LIVE REVIEWS

Image: Billy Nomates by Victoria Wai

BILLY NOMATES, BULL @ THE CLUNY, NEWCASTLE (07.10.21)

Words: Ali Welford

Without a live reputation to speak of prior to last year’s word-of-mouth breakthrough, to attend Billy Nomates’ debut tour is to witness an artist fully, finally unleashed. Tor Maries may only have 45-odd minutes of material between her fabulous eponymous full-length and last Spring’s follow-up Emergency Telephone EP, yet this virtuoso has no interest in padding things out. Indeed, once logged into her laptop (which, atop a small table, is her sole stage companion), this sold-out show is an exercise in relentless, barnstorming intensity; a fierce, frenetic pitch from a newcomer evidently determining she’s everything to prove and nothing to lose.

It’s a remarkable thing to witness – a slickly rehearsed series of transitions delivered with thrilling, breakneck spontaneity; a formidable act where pulsing A-grade tunes as assertive as No and Heels are lent a whole new physicality through Maries’ impulsive, stage-busting dance moves. It’s an outstanding, one-of-a-kind performance, and one that’s all but impossible to adequately open for, but that doesn’t prevent York quintet Bull from giving it a mightily good go. An outfit who’ve improved considerably across their numerous sojourns North, this showcase of recent album Discover Effortless Living positions itself at the poppier end of the Pixies-indebted indie rock spectrum, though not at the expense of ramshackle edges or affable DIY charm. An impassioned warm-up which may well have turned a few heads.

MAX FOSH @ THE STAND, NEWCASTLE (11.10.21)

Words: Cameron Wright

Before even stepping on stage, Max Fosh establishes his YouTube credentials by offering £10,000 to an audience member with the best party trick. With a sign listing silly and endearing talents, the goofiness of the night has already begun.

As Fosh runs onto stage, he kicks his Newcastle stand-up debut into gear. After quickly blasting through an overview of his various YouTube videos, to clue in the uninitiated, Fosh instantly begins interacting with his audience. As the night unfolds, there is a candour and comfort in Fosh’s rapport with the crowd, as he pauses his own act to continue his pursuit of finding THE best party trick. At times this may have felt like a man trying to fill up his time slot, as actual routines were replaced by a woman singing Thomas The Tank Engine, yet Fosh still kept the show flowing and kept the atmosphere positive.

The entire set felt a little like a road trip, with the end destination planned and the bags packed, but without any idea which roads to use and with little gas in the tank. Max Fosh provided an easygoing, whimsical night that although may not have been a polished stand-up routine, still showed a man trying something new, taking a risk and challenging himself, and for that I can only applaud.

ADAM BUXTON: RAMBLES @ TYNE THEATRE & OPERA HOUSE, NEWCASTLE (13.10.21)

Words: Cameron Wright

Somewhat aimlessly, Adam Buxton meandered onto the stage, baseball cap awry and sporting a pair of daring shorts. After rattling through the housekeeping rules of the night, Buxton leaps into a peculiar little song addressing the aforementioned shorts, before regaining composure and finishing up the final rules and etiquettes of the night.

Flitting between very colloquial discussions on the smaller details of life, obscure musical outbursts and comedy routines, to long, meandering yet personal extracts from his book, I’m not too sure what Adam Buxton: Rambles was supposed to be, and I’m not sure he knew either. The whole show felt extremely reliant on the surplus of charisma Buxton exuded from the moment he stepped on stage. The overly relaxed yet effortlessly affable and inviting energy of the comic glued together the abstract segments of the night and gave the audience a reason to tolerate the borderline slapdash approach to the night. While the show may have fallen victim to a certain “it’ll be alright on the night” mentality, Buxton turned an evening that may have otherwise felt under-rehearsed into something warm and homely.

The rough around the edges performance felt almost key to the night’s success, as the book’s both hilarious and poignant reflections revolve heavily around themes of imperfection, learning and adapting.

Nick Cave & Warren Ellis image by Thomas Jackson, SO.CO

NICK CAVE & WARREN ELLIS @ SAGE GATESHEAD (24.09.21)

Words: Michael O’Neill

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis need little introduction, with their recent output (2019’s Ghosteen and this year’s Carnage) offering an awe-inspiring testament to the sheer creative power at their mercy (this is reinforced by the fact that a mere quarter of the evening’s setlist predates Ghosteen). For this tour, the duo have traded the infamous Bad Seeds for the powerful, evocative harmonies of vocalists T Jae Cole, Janet Rasmus and Wendy Cole, as well as multi-instrumentalist Johnny Hostile (providing bass, drums and keys). This minimalistic line-up (especially by Cave’s standards,) brilliantly serves the sonic world of this body of work, with Ellis’ sparse synthesiser-drone led arrangements offering a glorious bed for some of Cave’s most introspective and accomplished songwriting.

It translated brilliantly to the more intimate (again, by Cave’s standards) surroundings of Sage Gateshead’s Hall One, with these ecstatic hymns of grief and acceptance becoming almost trance-inducing in their weight and beauty in a live context, standing toe-to-toe with the classics that have sealed his reputation as one of the greatest songwriters of our time. All in all, the evening offered indisputable evidence that Cave is an artist who is still at the peak of his powers, discontent to rest on his laurels. Whilst many of his peers have surrendered themselves to the nostalgia circuit, Cave continues to push the boundaries of songcraft to serve his vision, and for as long as Ellis is by his side, he will continue to be a boundless, fearless, unstoppable force of sheer power.

FONTAINES DC @ O2 CITY HALL, NEWCASTLE (17.10.21)

Words: Cameron Wright

Early January 2020, Fontaines DC came to Newcastle to promote their debut Dogrel, the atmosphere was lively and the band scurried through their cluster of hits before retiring for the night. There were sparks of brilliance there, yet the fresh-faced group felt unsure of themselves, overwhelmed by the lights and the sounds.

Marching on to the stage with a cocksure swagger in 2021, the Fontaines DC that performed at City Hall felt like a completely different experience. Any weariness has been purged from the system as each member of the band berated their instruments, whisking the audience into a manically swarming frenzy.

Frontman Grian Chatten commanded the stage with a presence that dwarfed his own from a mere year previous. Prowling around in a sea of sound, his every action seemed to thrust the crowd into an uproar, as Chatten’s pained vocals howled over instrumentation that grew more dynamic and belligerent with every song. With thunderous drums anchoring each track perfectly, each member of the band was firmly locked into their performance, while jumping into opportunities of pandemonium and adrenaline.

With every concert of Fontaines DC, their power, confidence and colour only grow more impressive. Tonight the audience were caught perfectly in their web of noise and for a moment it seemed like the rising stars of punk were almost enjoying it.

BEABADOOBEE, MAC WETHA @ NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ UNION

Words: Jason Jones

Beatrice Laus, or beabadoobee to you and I, exudes the kind of rare, understated charisma that can’t be feigned. Not one for spotlight-hogging histrionics or the garishness of kitschy gimmicks, instead the Dirty Hit wunderkind leans heavily on an astute instinct for hummable earworms and a voice brimming with seraphic grace as she whips the basement of Newcastle University SU into a pleasing frenzy on this brisk Saturday night.

First up though, is Mac Wetha. Kind of like a newborn wearing dentures, the 22-year-old’s set has more teeth than you might expect, and even if his fleeting cameo is a bit of a Frankenstein’s monster, there’s enough promise here to suggest that once he finds his groove, the earnestly chipper scamp could be destined for big things.

As for beabadoobee, the euphoric buzz with which she’s met would suggest that she won’t be playing intimate venues like this for too much longer. Her distinct brand of bubblegum grunge, spliced with an ample dash of college rock, is both endearing and candid, and zeniths like She Plays Bass and Worth It are electrifying snapshots of a star on the rise.

By the time she returns to the stage for a thunderously-demanded encore, the atmosphere is one of simmering exultation, and the one-two punch of dreamy breakout hit Coffee and thumping recent single Cologne are enough to leave things spilling into the stratosphere.

Plastic Mermaids by Tracy Hyman

PLASTIC MERMAIDS, MAJA LENA @ THE GEORGIAN THEATRE, STOCKTON (18.10.21)

Words: Tracy Hyman

A favourite amongst Teessiders, the Isle of Wight’s Plastic Mermaids came back to their second home to receive a true Northern welcome. Maja Lena opened the show to a hushed audience, pin drop silent, to catch her beautiful voice. Delicate and otherworldly, her vocals float over the notes of folk guitar like a bird gently soaring to the highest notes and back. A true delight.

A darkened stage beckons the Plastic Mermaids onstage one by one. Favourites old and new come blended together with their wondrous array of electronic instruments, a playground of sonic delights painting their songs across the airwaves towards the audience’s ears. Alaska’s lilting falsetto vocal was ethereal and poignant, layered up with guitar, piano and bass, building to a wall of sound with pedal effects, synth and megaphone. Disco Wings has a raw quality live, a funky bassline and guitar with energy and drive, an indulgent instrumental section, before a pause and a reprise, instruments collectively stop and restart with perfect timing. It’s infectious.

The band are clearly loving playing live again and it is such a joy to see. A final song, Yoyo, and a sing-along to make the hairs on the back of your neck tingle, the union of band and listener, creator and devourer of sound. A special night.

OPUS KINK, TRAVIS SHAW, UNDIVINE TELEPHONELINE @ BASE CAMP, MIDDLESBROUGH (30.09.21)

Words: Steve Spithray

Midweek traffic aside, catching the end of Teesside’s chaotic young lo-fi punks Undivine Telephoneline and then astral folker Travis Shaw, is as good an advert as any for getting down early. The former’s Walt and Too Cool To Pay My Driver leaving the audience both delighted and bemused while Travis’ set is equally spellbinding.

However, Brighton’s Opus Kink are the real deal tonight for fans of Dexys, The Coral and Fat White Family, trumpets, ill-fitting suits and paperclip earrings. Snarling frontman Angus channels the spirits of Elvis and Dale Barclay, while a gaggle of merry pranksters behind him rattle through a pitch-black jazz punk odyssey of hillbilly folk tales told at blistering pace. Mosquito is built around an infectious riff, fed through a vintage sampler, with a huge, mangled chorus and everything is a little to the left of the field with an Opus Kink show.

An air of barely concealed ugliness surrounds them, their music is third wave ska in essence but similarly, barely recognisable from its post-punk origins. A two-tone vibe is accentuated by an orchestrated drum solo that sees Angus and trumpeter Johnny in amongst the crowd before Wild Bill and This Train (with its immediately iconic “streets of London” refrain) round things off, the latter of which could well become their Ghost Town. Ones to watch for sure.

SIMON AMSTELL @ TYNE THEATRE & OPERA HOUSE

Words: Cameron Wright

Bashfully stepping on to the stage, Simon Amstell seems at once both disarmingly sheepish yet at ease as he takes a moment to soak up the applause, before playing with the audience, easing them in to a night of damming, self-effacing anecdotes that only grow more fiendishly degrading and mortifying as the show progresses.

Famed for his acerbic and vicious wit on Never Mind The Buzzcocks, the Amstell on stage tonight is a far more introspective and overwrought presence as he shines a light on the worries and tribulations that he has battled over the past few years. As insecurities of age, love and parenthood all stem from innocent one liners, Amstell nurtures each throwaway remark until it blossoms into a thorough examination of pain and anxiety. As the show evolves from the tragically relatable, Amstell affably reminds us of his fame and success, retelling stories of his travels across America and his experience with a series of healing, hallucinogenic plants. Here, the show flies into a litany of elated epiphanies, that deliberately titter along the line of profound and preposterous.

As the show reaches its conclusion, a full journey has been complete. Your sides hurt from laughter and your heart is warmed, even if the message of the show isn’t as rich or nuanced as it perhaps intended.