Friday 15 September 2017

On The Radar : Stella Donnelly



Sometimes I’ll just flick through artists on Spotify, like when you start listening to one artist and then click ‘Related Artists’ then be completely sucked into a black hole of music for a few hours. There is always one or two that stick out from that black hole and Stella Donnelly was one of them for me.

I had gone backwards in my blog as I’ve recently started writing again and found The Colourist which led me to the acoustic brutal lullaby like voice of Stella Donnelly, the very first song I’d heard was ‘MechanicalBull’ purely for the fact that it’s the most listened on her Spotify page, a song that is honest and open regarding relationship issues. Stella has this voice that screams jaded Kate Nash, in the instance that if she was bought up by Sinead O’Connor while growing up in the surroundings of Adele and her best friend is Amy Winehouse...Think ‘Foundations’ meets ‘Daydreamer’.


Lyrically Stella Donnelly touches on subjects that only previously I feel Scroobius Pip would, ‘Boys Will Be Boys’ is written quite frankly about rape and the victimization of a young women. What is blatant is that she is writing music beyond her years, the most eloquent voice is bashed with pure emotion and words. With only 444,000 hits on Spotify, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before the right amount of exposure leads to more mainstream success, definitely one for the future. 



Wednesday 13 September 2017

On The Radar : Yungblud



When you’re greatest city exports are Leslie Garrett, Louis Tomlinson and Kevin Keegan what aspirations in life do you have? Well, earlier this week my first comment after hearing ‘King Charles’ by Yungblud was “Stop the world I want to get off” but the track stuck and I went back to it days later and I’m still listening.

You’d be mistaken to think that from the opening of ‘King Charles’ could be the vocals of YouTube star Devo, but don’t get confused because it’s actually 19 year old Dominic Harrison from Doncaster. Now I’m not going to tell you that I’m well in touch with the youth of today as I’m pushing 30 but the vocal aggression and downright honesty of the lyrics in this track is straight fire, talking of the ongoing troubles with youngsters today and their feelings and thoughts on the world. With musical heritage coming from a granddad in T-Rex, Harrison is clearly steeped in talent with a sound that is handpicked from early Jamie T, second album Arctic Monkeys and the catchy riffs of Kasabian.

Yungblud have that polished feel, maybe so much so that it’s already gone too commercial but they are having a good punt at it...What more can I say? Have a listen and make up your own minds.


Sunday 10 September 2017

Gig Review : Wedgewood Rooms Showcase Final 2017

Another year over, a plethora of bands passed and only one winner could be crowned, welcome to the Wedgewood rooms showcase grand final. 5 bands had battled through heats and semi final stages to take to the world famous Wedgewood stage which has seen the likes of Gorillaz, Oasis, Kasabian, Vampire Weekend and Muse to name a few, and now it was the turn of Station 47, Cyprian Sceptre, Flowvers, Demonheads and Grief Daddy.

The wonder of the showcase is the pure raw talent that it throws out every year since it’s conception, every year that I have taken part I am taken aback by just how much talent is actually in our little island town of Portsmouth and the surrounding areas, which makes platforms like the showcase so important for local live music, creating a permanent position for those who would like to strut their proverbial musical stuff in front of an audience whilst also having the opportunity to get a foot into the music industry. What is also great to see is the unbridled support for every single band that not only took part in final but overall through the whole competition.

The first of the bands to take to the stage of the evening were Station 47, a 4 piece consisting of 2 guitarists, a bassist and drummer. It had always been so clear from heats that Station 47 hold every single chess piece needed to become a well established band, from their dueling vocals to tight guitar solos adorned by jazz like bass rhythms. One special mention from me goes to a catchy little ditty of a song called ‘Red Stripe’ which has me whistling and singing away from the showcase for the first time. One thing I hope from the band is that they get a few releases under their belt as they could hold their own as support for any band passing through these parts as well as headlining their own shows.


Next up were possibly the youngest and most supported band in showcase history Flowvers (yes that is how you spell it) with an energy that was palpable from the front to the back of the room. Their support packed the first few rows of the stage including their dads who garbed band t-shirts in support of their sons. With a sound that falls somewhere in between shoegaze, indie pop and The Stone Roses from the get go it’s pretty obvious where the bands influences come from, speeding through their set at 101kmh they kept the energy at a high with the occasional time issue. What is great about Flowvers is that they have so much confidence for a band so young, with the right support system around them and hands pointing in correct directions they could go on to do great things either as a unit themselves or separately in different projects.


Talking of firsts, for the first time also this year we had “in fighting” between 2 bands which also managed to make the news and bring attention from a local MP. The rivalry between Cyprian Sceptre and Grief Daddy dragged itself from the heats all the way to the finals intensifying as it did, including the popping of balloons, stage invasions, stickers and general anarchy. Safe to say it was as entertaining to watch as it probably was to take part in also, well done to them.


Up to the half way stage of the night we were all introduced to Cyprian Sceptre, which is where also the night took a sharp right turn. I had never seen them before so I was exposed to a genre of music I had never experienced before with instruments including flutes, clarinets, a banjo, an old organ, hand drums, cow bells and an acoustic guitar to name but a few. I can only describe Cyprian Sceptre as Sea Shanty folk, if you’re trying to work out what that would sound like imagine Pirates Of The Caribbean crossed with Fishermans Friends with a little bit of Frank Turner added in for good measure. Although niche the set was enjoyable from start to finish keeping the concentration of the crowd, which I feel they could also do anywhere else they would like to play.


Demonheads followed Cyprian Sceptre in what I can only describe as a full on assault of the eardrums, another band that bought 110% to every one of their sets from heats to the final. Demonheads are 2 piece consisting of only a guitar and drums. Like every great 2 piece that I could list Demonheads bought everything and the kitchen sink with them to their performance with energy that a full band could produce and a sound to boot. Demonheads win the award for only band of the night to get half naked, living up to their rock influences which possibly included Band Of Skulls, Biffy Clyro, Queens Of The Stone Age and maybe Royal Blood. Any direction that the band takes from here is a successful route as they are a tight knit unit with a great selection of original music.

Now, I can only say that I have been left speechless by very few things in my life but the final act of the night Grief Daddy not only left me speechless but also completely blew my mind and left me without thought or feeling generally. From the first song members of the crowd were either fully into the band or they were picking their jaws up from the floor in total shock. With a backdrop highlighting lyrics partnered with images of Rupert Murdoch, babies dancing and money raining down adding in their own personal smart dressed man dancing. Grief Daddy play what I can only describe as Chromeo meets Art Brut on acid with influences of hip and trip hop, even then I don’t feel I’m getting across everything that Grief Daddy actually do. Where do they go from here? Aldi...I don’t know? Wherever they go it’ll be brilliant for whoever is going to witness it.


The votes were then counted, the judges scores totted up for around 10 minutes and compere (me) returning to the stage the winner was to be announced along with their prizes. Up for grabs were 2 slots at Icebreaker Festival next year, recording time and monetary vouchers for The Wedgewood Rooms. The runner up of the evening winning an afternoon slot at Icebreaker were young outfit Flowvers, and the winner of The Showcase 2017 were...Grief Daddy.


In closing I can say that it’s great to be a part of the showcase this year, a massive well done to everyone involved and a big well done goes to Mike Hartley for his ongoing efforts in organizing and making every heat happen. The Wedgewood Rooms staff from promotions, security to the bar staff for also supporting the nights and keeping everyone safe and hydrated, all of the judges that took part this year your knowledge is second to none and it is well appreciated and last but not least once again well done and thank you to every band that took part in The Showcase 2017, see you all in 2018!