Gig Reviews – TREMORS

Frank Turner @ The Engine Shed

November 29, 2012 Luke Botham 36 comments

Photo (This was not taken at the gig): Nicole Kibert / www.elawgrrl.com
Original: http://www.flickr.com/photos/elawgrrl/8154822671/

Since going solo 7 years ago, Frank Turner’s had a pretty exciting ride. He’s toured in countries across the world, played over a thousand shows, and this year – he sold out Wembley. As well as this, he also played a part in the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony. And now, he’s touring before the release of his fifth studio album next year. TREMORS went along to his sell out gig at the Engine Shed.

Jim Lockey & the Solemn Sun opened the show, and it wasn’t long before their music created a buzz in the crowd. They’re an alternative folk and rock band from Cheltenham. To start with, it did feel as if the energy and electric atmosphere they were trying to create wasn’t really reaching the audience. But after a couple of songs, the audience loved them. It’s easy to see why, too. Their performance was so full on and powerful and uplifting. It made you want to get up and just dance like no one was watching, and their energy was contagious – once the audience had caught it, there was no going back!

American singer/songwriter Tim Barry graced the stage with his presence next, and his performance was truly wonderful. He was the perfect support act for Frank. He sang songs that told the most beautiful, passion filled stories, and made you feel a connection with him so fast. When he sang, it felt like he’d put every single member of the audience into their own little world. They were completely involved with his performance and the interesting things that he had to tell.

It’s actually the second time Frank Turner has ever gigged in Lincoln. Last time was 2008, and you could tell most of his fans had been waiting a long time his return. Just before he finally appeared on stage, the anticipation was building to extremities in the audience. Several cheers occurred when people mistook the tech crew as Frank, but when he finally appeared, the cheers and roars that erupted were completely deafening. And as he started to sing, silence fell amongst the awing crowd.

He sang lots of his most popular songs, like I Still Believe and Superstition, as well as some older classics like The Road and Romantic Fatigue. But one of the highlights of the show had to have been the songs that Frank sang from his new upcoming album. They sounded fantastic live, and if they sound even half as good on the album, it’s guaranteed that it’s going to be an absolute cracker. It’s obvious that Frank knows how to work the audience, and it’s even more obvious that it’s in the live performance environment that he belongs. He’s been praised for the inclusiveness and friendliness of his gigs, and this was proved entirely here. Everyone was forced to be involved and forced to swallow up the atmosphere, and it’s a technique that works, clearly.

Something really unique about the gig that gave it a really inclusive and unique feel happened about half way through. Frank started telling a story about a dance competition that he was doing with the audiences during the tour, and encouraged to join in, with a potential spot at the top of the leader board up for grabs. This was an excellent idea, it totally encapsulated the crowd and brought together a group of completely random people who’d never previously met, which could technically be argued as one of the main points of a gig – it lets everyone share in the music they love. It got everyone dancing and allowed everyone to get the most out of it!

An encore led him back to the stage, saying he felt like Lincoln deserved a few more songs because he’d not been here in so long. He went on to sing Photosynthesis and then invited Tim Barry back to the stage, where they covered his track,On and On. He hit every note he needed to so well and sounded just as good live as he sounds on his albums – It was almost like watching a music video. It would be insane if things didn’t continue to get better and better for Frank. He’s a super talented guy with some genuinely incredible songs and he deserves all the success that he gets. If you get the chance, go and see the man because he’s superb!

Lunchband @ The Jolly Brewer

November 25, 2012 Paul Battison 23 comments

There’s been a lot of indie bands which have sprouted around the UK after bands such as the Arctic Monkeys exploded on to the scene seven years ago. With the amount of indie bands around, it takes something extra special or different to stand out from the crowd—something unique.

On live evidence, London quartet Lunchband have the potential to be that something.

I was cold, wet and miserable when I got to the Jolly Brewer in Lincoln after trudging through the wind and rain to get there. It didn’t take long to warm up and dry off though because as soon as the first band hit the stage, the place throbbed with excitement. The Unknown Stuntmen were the support act for the night—a five-piece band who seemed to mix a number of genres, creating an exciting blend of music which kept the audience captivated. To put it in their own words:

“The Unknown Stuntmen are a collection of pirates that picked up an instrument each, tuned their vocal strings and set sail for anywhere that would have em”.

Their mixture of pop, folk and rock ‘n’ roll, with a hint of Spanish guitar playing, was a recipe for success with the audience either watching attentively or dancing the night away.

With three vocalists in the band, two males and one female, there’s a good variety in their sound with their voices and harmony’s complimenting each other nicely. I caught up with the rhythm guitarist, Dave, after their show to find out a little more about the band. He described them as being influenced by “anything with a good melody” and cited artists such as “The Beatles” and “Beethoven” as major influences. By being influenced by such popular and respected musicians as these, it’s easy to see why the audience took so kindly to the The Unknown Stuntmen.

Cover art for Lunchband’s EP: Rabbits, Princes, Phantom’s & Beaches

In the interval, after everyone had topped their beers up, the crowd started to gather in anticipation for the headline act of the night, Lunchband. Lunchband are a four-piece act from London but many of the band members originate from Lincoln. This made the show that little bit more special for the band and it shone through in their performance. Mixing indie, electronica and folk rock together, the band create a signature sound which is very appealing to both old and young. Listening to them, you can see they’ve been influenced by popular mainstream indie acts of today, such as Arcade Fire, but there’s also some 60’s rock in there in the shape of the Kinks.

The band played songs off their EP which was released earlier this year in July called Rabbits, Princes, Phantom’s & Beaches. The song Rabbit Run is a very easy listening song with a catchy guitar melody layered over the top of a nice chord sequence. My Prince has a strong, bouncy bass line similar to that from the Killer’s song, Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine. Throughout the set, lots of the bands influences shine through ranging from indie band Foals to 80’s electronic band, Depeche Mode. The band do a great job of knitting their influences sounds together to create their own brand of music, which stands out from most of the other indie bands around at the moment.

Lunchband are an interesting band with bags of potential. The gig was billed as Lunchband’s ‘homecoming gig’. I expect that there were a lot of people in the Jolly Brewer last night who will be eagerly counting down the days until Lunchband next come ‘home’.

Jake & The Jellyfish @ Duke of Wellington

October 25, 2012 Paul Battison 15 comments

Jake & The Jellyfish are every bit as intriguing and innovative as their name suggests. With their infectious mix of punk, folk and reggae with a violin to boot, their live shows bring to the table the energy and passion which demonstrate everything which is great about the UK punk scene at the moment. In fact, their headline gig alongside three great local bands at The Duke of Wellington last night, proves the age-old saying wrong: punk is not dead—it’s thriving.

Jake & The Jellyfish

Opening act Joe Davis, from Lincoln based band, That’s Not Me, warmed the crowd up nicely with a solo acoustic performance. He even took a leaf out of the great Bob Dylan’s book by bringing out a harmonica for one song to accompany his guitar playing and singing.

Stereoepic were up next, a four-piece pop punk band from Gainsborough. With their catchy choruses and teenage life inspired lyrics, they’ve gone with a tried and tested formula, similar to that of pop punk giants Blink 182 and New Found Glory. The formula works very well for their live shows though, with the band having a friendly stage presence and bringing a real feel good factor to the audience.

The third band to take to the stage for the night were Wisecrack, a three-piece punk band from Lincoln. This was their first show with a completely new line-up with vocalist and guitarist Matt Colwell, drafting in a new bass player and drummer to replace previous band members who had left. For anyone on the night who wouldn’t have known this snippet of information however, I don’t think they could ever have guessed. The band played with the skill and confidence that made it easy to believe they’d played together for years. Playing upbeat songs such as the title track from their first album, released earlier this year, called Pining For The Road, the band managed to get the crowd moving. Perhaps the highlight of their performance was the hugely uplifting Sunflower Song, where half of the audience joined in with the band to sing along. I have a sneaking suspicion Lincoln will be seeing a lot more of these guys in the months to come.

Headline act Jake & The Jellyfish were last up on stage and they proved to be the perfect band to crown a memorable night at the Duke of Wellington. The four-piece outfit from Leeds are hard to nail down to a particular musical genre which is a compliment in itself. They manage to knit together punk, folk, and reggae to form an innovative blend of music which is a treat to experience live. Think of combining Against Me! and Frank Turner with Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen and you’ll come up with a cocktail similar in taste to that of Jake & The Jellyfish. Playing songs off their E.P called Landfills, which was released last year, the band converted the audience into a sea of dancing bodies and flying beer. They ended the night by coming into the crowd to play the painfully honest, but beautiful track Same Old, Same Old, which went down so well, the audience asked for an encore.

I turned up to the gig thinking that with a name as inventive as Jake & The Jellyfish, this band had to be something special. They did not disappoint in any way.

Knock Out Kaine @ The Jolly Brewer

October 20, 2012 Michael James Barraclough 26 comments

In the wild and debauched world of Hard Rock, the aim of the game is to make an impact, to put on a blinding live performance, and to leave people wanting more.

If you were looking for a truly awe-inspiring local rock band, then lay down your burdens, weary traveler.

Your search is over.

Knock Out Kaine rocking The Jolly Brewer.

KNOCK OUT KAINE
photo by Greg Smith

With the infectious rock n’ roll attitude and stunning musicianship of Motley Crue, and the ability to deliver a Hard Rock ballad like Skid Row, Knock Out Kaine are a band that will soon be headlining gigs across Europe, and maybe even America. I certainly wouldn’t put it past them.

They played an imbroglio of songs from their fantastic new album House Of Sins, which is available from HMV and at their gigs. These sinfully sweet songs included the electrifying hard rock anthem Set The Night On Fire, the evocative ballad Coming Home and right at the very end, to cap the night off in spectacular style, their unique and brilliant cover of Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell.

This is the second time I’ve seen this band, which is a testament to the infectiousness of their music. It’s undiluted, raw hard rock, the way it was meant to be, yet the band that produced it are definitively English. It’s easy to tell what their musical influences are – the 80’s hard rock movement in America, including such bands as Guns n’ Roses, Aerosmith and Motley Crue is their era of inspiration.

They’ve been going since 2005, getting gigs across the UK to spread their music. Seven years since their birth and they are now standing proud at the very top of Lincoln’s rock scene, a spot they aren’t gonig to surrender any time soon.

The Jolly Brewer can consider itself rocked. When they started playing Rebel Yell, everyone totally lost their… well, you get the picture.

One aspect of their music that is definitely worth mentioning at this juncture is that they are diverse within the genre. They have turbulent rock anthems like title track House Of Sins and Set The Night On Fire, they have ballads like Moving On and Coming Home AND they have delicious, sleazy numbers such as Skinstar and Little Crystal. They know their music, these lads.

Drummer Danny Krash provides the bedrock for the outfit, with classic rock drumming. If you pay particular attention, you might even notice hints of drumming more akin to metal music, which is one of his personal influences. Bassist Lee Byrne holds down the low end for Knock Out Kaine with consistent, driving basslines that really carry the song’s along. Jimmy Bohemian is the man behind the guitar for this musical tour de force, and what a guitar player he is.

Honestly. Mind-blowing.

The spearhead of the band is arguably Dean Foxx, the vocalist and also acoustic guitar player when the ballads roll around. He provides the lyrical paint to the musical canvas, and to complete this rather shoddy metaphor, helps Knock Out Kaine make the masterpieces that they are now renowned for in the city of Lincoln, UK.

Also, a hat-tip to Emperor Chung, who were supporting Knock Out Kaine, and were very good too.

Marina & The Diamonds @ The Engine Shed

October 15, 2012 Luke Botham 1,373 comments

Half Welsh, half Greek singer Marina Lambrini Diamandis began to taste fame in 2009, following the release of several EPs and singles. But it wasn’t until a year later, in 2010, when Marina & the Diamonds really hit it off with fans. Hollywood and I Am Not A Robot sported quirky yet soulful sounds, and this combined with some catchy relatable lyrics was the perfect recipe for a super songstress. And that she is. Her first album, The Family Jewels, hit an impressive number 5 in the UK charts, and the follow up, Electra Heart, took a more poppy turn, but shot to number 1 regardless.

Picture: Dave Lichterman

Now on a UK tour for her second studio album, Electra Heart, Marina is venturing to venues she didn’t go on the first leg of her tour earlier in the year. One of these was in Lincoln. The Engine Shed is a rather

large venue, and whilst the gig wasn’t a sell out, the atmosphere was electric. Even before Marina came on, the crowd was alive with excitement, screaming and chanting her name for several minutes before she actually appeared. Cheeks covered in little hearts, it was clear that most of the audience idolised Marina, and she idolises them just as much (the diamonds in her stage name actually refers to her fans, not the band as you might expect.)She performed an equal blend of Marina classics and Electra Heart songs alike. Starting the gig in a shiny wedding style dress (veil and all) she belted out an incredible rendition of Homewrecker, a tune which depicts a woman who can’t fall properly in love due to being content with breaking hearts. This was followed by some true bubblegum pop in the form of Oh No! and Mowgli’s Road, which work beautifully together to express Marina’s goals and fears of failing at these. Other fan favourites like Shampain, Power & Control, Lies and Hollywood also made an appearance during the gig, much to the delight of the singing audience.

After an encore, she graced the stage with her presence one final time, closing the show with How To Be A Heartbreaker. Marina’s fixation with the so called American Dream shone throughout the whole performance. Her lyrics express this desire too, seeping with emotion, sadness and dreams gone wrong.

Another major part of the performance was the visuals and props. Varying from a toy dog called Marilyn (which she “rescued” in America and sang Primadonna with) to a proper old school style TV, she completely captured the crowd with her creativity and inventive unique ideas. It can easily be argued that Marina thrives in this environment. Singing directly to her diamonds, she sounded better than ever whilst live. She hit every note perfectly, and seemed to develop more soul and vibrancy as the gig went on. Reacting to various things said by members of the crowd, she made it obvious that she was paying attention. She’s incredibly talented, and after the success of her newest album, it’s clear that she’s loved by many. Go Electra!