Fridays in my opinion are up there in the top greatest days of the week – all your mid-week work almost finished and the anticipation of what the weekend has to hold flashing through your mind! So I’m already buzzing, but with the invite to go along to a 5 band gig at B2 that night meant I’d gone from buzzing to bouncing on this particular Friday afternoon . . . . .
It was my first time at B2 and I was pleasantly surprised – a nice intimate venue with a great stage set-up. I guess the size and the excellent sound was partly responsible for my slightly unbalanced feeling all of the following day, but that is what gigging is all about and I’m sure the fact that I watched the entire gig from the front of the room (speakers in cuddling distance) and chose to sample a few of the beers on offer at the bar had a little to do with it too. Note to self, pick up some subtle earplugs for next time (i.e. not a pair of nice big yellow foam ones I used to have to wear when watching my Dad go Clay Pigeon shooting as a kid – not a good look!)
So the gig kicked off with The Fuzz . . . having been to many gigs in my time I was partially prepared for a couple of the five bands to be much less polished than the headliners (TVFI), but on came the five members of The Fuzz and they performed like true professionals! I’ve heard one of their tracks (Turn a Page) in their lounge on wohomusic and it’s great, but live they are even better. Their first track was ‘Soulmate’ – a heavy beat carrying an almost Soul like feel to it, which I guess would explain the title and with Jack Haynes doing a sterling job on the saxophone. I’d say everyone watching was blown away instantaneously with these guys. Visually we were all intrigued by the band as soon as they were on stage as Jack, along with Ash and Jordan Woolnough were sporting the most amazing afro hairstyles. Is this why they are called The Fuzz? I’m not sure but will ask the question when we interview them sometime soon! Another track that they played about mid way through their set that stuck out in my mind was ‘Solitaire’ – drummer, Mikey Shaw, stepped up at this point and the beat totally changed moving towards more of a Funk style. The rest of their performance didn’t alter in quality and throughout the remainder of the set the amazing drum fills, fantastic guitar solos, the depth and energy portrayed by Bass Player Nathan Hunt and Ash’s vocals, which were reminiscent of The Arctic Monkeys and in places The Kooks, proved to thoroughly entertain those watching. All I can say is what a shame for the people that didn’t arrive until after The Fuzz played, as they totally missed out. My advice - look out for their next gig and make sure you get yourself along to it!
Next up were The Pilots, a four piece Indie band based in Norwich. They’re made up of Sam, Muff, Dubbsy and Macky. Sam is the lead singer who certainly looked the part (with a style similar to that of Richard Ashcroft) and when the music kicked in once again everyone watching them seemed captivated with their impressive set. The confident persona of Sam drew me in immediately and their first song ‘Feel Like Letting Go’ was monstrous with the Bass drums running right through us at the front of the stage. The guys played a new track of theirs ‘Pinstripe’ that they were due to record in the studio the following day which went down an absolute storm. Can’t wait for the recorded version to be added to their lounge on here so I can add it to my playlist – look out for it as I’m sure we’ll be able to hear it very soon! My personal favourite though had to be ‘What you Don’t Know’ – maybe because I knew the words from listening to it on here before, but that certainly doesn’t take anything away from it being an absolutely cracking tune. The lyrics for alot of their songs were intriguing, but I’ll let you listen to see what you make of them as I wouldn’t like to taint your view with my interpretations. Their set finished with ‘So High’, which initially reminded me a little of T Rex and then switched into a slightly heavier rendition which definitely left me wanting more . . .
Then to top it off we chatted to Sam afterwards and what a top guy he is, which makes their music all the more influential in my humble opinion. Keep your eyes peeled for an interview with The Pilots which we will be featuring in the near future.
Then to top it off we chatted to Sam afterwards and what a top guy he is, which makes their music all the more influential in my humble opinion. Keep your eyes peeled for an interview with The Pilots which we will be featuring in the near future.
The third act to entertain us were GST Cardinals – a 5 piece Rock & Roll band from Hull who are signed to Cranky Girl Records. Just so you know GST stands for ‘God Save The’ and after their performance I’m sure God was just around the corner to look after them, or perhaps not? Dave on lead vocals was the most enigmatic frontman I’ve watched since Pete Doherty in The Babyshambles at Glastonbury in 2005. If the raw and explosive sound wasn’t enough to captivate the growing crowd then Dave certainly did an impressive job of engaging those not completely absorbed yet, by swinging from the light bars overhead, throwing the remainder of his pint over Ollie, the drummer, and then coming down from the stage and catching me off-guard, whilst taking notes for my review, and pulling me up to dance with him, which of course I obliged – what’s a girl to do? It’s all part of the job! In between these energetic rushes most other tracks were accompanied by less frantic actions and we were visually enthralled by crazy dancing, the mic stand being swung around and the Crash cymbal falling to the floor! This sounds hectic and I guess in some ways it was but music is all about entertainment and these guys certainly managed that. In addition to all of the balmy theatrics these guys played some fantastic music – really up-beat and racy to suit the overall mood of their set. Super strong vocals and an awesome group collectively – definitely one to watch!
On fourth was Angry vs The Bear. A 4 piece electric-pop punk outfit who were refreshingly individual in their image and sound. The hairstyles of Darren, Patrick and Ross were awesome – how much hairspray do you get through boys?! Alongside them Mitzi Fox, the lead singer, didn’t disappoint with her funky punk style and 80’s outfit of a t.shirt dress, chic shiny black leggings and an equally prevailing hairdo to the guys. So visually they certainly drew us all in and as soon as they started playing I was mesmerised, as seemed the rest of the crowd as they’d all taken an enticed step forward as if hypnotised by Mitzi’s magnetic charm. She certainly didn’t depict the stereotypical ‘Mum would love you’ kind of character and my guess is that was all part of her pizzazz for those spellbound in the audience. Musically these guys were out there, with Mitzi’s similarities to Hazel O’Connor and Debbie Harry plus the energy demonstrated by the whole group it was impossible to not relish them. Rather than sporting a guitar Patrick was rocking with a retro shoulder Synthesizer and Darren and Mitzi too both had their own Synths which played a major part in the entire experience. On the drums Ross did a sterling job of maintaining a flawless beat, keeping us all bopping in time throughout the set. Overall Angry vs The Bear were incredible and I thank them for the time warp experience – it’s fair to say I’m chomping at the bit to see them again soon!
Last but certainly not least we were thoroughly entertained by The Vegas Fame Index. Si, Malc and Kev were their usual compelling selves and their set went down a storm. The Indie Rockers have been a group for about two years but gel as if they’ve been together for much longer. Their performance was tight and as soon as they were on stage the entire audience moved right to the front of the room, and past caring about burst eardrums at this stage I was there with them! Totally absorbed in the guys passion we were all lapping up their expert presence. Si, in his statement red shirt was so into his performance that he almost spent as much time on his knees as he did on his feet! With sweat pouring off of him and a huge smile across his face Si displayed himself as an aspiring frontman from start to finish. A favourite track of mine had to be ‘Shot of You’ – the guitars immediately make me want to start bouncing, so I ended the night as I started and even as I write this review I’m glowing with the memory of how this particular track makes me feel. These guys get better each time I see them and if you haven’t been lucky enough to check them out yet don’t leave it too late, as in my opinion they are going places!
I’d like to thank Dudley from ‘All Sorted!?!’ for putting together a spectacular line up – great work and when’s the next one?!
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