Why hello fellow readers, I am excited to show you the finished version of my review, and that it's publicly shown on http://www.mayhemmagazine.co.uk/blog/2012/09/southsea-fest-2/ and I may have been jumping for joy yet again....enjoy!
Saffron Watson @ Southsea Fest…
So it’s what I had been waiting for! I collected my wristband at 11.30am and already there was potential chaos! There were queues leading outside the wine vaults and starting down the road along with the chatter and excitement of hundreds of people trying to squeeze into the many small venues across Albert Road. Fans of the different genres were heading to their favourite venues and giggling with their friends in anticipation for a day of live music and getting tipsy. The security guys gave the ‘ok’ after seeing my wrist band, and off I went to fill up my ears with music.
Little Johnny Russell’s – Clayton Strange
For fans of Foals, Bombay Bicycle Club and Django Django…
At my first venue for the day I was looking forward to my first Southsea Fest experience, especially as this band were my favourite genre, Indie. They got their band name from a friend of the band called ‘Clayton’ and in bassist Dan’s words: “he is probably quite strange, and some one said ‘Clayton’s Strange’” and so they named the band after him but dropped the ‘s’. “He still comes to all our gigs and is getting less strange so we may change to Clayton Normal soon.”
I wasn’t dissapointed; seeing Clayton Strange live was quite an experience, with their catchy beat drilling through you in the small venue. You get to be so close and personal with them you can feel the vibrations of the drummer, Steve, and bassist, Alex through the floor. I can see this band becoming successful, with the likes of Arcade Fire in terms of their music genre. This time next year they hope to be touring through Bolivia and Peru, but if not they would like to go on a cruise ship, so who knows where they’ll be? Well I know I want more from these guys. They have said they’d love to play again next year, so fingers crossed…
Edge of the Wedge – Her Parents
For fans of Internet Forever…
The tiny stage wasn’t enough for this band so they came off-stage for guitar solos. Calum Gunn and Christopher Alcxxk walked through the audience and back, dancing with their guitars; almost thrusting them around. As an audience member I was terrified of getting hit, but the whole show was very funny and entertaining to see. They are more than your average punk band, they’re lively with loud, catchy, short and sweary songs. As their songs are so short, they have all the best bits crammed in, and it leaves you wanting to hear more. Every member of the band participated in singing, full of enthusiasm and effort in screaming the lyrics. In particular, Sean Clothier, with his facial expressions (reaching his face as close to the microphone as possible!) amused me. I usually don’t listen to much of this genre in my own time, but now that I have seen Her Parents, I will listen to their new album, ‘Physical Release’. The impressive thing about this band was that when Christopher’s amp ‘died’ on him, he carried on singing, and swapped guitars with Calum Gunn. Even the drummer, Vilhjálmur, came out and sang (lying face down on the floor, screaming). This band were lively and original. Sean Clothier (lead singer and guitarist) had odd socks on, and Christopher was sporting cut off chino’s and a bad-ass mustache — great entertainment value, these guys are great to watch.
Little Johnny Russell’s – Mamas Lips
For fans of Little Feat, The Band and The Beatles…
I then returned to what turned out to be my favourite venue where Mamas Lips were performing. They have been together for eight months now. A rock’n’roll/blues band, my favourite song of their show was, ‘I’ll stay free’, which sounded like a mix between the Beatles’ song ‘Come Together’ and Ram Jam’s ‘Black Betty’. But it was more bluesy with frontman, Jack’s husky voice and it had more of an edgy sound. When I asked about their time at the Southsea Fest they replied, “It is the first kind of festival we have done as a band so it was a pleasure. Great atmosphere all around and just a great idea to have something like that on a busy street.” Jack’s singing voice is very serene to listen to. He looks so laid back while he’s singing, as well, which was a big contrast from Her Parents putting their all into singing. As I looked around the pub, I could see everyone bobbing their heads and moving their feet to the beat, as you can quite easily get into their songs. And their stage presence draws you in because they know what they’re doing. I asked Jack what he thought of the audience and their response. He replied; “It is always different playing to your friends because you know you will get a good response, but when you play to a room full of strangers and get a good reaction, you must be doing something right.” They all seemed like genuine guys, and they all know each other either from school, since childhood or through family. They sound a bit like Jack White’s new band with their bluesy fast pace songs, and they’ve taken influence from southern rock guitar play. I thoroughly enjoyed their show, as they had a different twist from the other bands I saw there.
The One Eyed Dog – Los Broncos
For fans of Hot Snakes, Marked Men and White Stripes…
This trio describe their style as ‘garage rock’. The band name stood roughly translated means ‘a wild horse that resists being ridden’ in Spanish, which displays rebellion. Their dress code was very mixed/ The singer wore trackies, a top and a bandana, the bassist was wearing a blazer and smart shoes, and the drummer had his cap on backwards. As there were only three of them, all producing different pitches and sounds, it was easy to pick out which was which and there was no overpowering of several guitars. I usually don’t listen to much of the ‘screamo’ genre of music, but I quite liked these guys. They have a metal and heavy blues sound, which is a hybrid of interesting genres. The lead singer was very friendly and chatty between songs, which bodes well on our part as we get to see their personality. He voiced half way through that he carried on through two songs with five strings, but when a second string broke he had to change guitars. This shows how much power he was putting into his strumming!
This band got me, and everyone around me, toe tapping and nodding along, which is a good sign for the band! I really was taken by the bassist’s parts of the songs, as I felt it stood out and I enjoyed the sound produced. I can say I enjoyed this band so much that I may have gone a little bit deaf afterwards…
The Kings Theatre – The B of the Bang
For fans of Beirut, Bjork and Bon Iver…
When I read this band’s description I knew they were up my street. They were at The Kings Theatre, so we got a good view of them. At a first glance I saw a Paramore type set up, with the number of band members, but they are much more mellow than that. What really drew me to them was the variety of different instruments mentioned in the descrition, which I hadn’t seen before. This set them apart from the other bands which were more metal and punk. Unfortunately I didn’t get to hear all of these instruments so I was a bit disspointed. However, there was an acoustic song, ‘Last Day on Earth,’ in their opening, which they performed in one of the royal boxes with bongos and an acoustic guitar, which was very impressive. Wit, the lead singer, has a distinctive voice that’s so beautifully haunting at times. In Wit’s own words they are like: “A lo-fi, electronica-tinged, anti-folk cake with a gothic, grunge icing. Topped with cherries.” B of the Bang were fascinating and intriguing to listen to, the melodies between all the males and the one female harmonised beautifully. The performance was a little lacking though, I would have liked to have seen more movement and stage presence to keep me entertained. I can see myself listening to their albums, but I would be unlikely to watch them live again.
I am so glad I didn’t miss this festival. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and discovered new bands. Through the day I preferred the smaller venues that allowed for a more personal space. You could stand less than a metre away from the musicians, seeing every string they plucked on their guitar. This viewing point works for me as I always love to watch guitarists, and the lead guitarist could strum so fast I was sure he must have been missing the strings. The only down side to this event was that I didn’t get to see all the bands I wanted! Ed Wood, Belligerance, Screaming Maldini, Gem and the Deadheads and Bear Cavalry were all bands I was hoping to catch but unable to due to clashed timings at the different venues. Hopefully next year I will be able to see the bands I missed!
Written by Saffron Watson
