LIVE REVIEWS

Image: Band of Holy Joy by Idene Roozbayani

BAND OF HOLY JOY, VAGRANT LOVERS, I SEE ISLANDS @ THREE TANNERS BANK, NORTH SHIELDS (07.08.21)

Words: Idene Roozbayani

Nestled into the re-invigorated North Shields Quay is the newly opened Three Tanners Bank bar and gig venue; a wonderful establishment that’s set to provide a much-needed musical outlet for discerning music fans in the North East. As a huge fan of small, intimate venues I couldn’t have found myself in a better place.

Opening the night were the melodic and experimental I See Islands. A dreamy, synth-soaked two-piece who enthralled the audience with their beautiful songs. Next up were the psychedelic infused duo Vagrant Lovers, who engaged with the audience up close and personal. Frontwoman Kirsty Allison’s charismatic performance eschewed mainstream tropes to deliver a far more visceral show. Wandering through the front rows and switching vocal duties with band mate Gil De Ray kept things moving at a nice steady flow.

They were the perfect opener for the main event, Band of Holy Joy. This London five-piece fronted by Johnny Brown had the audience in the palm of their hands and there wasn’t a soul not singing along to their distinct sound. Opening track The Devil Has A Hold On The Land started with intent and the band never let up once. This Is The Festival Scene stood out as a personal highlight; I went from having never heard it before to singing along by the second chorus, which serves to prove what fantastic and fascinating songwriting they posses.

BONNIE & THE BONNETTES DRAG ME TO LOVE 2021 @ ROUNDABOUT, NEWCASTLE (13.08.21)

Words: Leigh Venus

I never imagined I would want to be transported to a dingy, broken-signed nightclub in late-noughties South Yorkshire. Yet, after being pulled in, spat out and dragged to love by Bonnie and the Bonnettes, all I can think about is getting back there and bringing all my friends.

An updated revival of their debut show, the troupe have conjured a vividly realised world, enveloping us as we follow the story of 14-year-old Bonnie Love discovering drag and becoming the queen they were meant to be. Touring with Paines Plough Roundabout – the world’s first pop-up, plug-and-play theatre – the show plays in the round and seriously up-close with Bonnie, the Bonnettes and their self-made cast of impeccably realised side characters, pulling us entirely into this arresting yarn.

Ostensibly a tale about identity and finding a safe place in the world to grow and thrive, Drag Me To Love places working-class queer voices centre stage. Deftly peppered moments of fear, doubt and loss amongst the comedy and foot-stomping elevate the material, rendering the gob-smacking finale with our fully actualised Bonnie all the more captivating. A profoundly immersive, life-affirming experience, this is the knockabout, neon-drenched hero’s journey we all need.

NI MAXINE @ BOBIK’S, NEWCASTLE (10.08.21)

Words: Paul Broadhead

Opening with George Gershwin’s jazz standard Summertime perfectly encapsulates the vocal talents of Ni Maxine and the incredible musicianship of her band, but it gives no indication of her fine lyricism and own songwriting talents. For that we have to wait for the upbeat jaunty What’s Wrong With Groovin?,’ the reggae fused It Is Written – inspired by Ni’s time working with the homeless – and the soulful social conscience of Check Yourself (Be The Change), about the inequalities that surround us all.

Justice – a duet with the song’s co-writer, Keeks – was written following the Black Lives Matter movement and is devastating; an eye-opening and captivating account of an inter-racial couple finding common ground and safe space, with her guitarist, bassist and trumpeter taking their turns in the spotlight. Opening a second set with Nina Simone’s once banned Four Women, Ni conveys a laid-back vibe to matters she is clearly passionate about, as engaging as a storyteller as she is a singer. Closing with the upbeat and personal crossover track A Day In St John’s Lane gets the audience up out of their seats, and though there’s still a long way to go – politically and pandemically – Ni Maxine tonight made us feel we’d taken a big step in the right direction.

Your Aunt Fanny by Rhiannon Banks

YOUR AUNT FANNY CUM BACK @ THE CUMBERLAND ARMS, NEWCASTLE (12.08.21)

Words: Leigh Venus

While Bo Burnham took the world Inside, Your Aunt Fanny took the Toon outside on the terrace of the Cumberland Arms with their own perfect response to the pandemic and an explosive return to live audiences that floored sold-out crowds across two nights.

Billed as a sharing of brand-new material ahead of their next full-on sketch show, there was no way of telling this was the Fannies delivering a work in progress – even Jackie Edwards masterfully dealing with a merrily errant reused prop moustache (after a bag of fake ‘taches went missing the night before) only added some extra sparkle to an already polished and confident set.

A breakneck experience featuring the world’s worst gynaecologist, the drama of ‘vaccine Maxine’, a perpetually distracted indie band, conspiracy theory pigeons, socially-distanced fingering, a dragon fruit-obsessed market trader, donkey sex call centres and more, if this material is still cooking, we’re in for a serious treat with the incoming YAF podcast and live shows. Capped off with a breathtaking Love Island set-piece featuring the whole crew machine-gunning some of their tightest, most exquisitely detailed wordplay to date, the Cum Back was the perfect post-lockdown poison and a thrilling tease for everything this scintillating satirical squad have yet to come.

NEIL HARRIS, SAM MAYES, LAUREN PATTISON, SI BECKWITH @ LAUREL’S, WHITLEY BAY (14.08.21)

Words: Damian Robinson

It’s still relatively early in the Felt Now residency at Laurel’s but with those in the know on social media already talking about the comedy event being one of the top places to head to at the weekend, tonight seems a nice opportunity for the organisation to cement their ‘new ones to watch’ status.

A warm day, and a boozy crowd, require a confident compere to set an early high comedic standard and enforce the rules, something Si Beckwith does well across the night, building the right ambience for the comics to flourish. Opener Lauren Pattison (and her dog Ralf) start the show with interesting, honest, tales of men, Geordies, Cockneys and being dumped on April Fools Day; it’s another strong set from a naturally confident comedian with a growing reputation. Follow up Sam Mayes doesn’t quite hit the same highs as Pattison, though her set does show promise and her Britney Spears bit about moving into different musical genres may well be the highlight of the night. Closer Neil Harris finishes off the evening with a well worked and clever take on social anxiety (exemplified by a great bit about choosing a Subway sandwich) which presents an interesting insight into neurology and how we process thoughts and information.

Another strong evening from an organisation and venue trying to do something different and break the norm.

DOCUMENT, SEPARATOR, TV DEATH @ LITTLE BUILDINGS, NEWCASTLE (10.08.21)

Words: Damian Robinson

If you wanted to, you could describe tonight’s show simply as young up-comers making lots of noise and being full of the confidence that comes with early momentum and success. But my editor wouldn’t settle for that, so here’s a bit more…

Openers TV Death start the show with a Bob Dylan circa ’66 looking frontman and a Sonic Youth meets the Velvet Underground sound. Playing with an edgy art rock drone, and full of performance art moves, they’re staggeringly good. Highlights Living Dead and Hanging Tree blend the garage rock sounds of the Cramps with interesting narratives and stories. They arrived confident when they stepped on stage and you know why by the end of their eight songs.

Second act Separator move us on a gear with varying Nic Rhodes imagery, deep post-punk grooves and haunting, back of the throat, primal screaming. Like TV Death, they look like rock stars, and they play like rock stars, but they’re clearly art stars at heart particularly on highlights Always The Last To Leave and recent single Babbling Pessimist.

And then it’s up to Document to maintain the standard of the evening, which they do, with the aid of backward dancing, performative playing and the most intense pop-rock-indie-post-punk you’re likely to hear in Little Buildings this year. Standouts Uncle Sam’s Daughter and closer Pity highlight a style that is bound to be huge. If you see any of these acts on any bill, go and watch them.

ZELA by Tracy Hyman

ZELA, BIGFATBIG, CHLOE CASTRO @ THE GEORGIAN THEATRE, STOCKTON (31.07.21)

Words: Tracy Hyman

It is with a sense of trepidation that I entered The Georgian Theatre to see emerging electro noir siblings ZELA at my first standing gig for well over sixteen months. A string of singles with rave reviews during lockdown promised big things from ZELA’s debut gig. Could they live up to expectations and translate their songs to the live stage?

Opening the night was Chloe Castro, with her striking, deep and soulful voice. Chloe bounced around the stage like a sporty version of Amy Winehouse, with infectious and attitude-laden songs like Drunk, which show off her modern RnB vibes and rhythms.

In contrast, alternative rock trio bigfatbig were altogether heavier and rocked the venue with their big sound, head banging choruses and infectious melodies. Vocalist Robyn takes command of the stage, and the refrains of songs such as Don’t Wanna Be Sad are instant sing-along dancefloor rock hits.

Sibling duo ZELA increase to a four-piece for their live set, showing off layers of guitar and synth patterns, snappy spoken word sections and catchy choruses over a dance drum beat. From the outset the raw power and energy emanating from vocalist and guitarist Liv, alongside the rhythmic driving drum beat from sibling Max, pushes the music on, providing dramatic highlights. Alternating between shade and light, there are moments of deep, hypnotic, repeated synth sounds contrasting with upbeat, pop choruses. Their catchy electro-pop sound is dark and imaginative, with the use of electronic voice effects keeping it audibly interesting. An undeniably strong performance, which definitely lived up to the hype.

SQUARMS, JOHN DOLE, THOMAS WALLIKER @ THE ENGINE ROOM, NORTH SHIELDS (05.08.21)

Words: Damian Robinson

North Shields’ The Engine Room has pulled off a blinder so far with their first few live shows selling out in minutes and gaining fantastic reviews. Intimate, and with a powerful sound system, the Engine Room is perfectly engineered for nights like tonight which draws in unique voices demanding intimate settings.

With his modern style of Streets-based reality songwriting and downtempo beats, Thomas Walliker sets the evening off well with confessional tales of boredom and uncertainty. It’s a nice set-up for local crowd-pleaser John Dole, who uses the venue’s wicked sound system to demonstrate his experimental electronic and hip-hop sounds. Standing out when he blends his neon beats with reverbed vocals, like on recent single Acid Rain and new single Dislocate, Dole grooves and rhymes with natural skill in his solo production, delivery and design set.

Keeping the beats high, and the volume even higher, electronic grime punks SQUARMS end the show with their two-piece take on sampled beats, interesting breaks, free-flow throwdowns and spoken word delivery. Part punk in their ethos, and full of intensity in their delivery, you wonder if this is the kind of sound that punksters from the mid to late 90s (The Rollins Band in particular) would be making today and wanted to vent anger and frustration.

WITHERED HAND @ THE CLUNY 2, NEWCASTLE (31.07.21)

Words: Ben Lowes-Smith

Dan Willson seems as confounded by the situation as much as anyone in attendance. His vulnerable, confessional, brutal songwriting has won hearts and minds all over the world since the release of 2009’s Good News, and the fragility of Dan’s material is amplified by the circumstances: a reverent set of attendees at COVID-safe capacity, both performer and audience wading their way out of a cultural drought. It makes for quite a cathartic experience at this matinee show.

Dan plays from his songbook – quite literally a ring binder of songs – cherry picking from New Gods, Good News, and a handful of new songs written with Kathryn Williams, including a particularly memorable and emotive tribute to Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchinson. His truly timeless numbers in Religious Songs and Love In The Time of Ecstasy elicit sing-alongs, something genuinely effecting in this context. Dan is a humorous, charming raconteur throughout, speaking of his affinity for the region. Closing song – a cover of Woodpigeon’s R U Courageous feels like a fitting choice. Given the vulnerable, cathartic nature of Dan’s work it feels like something of a baptism of fire for a first show back, but I wouldn’t have really had it any other way.