become known for being pioneers of live shows and have previously headlined arenas around the country and festivals including download. The awaited triumphant homecoming show was always going to be a memorable occasion for the band; however, the announcement that the band will be playing first album ‘Start Something’ in full for this show made it an unmissable experience for any fans of the band.

Kicking off the show is Modestep who brought a unique blend of electro vibing dubstep that dominated the arena. The bands energetic stage presence managed to get the sold out venue riled up and ready for the Welsh sextet. Storming through their set, toe tingling bass tore through the floor of the Motorpoint arena and seemed to energise a heavily masculine audience into a wild frenzy. With acts such as Chase and Status and Sub Focus breaking bounds by headlining the rockier festivals, it’s certainly obvious that Modestep won’t be a support band for much longer.

As the lights go down, the atmosphere was electric and Lostprophets couldn’t have been disappointed with the response echoing through the arena. Speakers blasted an introduction as green digits ran down a retro style screen along with a countdown from 10 to one anticipating the much awaited arrival of the band. When frontman Ian Watkins and co took to the stage the response was thunderous, bursting into latest single ‘Bring em’ Down’ entailed an arena sized sing a long and explosive opening from the band. ‘it’s Not The End Of The World’, ‘Can’t Catch Tomorrow ‘ and ‘A Town Called Hypocrisy’ are played straight after each other leaving no chance to gasp a quick breather.

It doesn’t take long for the audience to sense that something just isn’t quite right with Ian Watkins this evening. Only a few songs into the set, it’s more than obvious that the usually energetic and charismatic front man isn’t all there, to say the least. He’s missing notes. Out of time. Failing the high notes. Worst of all, he’s completely vacant. When the front man isn’t at his microphone, he has his back to the crowd, completely despondent to the music and hometown audience that fills the room around him. It’s a sad issue that defines this entire set. However if it wasn’t for the bold efforts of keyboardist Jamie, the show could have been a disaster. The rest of the band are performing excellently too and dominate the entire stage. Guitarists Mike Lewis and Lee Gaze tear through songs like ’Where We Belong’ and ‘If You Bring a Gun We’ll Bring An Arsenal’.

A few nights ago, Watkins was reportedly in hospital getting treated for problems with his ribs and this would have explained his overall distance from the show until an unexpected stage dive during ‘Shinobi vs Dragon Ninja’ would have argued otherwise. As the band leaves the stage, they returned to play as promised the much loved Start Something album in its entirety. The band thanked the Welsh audience for always coming out in force, and celebrated the end of the night by displaying a giant Welsh flag with the Lostprophets across the flag.

Words and photos: Mike Lewis

There is an air of affection towards Tribes, as they play album hits like ‘When My Day Comes’ or the phenomenal ‘Sappho’ they seem happy to playing to such adoring fans, which is somewhat of a rarity in an age where reluctant indie is so cool. They head lock one another and spray water on the drummer with a tomfoolery that The Vaccines and so many other try hards could never quite capture. The set is rapid with highlights including ‘Girlfriend’ and ‘Corner of an English Field’ all songs which prove their debut LP is worth celebrating. It’s not musical genius and a lot of the songs sound strangely familiar which could be a result of the slightly generic melodies but I find it hard to believe Tribes are a band trying to be anything different.

Their sheer embracing of all that is big whether it is chorus, shirt or stage dive is quite endearing as well as extremely engaging to watch. As the show comes to a close, lead singer Johnny (who has been called to by various members of the crowd in a ‘I’m your mate’ kind of way) promises one more song and the crowd are treated to ‘Coming of Age’ which is another catchy sleazy pop-rock anthem from Tribes. You can’t expect anything more, and nobody really does. They are a band that sings about growing up, trying to be cool and staying out late. Their best song, ‘We Were Children’ demonstrates this blissful innocence the best.

The gig ends and everyone is happier for the experience. Whilst most of that happiness is from a gig that was rapid, buzzing and energetic, it would appear a lot of it is happiness for four boys who played a Clash song then came on and played some solid rock ‘n’ roll numbers. The kids are going to be alright after all.

Words: Duncan Harrison
Photo: Laura Palmer

The Jess Hall Band was first on stage. Melancholy and emotional, Jess’ vocals were a little reminiscent of Julia Stone, heartfelt and full of anguish. A lovely sound, but the songs were all very similar and not particularly memorable. A young band with lots of potential, they just need a few more years under their belt to develop and grow into themselves.

Emily Woods came second, usually accompanied by the other Woods, but tonight flying solo. And didn’t she soar! Incredibly likeable, her unassuming stage presence was wonderfully endearing. A vocal style similar to Kate Nash and Lily Allen suits her acoustic led melodies and honest lyrics. With songs that sound like a summer romance, and her very charming nature, this is the start of something big.

Much to the delight of the audience, Newton rocked up on stage to start his set ahead of schedule! He began the night with two new songs, one that involved audience participation, to which the audience happily responded. This is one audience that couldn’t be disappointed with him, even if he decided to play songs by Justin Bieber. Stopping to take a sip from his Thermos of tea, he starts to play ‘I Need Something’, and sure enough had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand.

He mixed classics like ‘People Should Smile More’, ‘Slow’, and his take on Massive Attack’s ‘Teardrop’ with new material from his upcoming EP and album like ‘Against The Grain’, ‘Pick Up Your Broken Heart’, and ‘Long Shot’. Continually wowing the crowd with his musical prowess and genuine joy and delight of performance, you wouldn’t think it could get any better than this.

But this is Newton Faulkner: The Master of crowd interaction. He began a story of his appearance on an American talk show, where he was challenged to rework a song, by one of the most famous artists of all time, in just thirty minutes. As someone with an already intimidating talent, he raised the bar even higher as he played ‘Superstition’ by the one and only Stevie Wonder. Playing one of the four guitars he had on stage, as strings and percussion, combined with a kick drum, and an array of pedals at his feet, this crowd was blown away in one fell swoop. Mind blowing.

With an audience now dancing on the ceiling, he separates them into three and gets them singing a three-part melody, to which he adds a fourth part for himself. He doesn’t just play to the crowd, this is a night with Newton Faulkner. He managed to make everyone in the room feel like his best mate, completely at home with him and each other. Finishing off with ‘Dream Catch Me’ and new track ‘Sugar In The Snow’, day number two was a roaring success.

He’s cheeky, jolly, and a little eccentric, an outrageously brilliant guitarist with a voice that didn’t drop a note the entire night. What a way to start a tour. He should have called it ‘Newton Faulkner: This is how it’s done’!

Words and photo: Hannah Giles

Once the three support acts had finished, yes, three, Pete waltzed on stage with his band (sadly not literally) to an array of whoops and cheers and even a few screams, well he is pretty dreamy. Song number one was Blue Sky Blue, the title track off Pete’s fourth album released last year. Immediately mesmerising: captivating vocals and very catchy melodies, they quiet the crowd like a whisper, a room listening closely.

He moved on to a few tracks from his first and third album, the sad sounding yet optimistic ‘Silver Cloud’ and brilliantly funk inspired ‘Fall Your Way’, to mention two, before playing a nice collective from the new album. Blue Sky Blue was born out of the break up of Pete’s marriage, and yet many of the songs seem surprisingly upbeat for songs about a broken heart, particularly ‘Broken’, which really makes you want to dance.

‘Opportunity’, as expected, went down like cupcakes at a birthday party. The Falmouth crowd in it’s entirety, young people, old people, couples, hard-core fans and Pete Murray newbies, were absolutely lapping it up. Followed with classics like ‘Better Days’, ‘Feeler’, and ‘Class A’, even the unfamiliar ears wanted to sing along.

Pete took full advantage of the possibility to really interact with a crowd in a smaller venue. As far as levels of comfort go, it seemed like he might as well have been in his front room playing to four or five of his close pals. He is an incredibly endearing hunk of a man, a little bit Jack Johnson meets John Mayer meets KT Tunstall: Very guitar driven, very chilled, funk dotted around all over the place and vocal tones like velvet, so smooth.

After a set that seemed to have been completely at the beck and call of the audience, he reappeared on his own for a beautiful stripped back performance of ‘Saving Grace’. ‘Holland’ from his latest album and ‘Please’ from his first came after, before the final hoorah in the people’s favourite ‘So Beautiful’.

Although we didn’t get to see him play in his pants, which he had promised in return for a sold out night, Pete Murray was engaging, soulful and very easy to listen to. His tender voice, infectious melodies and laid back Aussie attitude are incredibly hard not to enjoy, even when you’ve been stood up.

Words and photo: Hannah Giles

An early and unexpected highlight was the American warm up act Alvin Risk. His electro mash ups like ‘We Are Young’ had the young and lively crowd bouncing well before Example had even set foot on the stage. Sensational.

With the high energy tone well and truly set, Example opened his mammoth 22 track set with his number one single ‘Stay Awake’. A perfect choice that had the audience in the palm of his hand right from the off. While energetically using the whole of the stage to perform, his interaction with the crowd was limited to occasionally introducing a song or directing everyone to clap their hands. However, it was his music itself that made the show so memorable. Performing both older tracks like ‘Watch the Sun Come Up’ and the amazing ‘Kickstarts’ in addition to the more recent ‘Midnight Run’ and ‘Wrong in the Head’, he also introduced his brand new collaboration with Calvin Harris, ‘Coming Back’. This is sure to be a huge hit when it is released in the summer.

Track after track, neither Example’s or the crowd’s energy waned and this made for an incredible atmosphere and a truly brilliant show. Having seen the 6,000 strong crowd go absolutely crazy when he encored with ‘Changed the Way You Kiss Me’, Example would have rightly left the stage with absolutely no doubts that he is well worthy of his own arena tour.

Words and photo: Chris Williams