Issue 55 / May 2015

Portico Sunday 26th April
WIRE Wednesday 29th April
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Lazy Habits Thursday 7th May (Ruby Lounge)
FM Saturday 9th May
Sleaford Mods Friday 15th May
Ozric Tentacles Friday 22nd May
Hunter Hayes Friday 22nd May
Bad Manners Saturday 13th June
Jace Everett Friday 26th June
Black Grape Friday 3rd July
Snakecharmer Saturday 4th July
Jimmy Cliff Saturday 25th July
Mordred Thursday 6th August
Sugarhill Gang Saturday 8th August
Mostly Autumn Saturday 12th September
Buzzcocks Saturday 10th October
Peter Hook & The Light Friday 30th October
Heaven 17 Sunday 31st October
Dan Baird & Homemade Sin Sunday 31st October
The Wedding Present Saturday 14th November
Aynsley Lister Friday 4th December
New Model Army Saturday 5th December
Big Country Saturday 12th December
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of Ghana and Nigeria, it is apparent that, if last
night’s Nightmares On Wax set down the road
was a journey through musical time zones,
tonight we are travelling through space. From
the Eurocentric opener we have moved directly
south, through mountain and desert, until
we reach Central Africa; a serendipitous aural
tapestry is being woven from the old colonial
trade routes.
This may not be the largest crowd he has
played to but there is a vibrant energy in the
room, reflected by Débruit himself as he moves
ceaselessly behind the decks, rocking to the
beats, tweaking and retouching his sonic palette.
After a quick trip over to Latin America he brings
the set to a rousing, horn-fuelled finale, receiving
rapturous applause.
BREWSKI BEAT take to the decks to take it
home. This slot could be the musical equivalent
of the post-match warm-down, but not a bit of it:
Brewski Beat keep the energy high with a vibrant
mix of pop, electro and dub, the journey continues
and the crowd respond – the dancers keep on
dancing. Perhaps they’ll reach their destination.
COLLECTORS CLUB
High Tyde – Vynce – Whitecliffe
Moonshine @ Arts Club
Glyn Akroyd
Monday night, a Mersey equivalent of
a monsoon outside, and the second-ever
Moonshine night at Arts Club is by no means
threatening to turn vintage. Numbers are low
enough to pass for an average to poor Sunday
League crowd, only more drenched and less
enthusiastic.
So it’s not in the best circumstances that
WHITECLIFFE take to the stage and the LIPAformed
five-piece get off to a shaky start. The
unsure opening must be partly attributed to a
less than flattering sound mix. As the evening
transpires not one of the four acts fail to express
their displeasure with the levels.
Whitecliffe get stronger as the set goes on.
Songs like The Talk see everything fall into
place thanks to some swishing riffs and driving
drums. Lead singer Oliver Nagy certainly has a
way with the microphone stand. Or rather, he
has his way with the microphone stand. It’s not
quite Bond-girl silhouette but it’s not far off,
either. With single Everybody Knows, Oliver pulls
it off, channelling Brandon Flowers with aplomb.
Beware ye of becoming Ricky Martin, though.
Fresh from Threshold Festival, VYNCE put their
best foot forward with opening number Lust, a
catchy rocker laden with “hey”s and backed up
with some cracking harmonies. They struggle for
momentum in the middle of their set though,
as the technical difficulties come home to roost,
and decent songs dwindle flat. Vynce manage to
drag it back with closer Belly Ache, a tune that
calls up the best of Kasabian, with shades of
Come Together.
Headliners COLLECTORS CLUB were making
waves back in 2011. Since then, their peers have
moved on, making this year an important one
then as they look to release their debut EP under
the proven auspices of producer Steve Levine.
The early signs are promising, with new material
roaming delightfully into Graceland territory. But
tonight the indie outfit don't properly hit their
groove until tucking into covers of Girls Just Want
To Have Fun and Everywhere. Definitely a group
to keep your eye on in the coming months.
But it's third act HIGH TYDE who lay down
a marker on the night. At 17 years old, all four
lads fall into the demographic referred to by
Clearasil executives as “the kill zone”. Never
fear, dermatologically the group are good and
musically they’re on the money too. Founded
on the inventive beats of polka-dotted drummer
Louis Semlekan-Faith (shirt, not skin), their tunes
are built for dancing. Their repertoire is packed
with doldrums-dashers such as the irresistible
Milkshake and it's easy to see this lot storming
the festivals in the summer. There’ll come a day
when young High Tyde frontman Cody Thomas-
Matthews won’t get away with quite so many
dedications to “the ladies”, but it’s not this day.
His irrepressible bravado and barrier-hopping
antics are the perfect antidote for any Monday
night blues. On lead single Talk To Frank he sings
“It won’t be long/till you’re singing my song” and,
honestly, you can’t help but believe him.
Jamie Carragher / @carragherjamie
BIPOLAR SUNSHINE
August+Us
EVOL @ The Kazimier
The Kazimier isn’t quite full tonight, but
attendance is healthy. AUGUST+US provide
support and the Manchester trio easily hold the
room’s attention as they provide a slice of sunny
alt pop with a roughened edge that singles them
out as something different in an overly-saturated
market of summer-ready bands.
When BIPOLAR SUNSHINE take the stage,
there is almost a confusion as to whether this
is the same Adio Marchant we’re familiar with as
he bounces onto the stage emanating optimism.
While Love More Worry Less is the sort of
gloomy half-baked social commentary that has
been doing the rounds for years and is hardly
ground-breaking, tonight in front of a live audience
it has a much more heartfelt approach. To counter
this emotion the rendition comes complete with
a throbbing sexual kick drum torn straight from
the pages of The Weeknd’s early work, the then
bench-mark for promiscuous future RnB.
This sets the tone for an evening that is
genre-bending throughout. Those who have
listened to Bipolar Sunshine’s work would be
forgiven for expecting a subdued and slightly
sullen experience but it is quite the opposite.
Opening with Future (Part 1) is a sultry starting
point and the All Night Long dance-fuelled hook