Sorority Noise at Sticky Mike's Frog Bar

Sticky Mike's

Hidden in the labyrinth lanes of Brighton lives the legendary Sticky Mikes Frog Bar, yep truly a place that lives up to its name - sticky. Coated in local art, projected fish tanks, and glissenings of a disco ball, the Frog Bar is a fitting place for the hipster settlers to spend their Friday night. Joining the InD inhabitants last Friday were the sounds of Muskets, Puppy, and Sorority Noise.

Muskets

Whilst upstairs is lit up in all its glory, the basement of Sticky Mike's is dim but atmospheric, with only the light of the bar guiding your way. Walking into the basement you were met by the loud noises of Muskets, a long haired local foursome. Singing songs with relentless angst, and an anger that didn't seem to have its place located, this quartet tore upstage with no break for an applause. With only one EP to their name, it's early days for Muskets. However, what ever impression they give from their recorded stuff, you best believe they're better live. Sounding like Blink 182 had a baby with The Wombats, they're a weird amalgamation of American pop-punk and English grunge that seems to work enough to keep the crowd more than entertained.

Puppy

Following Muskets, were the London based trio Puppy. Staying true to the rock theme of the evening, this threesome came at the crowd with heavy metal tunes that were as soft as newly born canine. Now weighed down by the two EPs under their belt, Puppy have established themselves as the love child of 80's metal bands nursed by Weezer. Sitting happily in the intersection musical genres, Puppy greeted the stage with handfuls of harmonised guitar solos, pummelling drums, and bass that melted your face off. Unceasingly beating their instruments, Puppy crafted their weird but wonderful indie metal cross over to a crowd that got as sweaty as they did.

Sorority Noise

The final band to grace the Sticky Mike's stage was the American foursome Sorority Noise. Headlining the night, the quartet definitely drew up the biggest hoard, and aimed to make the loudest noise. Easily categorised as your average Emo / pop-punk band, Sorority Noise make it hard to look past their four man set up and songs that infiltrate the theme of juvenile angst. However, once you see through their archetypal pop-punk aesthetics, you reach of the band's gooey core that aims to motivate their listeners past self-negation and lending a hand to those who suffer from depression. Their performance on the night intertwined both their Emo roots and honest discussion of manic-depression, paradoxically encouraging self-preservation as well as body thrashing moshing.

Listen Here:
Muskets / Soundcloud 
Puppy / Soundcloud
Sorority Noise / Soundcloud

Beach Baby - No Mind No Money

Beach Baby

Since the release of their first single in 2015 the indie music scene have been expecting an eleven track blessing from London quartet Beach Baby. Having released of six, yes six, singles over the past year or so (and one EP), it came as no surprise that as of this month Beach Baby's debut album was born.

Amply titled 'No Mind No Money', Beach Baby incorporate surf pop motifs and the mesmerising power of shoegaze to create a dreamy representation of the tragedies and confused freedom of youth. With all the tracks from their singles on there, the album has a some familiar sounds as well as brand new ones; accurately exploring just what it's like to be not quite fully fledged but still suffering from the dilemmas of the real world, like not having any money or held hostage by infatuation.

The album's varying tones effortlessly shows off Beach Baby's talent, slotting themselves nicely beside such surf pop hotshots as Hawaiian Gremlins and Mac Demarco. With such cheerily mellow vibes, 'No Mind No Money' is a sure way to brighten up your mood, even if its focus on modern day calamities is almost too relatable.

Cheer up your ears:
Beach Baby/Itunes
Beach Baby/Twitter
Beach Baby/Facebook

Jellyskin - She Sung Oceans

She Sung Oceans 

Greeted once more with the presence of Leeds based band, Jellyskin, our ears are met with their newest creation She Sung Oceans. Having only started as a band in the spring of this year, this steadfast trio have already released their first track Grey Glass Hat and have teamed up with fellow fresher band, Sealand, to create record label Sea of Skin. Hacking through a starter band's checklist, Jellyskin are hastily commandeering a market which seemingly demands for a sound that's as if Kate Bush had joined Sonic Youth. And given that the band's mantra is not to sound like someone else, it comes as no a surprise that their desire to 'have a distinctive sound  that people will attribute to us' (says lead singer Zia) is accomplished.

Following on from their debut track, Jellyskin have managed to continue the melancholic transcendence that started with a visit from a mysterious man in a grey glass hat in their first track now to a girl who apparently sings oceans in their second. In its efforts to upkeep the reputation from their first song, She Sung Oceans seems to dip its toes into the seas of grunge, dream pop, and psychedelia, flooding your ears with ambient vocals, metronomic drums, and trance inducing guitars.With a climatic middle and a synthesised conclusion, each genre that the track moves through rolls over you like a wave.

Jellyskin

With images of that Simpson's scene where a bunch of teens bob to Smashing Pumpkins, and the track's sonic waves crashing around you, She Sung Oceans truly is a transient hipster daydream.

Currently toying about with ideas of organising their own gig in Leeds, says guitarist Will, and with more songs in the pipeline, we can look forward to future for Jellyskin, because it's bound to be as big as Alison Goldfrapp's hair.

Find out for yourself and dive into the oceans that she (whoever that is) sang:
Jellyskin/SheSungOceans

Meatraffle at Fighting Cocks

Fighting Cocks

If you were lurking around Old London Road in Kingston Upon Thames late Friday night, you would have stumbled upon the sweat of the socialist spectacular that is Meatraffle. Finding their way from the 'south side of the river called the Thames to the south side of the river called the Thames' (quoting frontman Zsa Zsa) they came to the Fighting Cocks with an aim to create carnage, but instead all the they got was a luke warm sway. However, although the crowd was tame, their performance was anything but.

Performing first before Meatraffle, and seemingly who most of the crowd had come to see, were non-binary trio The Misters of Circe, and yes they were a Sisters of Mercy tribute act too, nonetheless. The second were the shouty foursome Fightmilk, who sang about the drags of working in admin, and how they envy your girlfriend (apparently). 

Meatraffle/twitter

After struggling with technical difficulties and already rocking a sweet sweat shine, Meatraffle were ready to serve a fat slice of death ragga. With loopers and trumpet sounds in abundance, they created a sweaty leftist utopia that apparently only a select few of the crowd were able to feel- given that they were the only ones dancing. The constant wait for a crush of people seemed to be endless and anti-climatic, despite the fact Meatraffle's setlist was a creation based on a socialist's wet dream. Playing tracks from their album 'Hi Fi Classics', The Wickerman, The Horseshoe, and Madame Hi Fi, as well as Brother From Another Mother, they offered a trip more psychedelic than taking lsd in 1943.

Drawing a close to the evening, the band performed The Bird Song, sung by their bassist (also known as DJ Lady Gaga) which addressed the fact that 'no one is any one's "bird"' and that we are all just humans. Unfortunately it was a great shame that some members of the crowd ignored this fact and instead took advantage of being in a gig environment and completely violated the personal space a friend of mine. This kind of behaviour is a disgusting act of objectification of another human who is definitely 'not your bird'.

However, despite a relatively monotonous crowd, Meatraffle still pounded out tunes as if their fingers were hammers and sickles.

Buy your raffle tickets here, and get porked:
Meatraffle/facebook
Meatraffle/soundcloud

Girls against/website (help stop sexual harassment at gigs)

SGP - Petite Meller

SGP

Whilst Sunday maybe a festival's quietest day, their stages are still as alive as ever. Hidden on the east side of the fields was The Next Stage, new to SGP this year. On which you could have found the french powder-puff mademoiselle, Petite Meller (yes that's her real name) and her extremely talented Afro-French band, enact the most aesthetically pleasing performance that required three outfit changes and looked as if it was extracted from the dreams of Wes Anderson.

Outfit number 1 (bar the heels)
source: @Petitemeller

For most people, the sexualisation of adolescence or the appropriation of culture are areas of discomfort, however, for this Lolita archetype, who is enamoured with African culture, these are topics which should be so obvious that they are neither damned or damaged nor are they glamorised. And with her degree, and soon to be masters, in philosophy this girl knows her stuff when it comes to repression, Lacanian theory, sexuality, and what we see as literal- something she likes to release when on stage. With this in mind, it becomes clear that her imagery isn't just an artistic stunt, instead she claims that "bringing the libidinal unconscious dreams into reality is what fascinates" her and for this reason she aims to create realities that are "more real" than the unrepressed ones we have in our consciousness.

Whilst her philosophical passions can be hard to get your head around, her performance of fun electro-pop-eurotrash-inspired French chansons (in English) are easy to get along with and groove down to. Unfortunately for Petite her set happened to be during the Sunday headliner, Air, so the crowd was a petite as she is. The size of the crowd even left one member asking whether fellow gardeners knew what was about to happen and then deciding it was better they weren't there as it left more space to dance. And how the crowd did.

Petite and co.

Filling the stage with bizarre instruments of the jazz and electro variety, were her band, dressed in coordinating blue and mustard garments, and looking as cute as hell. Then without a moment to spare Petite greeted the stage with her sugary sweet presence in her first outfit of the night: "a Russian hotel blanket", 70's velvet platforms, and what looked like a safari helmet. With only a few singles out in the mainstream, her setlist wasn't as chunky as her heels, yet she still played her pop-jazz fusion with an unstoppable tenacity (despite a few stumbles and nip slips). And although her set was small it was solid, squeaky gold that called for dancing that seemed to be a hybrid of structured motifs and eye rolling seizures, that the crowd seemed to conquer with by flailing their bodies to the beat. After performing such crowd favourites as Babylove, Barbaric, and Milk Bath, and wearing three different kinds of hat, Petite finished a set that felt like she could have gone on forever, and given that the crowd were the "best ever" (according to Petite) they probably would have let her.

With her high notes and sax sounds still ringing in gardeners' ears she left the crowd confused by a mysterious blindfolded character on stage (that she left there) and a toothache from just how sweet she was.

Take a bite out of this cupcake and find out for yourself:
Petite Meller/Website
Petite Meller/Twitter

Petite Meller/Facebook

SGP - Caribou

SGP

Being the headliner at a festival is tough, but headlining a festival and performing after a six year firework spectacular tradition seems impossible. Yet, stood dressed all in white and silhouetted by strobe lights on The Great Stage, Caribou seemed to handle the job with the slickness of liquid velvet.

Caribou 
Source: Andrew Whitton

Having been around for the past 11 years, Caribou knows exactly what it takes to make a crowd weak at the knees and their bodies flail. Known almost as the cult classic of psychedelic electropop, Caribou creates house music like no other. And with their clump of limbs and instruments set up, front man Dan Snaith and co make for an performance of multiple climaxes with a sweaty finish. 

Having had the entirety of the festival on the stage side of the fields, Caribou had no option but to perform to the masses. Although they only had an hour long set, it seemed like the band could have gone on for days and I have no doubt their audience would have let them. As they trickled through the setlist, Caribou made the individual songs into a seamless sea of sounds, with every beat and strobe rolling over the crowd like waves. Performing such tunes as Can't Do Without You, Odessa, and Silver, there wasn't a dry face in the crowd. 

Caribou @ SGP
Source: Andrew Whitton

Whilst electronica can be a musical umbrella that is often mass produced or overrated, Caribou, however, manages to create such an emotional as well as psychedelic experience that it's borderline extraterrestrial (slotting nicely into Secret Garden Party's space theme). On the night Caribou performed the songs so authentically it was as if they were improvised, even though some of the tunes were as old as most of the crowd. It was a multidimensional experience that suited the every gardener's vibe: whether you wanted to have spiritually uplifting voyage or whether you just wanted to boogie till the late hours, Caribou were there for you that Saturday night.

Let your ears get intimate:
Caribou/Website
Caribou/Facebook
Caribou/Twitter
Caribou/Souncloud

SGP - La Femme

SGP

After a sweaty day in the scorching sun, nothing seemed worse than dancing in the middle of a toasty crowd for the evening, yet La Femme's performance made it all worth while. Having already had the likes of The Skints, Little Comets, and Swim Deep graced the sage that day it was a surprise just how effortlessly La Femme stole the limelight from right underneath this long list's feet.

La Femme
source: Max Miechowski

With a unique sound that, on paper, shouldn't work at all and with lyrics entirely in French, it comes as a shock just how popular La Femme are in England. Performing as a sextet this French lot, make looking cool their day job. Armed with synths up to their eye balls and surf pop riffery these cool kids create a sound that's as if Mary Goes Round performed a cover of Jane Birkin's Je T'aime whilst riding a carousel. And whilst it sounds implausible, La Femme expertly execute the sultry sound of the ye ye girls and the upbeat jangle of surf-pop, whilst in-keeping with the angry doom of the Kraut and DAF punk movement.

La Femme
source: Max Miechowski

After what appeared to be a rushed set up, La Femme entered The Great Stage without dropping a bead of sweat in front of the crowd which had began to form. With a row of synths along the width of the stage and the drum kit just behind, their lay out prepared eagerly awaiting fans for their surf-pop-cold-wave hybrid.  And whilst they seemed unaffected by the heat of the sun or the size of the crowd, they certainly made the audience sweat for them. Performing such popular, hits as Antitaxi, It's Time To Wake Up 2023, and Amour dans les motu, La Femme encouraged a surge of dancing which slowly formed into a mosh pit in the middle. Finishing their hour set, La Femme put the crowd out of their sticky misery whilst at the same time left them wanting more.

If you were lucky enough to spot them around the festival in the evening, they were giving out handshakes, kisses on the cheek, and free t-shirts (at some point).

They're fun and furious, and even if you can't be bothered to translate the lyrics they're like an electro-punk themed carousel on the West Coast that once you've heard it you'll definitely wanna ride. Get on here:
La Femme/Facebook
La Femme/Website
La Femme/Twitter
La Femme/soundcloud

SGP - Blondage

SGP

Having suffered last year with pouring rain and mud baths, Secret Garden Party got to show off their full potential this summer with beautiful weather and glitter covered gardeners, despite the fact they didn't sell out this year. For this year's theme Head Gardeners planned a weekend of intergalactic transportation, taking inspo from the cult classic Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and amply naming it The Gardeners Guide to the Galaxy.

Blondage

As a festival there stands to be no kind of set structure, rather it is truly just one big party, although having said this the festival doesn't shy away from providing many a stage, which many a great artist performed on throughout the four days. In this four-post-mini-series, there will be a taster of the bands who stood out as the 'best in show' of each day, starting obviously with Thursday.

Although the festival does officially start on Thursday, The Great Stage remains redundant until Friday, which means that it is left to the mini stages to fill the ears of wandering gardeners. New to 2016, The Urban Forest, was merely one of the stages located around the three fields. Built entirely out of old shutters, window frames, and mirrors, the Urban Forest was an home from home in the strange galaxy that was SGP '16. Headlining the Urban Forest on Thursday evening was the Danish electro-duo Blondage. 

Blondage @ Secret Garden Party

Formerly known as Ragleklods, Blondage is made up of the talented Pernille Smith-Sivertsen and Essen Andersen. With only two singles to their name, Blondage aren't easy to hear, so seemingly the best way to listen to them is live. If you were lucky enough to stumble upon their performance on Thursday, you would have found these strobe-a-holics drenched in all black and producing the juiciest synths since Kraftwerk's The Man Machine. Whilst the crowd was small, their performance was not. Whipping out instruments that didn't seem real, and managing to sing (yes both of them) whilst mixing their own music live, Blonadge's pop-electro performance created bubblegum sweet sounds that made your ears happy, whilst your feet hurt. Hidden by cutely coloured back lighting this duo were merely silhouettes on stage that, even without being able to see their faces, performed with ice cool eclat. 

Described by one in the crowd as 'like Grimes but trying less hard' they are clearly a duo to keep your eyes on. Serve yourself an aesthetically pleasing slice of whatever their having here (because you'll sure want a taste):

Blondage/Soundcloud

Blondage/Facebook
Blondage/Instagram

sealand - Holy Head

sealand

Finding ourselves back in what seems to be the birthing pool of musical talent, the North, we find yet another little musical gem: sealand. Manchester students Rory Calland and Lucio Gray are the ambitious minds behind this post-punk-dream-pop-shoe-gazer combo that some would say is impossible to pull off. With two songs under their belt, this duo show off their musical diversity through a limited playlist.

Releasing said songs on their soundcloud in the same month, it's hard to tell that they were curated together. Their first track Vehicle is one of which is like Stone Roses spin off (somewhat like an indie equivalent of S Club 7's S club Juniors). But don't get it twisted, whilst the song has it's roots deep with the soil of their predecessors, it has a back bone that is completely their own. And even though the song may not sound as enticing as the idea of a fresh Mancunian newcomer, their second song Holy Head definitely changes this.

Holy Head

The song is slow but intense, and sounds as though Joy Division has had an anarcho-punk child, born holding a sitar. Creating a stream of consciousness that's just about audible, mixed with the overlapping drone of guitars and synths, sealand have made a song that makes you feel as though you're wandering round the unconsciousness of our generation. This hybrid of dream-pop and spoken word makes for an interesting listen to say the least, that could be controversial and meaningful but you might need to squint your ears to hear it. However, one thing that is for certain is that it's alluring and hypnotic, and once you've heard it it's as if you've bathed in the holy water of sealand.

Holy Head will also be featured on the band's independent DIY record label Sea of Skin Records (co-owned by their plan Jellyskin no less) first compilation album, which comes out on the 15th of this month. Keep your ears to the ground, as it won't be long until we're soaked through by the splash of sealand.

Swim with them in their serene pool:
sealand/souncloud
sealand/facebook
sealand/twitter

Jellyskin - Grey Glass Hat

Jellyskin

It must be something they put in the water because, like many indie music pioneers, Jellyskin hail from 'up North'. However, this is not their leading feature, instead what stands out about this trio is their ability to make a song whilst balancing the life of a student. According to the band lead singer, and synther, Zia and guitarist, Will have always wanted to make music together, and with friend Olly being a drummer, they one day came together to work with some ideas. And with this the band birthed their first song Grey Glass Hat, and it's a corker.

The song starts off slow, with ominous syths, that are deeper than the voice of Johnny Cash, and elegant vocal's from lead singer Zia. It doesn't take long for the guitar and drums to make their entrance, really showing off the band's late 80s-early 90s influence creating a sound that's almost a grunge-shoegaze combo. With heavy synths running throughout, and mellow drums to compliment them, it's hard to believe that it's only three of them making so much sound.

Grey Glass Hat 

Whilst the song repeatedly asks you why you don't go, us as the listener asks the band why would we leave this dark and mystical place Jellyskin have managed to engulf us in; even if no one truly knows who the man in the grey glass hat is. The song is progressive, dipping right in the middle to finish on a crescendo that ends in a melancholic climax.

With a name like Jellyskin it's surprising that they can make something that is so structured and ethereal compared to the vision of wobbly flesh. Given that this is their first song, they have made their mark as musicians who can create music that is hauntingly beautiful and heavy at the same time. Sounding as if Smashing Pumpkins have had a love child with London Grammar, or as if a grunge band has taken choir practice, I'd watch this space because, as their name suggests, I have no doubt they're gonna make you as wet as pre-mixed jelly.

Wet your ears: Jelly Skin

Warmduscher at the Windmill

The Windmill

If like me you landed in an other dimension and spent a night in Brixton's The Windmill (again) you would have been witness to the carnage of both bands Good Sad Happy Bad and Warmduscher, as well as being disappointed that the real Lady Gaga wasn't there (and neither was band Goat Girl). Hosting the night were the illustrious Warmduscher celebrating the return of Saul Adamczewski from the the land of the free and the home of the brave, and oh boy do they know how to throw a welcome home party.

Good Sad Happy Bad

Before Warmduscher took the stage, threesome Good Sad Happy bad performed their version of music. Formerly known as Micachu and the Shapes (after lead singer Mica Levi's stage name Micachu), this trio create music that seems to regurgitate a distorted version of the sounds of an angsty teen after a night out, and appear to represent what it is to be good, sad, happy, and bad all at the same time. After composing the soundtrack of major motion picture 'Under the Skin' as Micachu and the Shapes, it seems that their re-branding as Good Sad Happy Bad is the trio's attempt at getting back to basics, and their performance makes this assumption believable. Going back to their make-shift music roots, Good Sad Happy Bad perform as raw as their newest single sounds. In fact they were so back-to-basics that lead sing Mica apologised when something went wrong. Although their music may not be to everyone's taste, and they sound a little like they just rolled out of bed with a hangover, their performance was both amicable and popular and spurred a unified crowd jig and the consumption of a pint.

Warmduscher

Following the trio came the sordid liberators Warmduscher. Welcoming home their beloved band member Saul, the foursome performed a setlist that encouraged the secretion bodily fluids and the throwing of punches. For Warmduscher it would appear that during every performance they manage to catalyse some kind of social butchery, where every moral and social norm is blocked out by the drone of guitar riffs and pounding drums. Wearing a jacket coated in gold, which suggested that guns, bling, and ganja are integral to satisfaction, lead singer Clams Baker and the guys performed classics Uncle Sleepover and The Salamander, as well as new track The Sweet Smell of California, displaying that despite what their name suggests they are anything but wimps. Before finishing the show Clams once again left the mic to the audience during the final song (clearly a signature move), expressing that for Warmduscher the revolution is a collective effort and it all started in the windmill. 

The night was rounded off with a DJ set by 'Lady Gaga', however, if you believed it was the real one you were sadly mistaken. However, giving a four hour set isn't easy so hats off to you DJ Lady Gaga, it's just unfortunate that most were too busy gurinin' to notice. 

Warmduscher X Meatraffle at The Windmill

The Windmill

If you were in the whimsical watering hole that is The Windmill on the 3rd of June you may have found a band who comes with a trumpet and a postpunk attitude, and another who's name needs to be typed into google translate in order to correctly pronounce it. With their roots planted deeply within the dirt of the weird and wonderful, Meatraffle and Warmduscher have come together to create a double-sided single that's so degenerately unorthodox that it deserved a party that embodied that very notion.

If you arrived fashionably late, you may have missed the first three acts of the night: NoFriendz, Fake Fur, and Suitman Jungle. However, that does not mean that you couldn't see them, on the contrary. In fact you were most likely to be moshing next to the singer of NoFriendz, who was unmissable given that he had pegs in his hair, and no doubt you also saw the singer from Fake Fur, as she was later on invited back on stage to give a second display of her lungs (and boy does she have a good pair).

Warmduscher

The first band, out of the pair of headliners, to greet the stage was Warmduscher. The band is made up of trio  Jack Everett and Saul Adamczewski (although he wasn't there on the night) from the Fat White Family, Ben Romans-Hopcraft of Childhood, and Clams Baker. It didn't take long for the mottly crew to prepare their set, nor did it take any time for the crowd to emerge from every crevasse to form an audience just as equipped for mayhem as the band was. With neon lights clouding their vision and anarchy coursing through their veins, it came as no surprise that the crowd became engulfed into the trippy dystopia that is the world Warmduscher.  And whilst it may take a certain kind of person to find solace in the sounds of Warmduscher, what they create is undeniably something special. Why, not just any band can successfully embody the dysfunctions of our morally diseased society and still make digestible music; however this trio can. They say you have to see it to believe it, and The Windmill definitely saw.

Meatraffle

Following Warmduscher were the mutinous Meatraffle, made up of a bunch of uncanny aliases, such as Zsa Zsa Sapien, Tingle Lungfish, and Fats McCourt, and whilst their names may be comical, their message is not and neither is their following. As almost a band in residence, Meatraffle are a beloved name around the South London area. Musically, the band refuse to be categorised, so they sit on the outside able to replicate the collapse of civility and morality as we know it. Their overtly political stand point and music, made for a performance that encouraged riotous behaviour whilst reminding you how important the dentist is. Their setlist was an entrancing amalgamation of sounds copy and pasted straight from their album to the stage. They are a band like no other and put on a show that everyone should see in their life time- APART from the Yuppies of course, you fuckers stay out.

The single launch was nothing less than success: the bands saw, came, conquered, and left everyone drenched in the expulsion of the socialist orgasm that the musicians created.

Buy the single here and reach the same climax from the comfort of your own home: Meatduscher.

Yak at The Joiners

The Joiners

Yak are a trio made of London based nuttahs, from Wolverhampton and New-Zealand, who find solace in dripping with sweat and making others do the same. With talent oozing from their pores, and front man Oliver Burslem's Mick Jagger crica '65 good looks, the band put on a show that leaves crowds with bruises on their knees. Although the trio has only been circulating around the indie rock scene since 2014, their notoriety is formed off the back of their ability to recreate a sound that is reminiscent of a scuzzy garage band from the '60s. The band have only this month released their debut album 'Alas Salvation' and are embarking on a tour which is proving their worth as musicians who aim to bring to crowds what their album title suggests.

The V2's (taken  by Rhona Murphy)

If you were looking for a Friday night full of sweat and beer fuelled civil disobedience than Southampton's The Joiners welcomed you with open arms. Kicking the night off were Bournemouth based boys The V2's. As somewhat local performers at The Joiners, they quickly filled up the floor with fans presumably the same age as quartet of sixth formers (I don't I think I've ever felt so old even when I wasn't holding a beer can). However, age seems to be irrelevant to The V2's, and given their performance history it evidently isn't a hindrance.  Their music is so full of catchy lyrics and fuzzy riffs that it's even caused Mac Demarco's mum to join their fanclub (supposedly). Covered in glitter and wearing coats with fringe The V2's performed a setlist to which the crowd shamelessly moshed to. Watch out 'cause for these southerners the only way is up.

Palm Honey

Following regulars The V2's were Palm Honey, the super psychedelic synthers from reading. This indie foursome greet the crowd with sugary-sweet sounds made up of poppy hooks and chill outed synths. The band's musical style seems to exist in the realms of psychedelia but with a darker twist, given that their lyrics are "super deep". However, it's unfortunate that some of this was lost in their performance given that lead singer Joesph Mumford's voice was distorted so much that it was hard to make out the band name let alone the lyrics, which contrasts their recorded stuff that you can find on the internet. Although in saying this the overall experience of their performance was submerging and indulgent, even if you struggled to sing along.

Yak

Last but not least, given that everyone had paid to see them, were Yak. Although a little late starting, the unruly threesome began their performance with no intention of lulling. From start to finish they performed a setlist that was made to be performed live and the crowd knew it. The push and shove of the crowd began as soon as they did, with Harbour the Feeling, moshing so much that front man Burslem was able to crowd surf within the first five minutes. Dripping with sweat and spitting for days, the band put on such a victorious show that bassist Andy Jones broke a bass string. Lapping up every tune with hungry eyes and hanging off of every hook the crowd were just as relentless as the band. When the trio ended the set with Plastic People followed by Jam, the audience sighed with relief as they realised, alas, Yak brought salvation.

Black Honey at The Joiners

The Joiners

It's hard work making an entire venue wish that they were you, however front woman of Black Honey, Izzy Bee, oozes with so much cool she makes it look as if it's her day job. Yet a kick ass lead singer is not all this fierce band have to offer. Armed with an attitude that could turn you to stone in one second and then melt your heart the next, the band's music is addictive like something sweet but storms into your ears like a lighting strike. For one night, and one night only, this tenacious foursome took over Southampton's The Joiners, however their smell and sound is probably still lingering around the venue after whipping up such a moshing storm.

Fever

The Joiners as a music venue is pretty cool: it's outside is a shell of your average pub yet its insides are made of your typical gig venue organs and is plastered in music posters- past and present. A suitable place for Black Honey's first support act to take the stage, cue the southern quartet Fever, who evidently have some notoriety within the venue anyway! Whilst they only have two songs on SoundCloud, Fever emptied out an handful of tunes that seemingly can't be found on the internet and therefore can only be heard live. Their sound is little more than garage fuzz,  however that's not to say that they are average, on the contrary their songs are hot like fever yet on stage they are as chilled as the cold beer in your hands. What the band lack in stage, and internet, presence they make up for in music, kick starting the cold sweats of evening.

Johnny Lloyd

Following the South Coast's answer to grunge, Fever, comes a south London soloist Johnny Lloyd (solo despite the fact he comes with a band and a good looking sound crew). As former front man of Camden's Tribes, Johnny Lloyd is a natural born performer who comes equipped with a voice that warms your heart and sweet, ceaseless, hip thrusting action. His performance is also aided with the help of a setlist that is armed with so much talent you could sink you teeth into it and take a chunk out. Each song him and the band performed was something a little different ranging from sounds similar to Bob Dylan, 'John Wesley Harding' circa, to sounding not too dissimilar to Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours' era. On the night he performed his recent release 'Hello Death', produced by Jamie T, as well as singles 'Pilgrims', produced by Mystery Jets, and 'Happy Humans'; much to the middle aged women behind us' delight. After supporting Black Honey, Johnny Lloyd, and co, are embarking on a solo tour as well as touring with Band of Skulls, so see them there or forever live in the unknown where your ears are never graced with Johnny Lloyd's smouldering sounds.

Black Honey

Black Honey shortly emerge upon the stage that is already full of their instruments and infamous flamingo ornament, and the crowd, needless to say, embrace the band with welcoming arms. The band began their setlist with no intention of lulling, starting as they mean to go on with the throwing off of a beret and their tune 'Spinning Wheel' (that makes you feel as though you're in a Tarantino movie). With a crowd that worships the ground the band walk on, who not only want to be lead singer Izzy Bee but also drool over her, the atmosphere was rife for some angsty carnage. Black Honey continued to pound relentlessly through a setlist made up of both their EPs and new song 'Mothership', which required the audience to crouch to listen to Izzy Bee as if she was so kind of cult preacher before bursting up into a frenzy of shear glorious chaos. The night ended in what seems to be a theme of a Black Honey gig and that is a full blown stage invasion with no fucks given. Having already been told to 'behave' and 'get down' when the first few attempts were made it was the final song, 'YSIA', that called for the sweaty bunch of adolescences to storm the stage and succeed. Once Black Honey finished, and the crowd had wet their pants, they could be found in the lobby selling merch and baptising pre-pubescences with temporary tats.

Black Honey in some respects remain a secret band that apparently people in the local pub hadn't heard of, however, it goes without saying that their performance is a 60s esk creation of the grooviest kind of pandemonium that can't be missed.

All photos were taken at the gig, by one Jamie Wrapson (thanks pal)

Yuck at The Moth Club 2016

Yuck @ MothClub

In deepest, darkest Hackney Central is a pub that looks as plain as it gets, however once you go through the door that has a laminated 'entrance' sign on, it becomes clear this is a club like no other. With the club's history deep rooted in British military past  (MOTH standing for Memorable Order of Tin Hats) it's a surprise how well the club's original memorabilia complements the  glitter smothered ceiling and the gold shimmer curtains that drench the stage. It's a venue that is a must see to believe, suited and booted for any band that's going to create a good time and who will fill up the dancefloor, evidently Yuck suited the Moth Club down to a tee. With the launch of their newest album 'Stranger Things' on the day of their first gig at the Moth Club it comes as no surprise that they managed to fill floor with moshing indie kids, politely perched fans on the velvet sofas and the odd adolescent who seemingly had managed to sneak their way in (something im sure we've all done at some point).

Shark Dentist

Before Yuck hit the lit up stage, in all its shiny glory, were Shark Dentist. According to their facebok bio the band themselves harvested jellyfish in their childhood and until 2014 there was no such Shark Dentist. However, whilst their "history" and name, on paper, is laughable, any band who calls their genre of music 'sandwich metal' deserves some kind of recognition. The foursome's performance, simply put, encompasses their internet persona... frankly they don't give a shit and they are teeming with wit. Their setlist comprised of songs from their newest single 'Stranger' and the crowd favourite Cut Myself Shaving (as well as a few more), each song performed with the feral intensity of a wild animal and the angsty attitude of a pre-teen. With hilarity of their lyrics they combine the mundane with a rich sound that is anything but boring, unlike cutting yourself when shaving- it is this mixture of honesty and loud noises that make them so enjoyable. Watch this space.

Puppy

Following the delightful catawaul of Shark Dentist came another band with an animal themed title, Puppy.  Whilst the band aesthetically suit their syrupy sweet name, their music is quite the opposite, and it is for this reason that they are so surprisingly pleasing. Puppy's music is a creation of nuance heavy metal that takes the genre for a fast paced ride on the indie roller coaster, making them sound somewhat like Wheatus covering Metallica. However as strange as they sound, their live performance shows that there is method in the trio's madness, creating a sound that's unique but at the same is like having 80's classic rock blasted into your ears. On the night they performed music from their newest EP 'Forever' making for an evening of perfectly refined indie-metal ballads and a setlist built upon hammering drums, rough riffs and rambunctious harmonies all tied up neatly in a bow.

Yuck

It wasn't long before the headliner of the evening, Yuck, came on stage. The band entered the shimmering stage with a blaise presence whilst they were surrounded by glimmering tinsel curtains, which just asked the audience to glow and behold the ever cool foursome. Whilst the band's last two albums may have passed the music scene by, seeped within the shadows, their gradual release of new singles over both this month and the last Yuck have evidently been gathering more and more hype as this year progresses. Their growth in popularity, and support for new album 'Stranger Things' ,was represented by the abundance of fans who flooded the dance floor of the Moth Club on the 26th of February. Performing both classic Yuck hits such as Get Away and The Wall (the song the crowd insisted they played in between tunes) as well as their new stuff Hearts in Motion and Cannonball, Yuck merely excrete what it is to be a indie-grunge band in 2016.

The band finished the night with two more song's following their faux encore exit, giving one last chance for the crowd to get sweaty, before the start of the brilliantly selected DJ by the Moth Club. The night in general was just as glowing as the ceiling. And speaking of shiny, Yuck's shiny new album premiered yesterday and if you aren't listening it now than what are you doing?!

Gotta catch 'em all:
www.sharkdentist.bandcamp.com
www.puppytheband.com
www.yuckband.com

Sweet (20)16 in her Leather Boots.

As much as a new year is just another day with a different number, we start to reflect on the new things that are to come much more than any other time of year. As this happens, bands who may have previously just been lurking in the shadowy darkness of last years music scene begin to emerge left right and centre. So what a fitting time it would seem to comprise a short list of artists (in no particular order) who as we speak are crawling out of the woodwork and into our ear-holes.

1. Beach Baby

Source: Beach Baby

Despite a Google search for this band resulting in finding pictures of babies on beaches, and being pointed in the direction of First Class' 1974 hit Beach Baby this English Quartet are far from babies and although they are not First Class their music is nothing but. With the same management as that behind the jingly jangly Jungle, it comes as no surprise that their music carries the same dreamy feel, yet it is also completely different. The band's most recent release 'Limousine' (2015) is their first EP and what a way to start. With the songs on the EP they entered the music world with a setlist of post punk, shoe-gaze, surf pop hybrid that that is sweet like honey in your mouth.

2.Blossoms

Source: Blossoms 

After the unprecedented popularity of this leather-jacketed-long-haired five-some's hit Charlemagne it comes as no surprise that Blossoms are already making their mark on 2016's indie market. Seeking inspiration from the works of Alex Turner and ABBA, this band have created a sound that is not dissimilar to pop culture of the 00's; and their recent release At Most Just a Kiss is no exception to their signature funky fresh vibe. Although the band has been deemed to share the focal guitar rifts that such bands as the Arctic Monkeys have, their heavy sythns keep the their tunes funkier than the sounds of Wham!, proving that their roots are firmly grounded in the depths of glam-rock.

3. Tacocat

Source: Tacocat 

Seemingly 2015 was a quiet year for this surf-punk, Seattle based foursome, in contrast they begin 2016 with the strong statement I Hate the Weekend. Whilst most appreciate the luxury of the two days which make up the weekend, the band forces their typical comically piss-off outlook upon the way the weekend is  overcrowded with unbearable drunken businesswomen and men. The single follows the bands classic structure of creating a classic punk sound with unapologetically clever lyricism, keeping fans content with the burn! factor that reigns through their previous two albums. The band, arguably, kicks off the year with a kick up with a socially concious anthem that refuses to be ignored, and this is can only be expected for their thrid album 'Lost Time'.

4. Black Honey

Source: Black Honey

With an EP and three singles under their belt, this foursome come charging at you with the tenacity of freight train but in the dreamy way possible. And it is this that's given Black Honey such a rock n' roll reputation among the indie music scene. Arguably what makes their music stand out above the rest is their ability to combine psychedelic guitars of recent mainstream indie pop, with the lyricism and hearty fuzz tones you'd expect to hear from a 1960's garage band. With this in mind it feels as though the band has based their songs on the moto of something new, something borrowed and something blue making for the perfect collaboration of the old and new and creating a sound that's like a pool of blue you just want to dive straight into. Having already experienced the hype of their own headline show, and won the award for the Most Blogged Artist 2015, it feels safe to say that there are big things coming for this band, we can only but hope they don't 'want to sleep for ever'.

5. Sons of an Illustrious Father

Source: Sons of an Illustrious Father

Having remained relatively unnoticed around world, despite one of the band members being the actor (and angel) Ezra Miller, this New York based trio create deep nuance blues sounds like no other. And whilst the band have previously released two albums pre-2016, this year they plan to release their third album Revol, in March. Whilst fans anxiously anticipate the new album, Sons of an Illustrious Father keeps eager listeners excited with the single Conquest, starting the band's 2016 with a bang.

Conquest, is not only an amicable salute to both traditional folk artists and politically conscious punk bands, but is also a powerful homage to the intersectional feminists such as bell hooks and Andrea Smith- who lead singer Lilah Larson claims 'the song is deeply indebted lyrically to'. The hauntingly sweet song is accompanied by a graphic novel both written and illustrated by Lilah Larson. With an upcoming tour of the US and their upcoming album the band have a their hands full and the music world to conquer.

6. Bleached 

Source:Bleached

Made up of two sisters, the Calivins, Bleached are the veterans of LA's feminist punk girl group Mika Miko. Sticking with the theme of dirty-under-chipped-nails punk rock from their previous band, their music is aggressive and manic but still echoes the popular surf punk tunes. The girls undeniably resemble their 60's femme predecessors: combining a retro Shangri-La's coolness with mordern day rock and roll, similar to the like minded band Hunx and His Punx. Their 2016 release Keep On Keepin On sees bleached in all their glory, and with their second album set to release to release this year, as well as a world tour, this sister act is already giving 2016 a run for its money.

7. Inheaven

Source: Inheaven 

With an immaculate combination of the gloomy vocals, aggressive guitars overlaid by female harmonies Inheaven have managed to create a sound that, although is not dissimilar from their indie rock predecessors such as Jesus and The May Chain and Jimmy Eat World, is completely their own. Their unique sound almost embodies the unrelenting power of teenage angst, so it's no surprise that they style and music caught the eye (and ears) of The Strokes' Julian Casablancas who helped co-release the band's first single. Having already released two singles in 2015, this South London based quartet enter 2016 with a reputation that suggests that their music has so much unstoppable spiritual, kinetic energy that it has a life of it's own.

8. Estrons

Source: Estrons 

Estrons are a fearsome foursome who come charging at you from the Welsh seaside wielding the lyrics 'I'd like to make a man of you'. Whilst this song came out in 2015, and the only other song to their name is a welsh track C-C-Cariad, they prove that they are band not be messed with. The song Make A Man epitomises this exact notion: its political, punchy and powerful echoing fellow political-punk artists and takes no shit. The story behind the track is one 'of a heterosexual female's battle between desiring a man, whilst simultaneously finding herself having little respect for his self important ego and misogynistic attitude towards women' tells frontwoman Taliesyn Kallstrom, thus whilst their name means alien in Welsh their rebellious ideals are any but extraterrestrial. 2016 looks like a year that these Estrons will prove how out of this world they are.

9. Yuck

Source: Yuck

After a surprise appearance in 2015, with release of a new single, Yuck have returned once more this year armed with a pop-punk track that contagious as it gets; upholding their signature style and their reputation as a great UK garage band. Their new release Hearts In Motion successfully embodies the stress of modern day romance, where it’s hard for two hearts in motion to beat at the same time (much like the inability to find a match on tinder). The song itself ends ambiguously, leaving you wondering ‘Is it all just doomed to failure, or is it the one thing that we should be holding on to the most in this world?’(says singer Max Bloom), however 2016 for this band is anything but doomed to fail. Hearts In Motion is a mere taster of what’s to come from Yuck’s third album Stranger Things that’s due out next month.

10. The Magic Gang

Source: The Magic Gang

This rising foursome from Brighton dive straight into 2016 with their new release EP, making their mark on this years music scene. As musicians they have been compared to the likes of Weezer and the Beach Boys, and with sickly sweet guitars combined with lyrics of the mundane, and sometimes gloomy, side of life this comparison rings somewhat true. Across the cleverly named EP, The Magic Gang fuse illusion with reality, epitomised in their contrast between joyous melodies and wistful lyricism that is almost too real to handle. The band themselves claim that their music is for the 'mind, body and soul', and their EP truly displays this to be their mantra. With tunes that make you blissfully aware that life is a bit shitty sometimes it looks like a good year for this surprising relatable and charmingly melancholic quartet. 

Despite the year beginning with such sad loses to the music world it would seem that from here the only way is up. Roll on the hopefuls for this year.