2009 - Another Year Of Live Music

[YI]

My 2008 thread, which died approaching the summer can be found, here - http://www.ewbattleground.com/forum/index....showtopic=63575

This started as a concept last year, after Give It A Name I felt old at shows (although I have since come to terms with the fact that was purely because everyone at GIAN was about 12 ), I realised there were so many bands I hadn't seen, who I would hate myself not to see...so, no more excuses (actually, I still make a lot of excuses not to go to shows...still hate myself for not going to Kyte for £4 as my 'like' for them soon grew into a fully fledged 'bumlove' and they haven't been back ) I'd go to shows. I started a thread to 'review' these shows, which generally degenerated into some long winded rant (check out The Weakerthans review, it is the favourite thing I have ever put into text ) full of swear words, casual racism and very little to do with music. But it was fun. I got to see some of my favourite bands, and then had somewhere I could just shoot some shit, say what I liked, what I didn't like...so fuck it, I'm going to do it again. I've got the live music bug badly at the minute, I was seriously contemplating trying to get to a show everyday this week (It was possible, but bollocks to paying £17.50 to see NOFX, even if Pour Habit were supporting)...so yeah, let's go...hopefully I can keep this running all through the year this time.

One more thing, when I can be arsed, I will put together a finished list of who I saw last year, and if there's not a review up in the other thread and if somebody wants to know my thoughts on the show, depending on how well I remember, I will knock one up. Bear in mind, lots of the 'forthcoming gigs' I ended up not going to (always an excuse ).

2009: ANOTHER YEAR OF LIVE MUSIC

UPDATED: July 9th (Gigs Attended/6 Reviews Posted)

:::MY CALENDER:::

February 3rd

The Thermals

w/ Jack Lewis, Love Bites & Bruises

The Cluny - Newcastle

February 8th

The Gaslight Anthem

w/ Frank Turner, Polar Bear Club

Shepherds Bush Empire - London

February 18th

"CANOPY NEW MUSIC"

Jamie Allen

w/ The Long Lonesome Go, Hapsburg Braganza, Posset, The Gloom

Tyneside Cinema - Newcastle

March 7th

Electric Six

w/ Tragedy, Finding Atlantis

O2 Academy - Newcastle

March 8th

Polar Bear Club

w/ The Lock & Keys, Beasts

Cockpit 3 - Leeds

March 11th

Red Light Company

w/ Grammatics, The Chevrolites

The Cluny - Newcastle

March 13th

Lisa Lashes

Digital - Newcastle

March 25th

Paige

w/ Me Vs Hero, Castro, Astro-Chimp

O2 Academy 2 - Newcastle

March 26th

Pete Doherty

w/ Dot Allison, Drew McConnell, Adam Ficek and Kieran Leonard

O2 Academy - Newcastle

(This review will be a fun one I remember Dot Allison being on stage at one point...and errr...about 5 Doherty songs...I know it was awesome though )

April 6th

The Prodigy

w/ Dizzee Rascal

Metro Radio Arena - Newcastle

April 14th

"GIVE IT A NAME INTRODUCES..."

Lights

w/ VersaEmerge, In This Moment, Whole Wheat Bread

O2 Academy 2 - Newcastle

April 25th

Efterklang

O2 Academy - Leeds

April 26th

Bridge & Tunnel

w/ Pure Graft, Offshore Radio and One Night Stand In North Dakota

White Rooms - Sunderland

April 27th

Jeniferever

w/ Sona Di, The Acrobatic Society

The Cluny - Newcastle

April 29th

Calvin Harris

w/ Example

Digital - Newcastle

May 6th

This Is A Standoff

w/ Laughing In The Face Of, Beasts, Tripdash, Newbridge Downfall, (some other band)

Independent - Sunderland

May 23rd

Defiance, Ohio

w/ Madeline, One Night Stand In North Dakota

Alington House Community Association - Durham

May 24th

"EVOLUTION FESTIVAL: Day 1"

The Wombats

w/ The Human League, White Lies, The Saint & The Cynics, Detroit Social Club, Yuksek, People Get Real

Newcastle/Gateshead Quayside

May 25th

"EVOLUTION FESTIVAL: Day 2

"Dizzee Rascal (who I did not see)

w/ Friendly Fires, Ladyhawke (both of whom I don't remember seeing), Little Comets, Marina & The Diamonds

Newcastle/Gateshead Quayside

June 2nd

Polar Bear Club

w/ Ruiner, Defeater

O2 Academy 2 - Newcastle

June 22nd

Austin Lucas

w/ Mike Hale, Josh Small, Former Cell Mates

Independent 2 - Sunderland

June 25th

Blur

w/ Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jong

O2 Academy - Newcastle

:::REVIEWS POSTED BY OTHERS:::

June 5th

Dave Matthews Band

w/ Kemi Futi, The Positive Force

The Meadows - Hartford, CT

{BY LOWERDECK}

July 4th

The Eagles

w/ Paul Carrack

Hampden Park - Glasgow

{BY MARCOS}

Edited August 1, 2009 by YI

[METALMAN]

Why all the backwards slashes?

Oh and I hate grammatics.

Edited April 29, 2009 by aluminiumman!

[YI]

Grammatics are great. Definitely not the strongest live band I've seen, but still solid/good live.

And the back slashes happened for some reason when I edited the post, think I've fixed it now though.

Having the gigs I've seen on 'paper'...there's a fantastic mix of 'popular'/obscure/weird shit going on.

Edited April 29, 2009 by YI

[METALMAN]

Those backwards slashes were so irritating I wanted to punch someone.

[YI]

DATE: February 3rd 2009

VENUE: The Cluny - Newcastle

GIG: THE THERMALS (w/Jack Lewis, Love Bites & Bruises)

As I will continue to rant, The Cluny is a bitch to get to, plus they like running late until curfew. It's not bad when you're with someone else, as you can simply split a taxi. Taxi also means after the show's finished you can sneak another cheeky pint in before you leave.

Besides geographical factors, The Cluny is one of my favourite musical venues in the city. It really has it's own charm. A former whisky bottling plant, it's so different to anywhere else in the city. It's very rustic and charming. The clientel it attracts is a lot more varied than everywhere else in the city as well. Gigs are generally a lot less 'raucus' than they are in other venues, which is possibly the only other downside to The Cluny, as I will touch upon later in this review. But whether it be the laid back atmosphere, the varied bar (I was always too 'scared' to try some of the real ales/beers/ciders they sold, actually I lie I got a pint of Thwaites once and it was fucking rank, I think that put me off), the type of bands the venue attracts, you get a lot of older gig goers. It made me realise that when I'm old I'm going to be one of them. I can't wait.

Highlight of the night was local band Love Bites & Bruises, a band I was unfamiliar with before the show. Right from the get-go they remind me a lot of fellow northeasterners The Futureheads, right down to the quirky movements on stage. The band did in fact tour with The Futureheads across the country in November/December last year. Saying they remind me of The Futureheads is in no way branding them a 'rip-off' band, in fact I believe they could have a great future if they're picked up by a label, their songs were brilliant and they were easily my favourite band on the show. With a twinge of old school punk to the traditional indie-rock formula, their songs transcend at a million miles a second, building and building. It's the kind of material that could sell out arena tours, have kids across the country screaming their lungs out, jumping around, producing their own body weight in sweat. Instead they're hearing, tearing it up in front of less than 200 people, who, despite a few appreciative head nods, some sporadic cases of dancing and substantial applause, are staying firmly routed to the ground. I've actually been trying to squeeze these guys onto a gaylist since this gig, I think "Catches Bullets With His Teeth" will have to be on the next one.

Up next was Jack Lewis, the brother of Anti-Folk artist, Jeffery Lewis. This show was a sideshow for The Thermals and Lewis, who have been on tour with The Cribs. I honestly could not imagine Lewis going over particularly well with The Cribs fans, but then again maybe I'm just quick to judge. He plays quirky pop music accompanied with his backing band, quite similar to his brother with a smidge of, Of Montreal etc, thrown in for good measure. But, it's just not particularly exciting, to me at least. He got applause, but in comparison to Love Bites & Bruises who really brought the mood up in the venue, Lewis just seemed to be 'there'.

Finally, on came The Thermals. I first heard The Thermals a year or so ago, and quickly became obsessed with "Pillar Of Salt". It sounded like a cross between Maximo Park and Say Anything, it was frantic and catchy, a perfect indie-pop song. As I delved more and more into their catalogue of material I became more and more disappointed with what I heard. The explosive nature of "Pillar Of Salt" was not apparent in a lot of their other material that seemed to move at almost 'dirge' like speed, they just were far from exciting. So why go see them? Partly because I 'want' to like them. "Pillar Of Salt" is such a good song, they are/were a Sub Pop band, a label where I generally enjoy their roster. Plus I saw their set on a roof for the launch of Pitchfork TV, and I actually rather enjoyed it. So I decided to give them another chance and go to the show. To be fair, they were probably better than I expected, but I soon realised that I was a little out of my comfort zone in that I didn't know the songs. I remember "Here's Your Future", "St. Rosa...", "No Culture Icons" and of course "Pillar Of Salt" that took pride of place at the end of the set. The crowd began to get more and more into it, which kind of made me feel a bit more awkward still, as it wasn't really enough for me to 'forget' that I didn't know the material. But yeah, solid. the vocals work really well live. They're a much better live band than on record. They didn't particularly change my opinion on them as I haven't been in a rush to listen to their new album.

NOTE: Not my photo, god bless flickr.

CHECK THEM OUT

The Thermals

Jack Lewis

Love Bites & Bruises

[YI]

DATE: February 8th 2009

VENUE: O2 Shepherds Bush Empire - London

GIG: THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM (w/Frank Turner, Polar Bear Club)

This show was the week it all kicked off because of the snow. Earlier shows were cancelled/rearranged, but thankfully it cleared up and I was able to make it to London on the Sunday. In doing this trip I spent the vast majority of the day on a coach, but I had to be back for university the next day, so it was a necessary evil in order to see three of my current favourite artists in one place. I first heard of Gaslight Anthem shortly before the release of "Sink Or Swim", I downloaded the album not expecting much, but it's a record that literally blew me away. It's crazy to think that a little of a year later at Leeds Festival, they'd have released an EP and another album, been featured on the front cover of Kerrang magazine and had praise heaped on them from all musical press from NME to Pitchfork media. Unable to make it to Manchester to see them after Leeds, or to any of the 3-dates in December, I knew I had to get to this show. Already they've grown and managed to sell out the 2,000 person capacity, Shepherds Bush Empire. I'm a little upset I wasn't able to see them playing smaller venues/more of the "Sink Or Swim" material

First band up were Polar Bear Club, a band I've been a fan of since they released their debut EP in 2006. This is the bands first time in the UK and throwing them straight into the deep end with this large shows could be daunting, especially given their leanings to a more punk/post-hardcore sound, which while once the major demographic Gaslight and Frank (in the days of Million Dead) would attract, those days seem gone now. However, the band don't show any nerves and they storm through their set, looking comfortable up on the stage playing to what is actually the biggest crowd they have played to, to date, obviously happy that limited portions of the crowd actually know their songs and respond well. The first thing I noticed, the singer looks absolutely nothing like I imagined him. This fresh faced youngster strode around the stage in a Cancer Bats t-shirt, I honestly thought they'd thrown another local support band on the bill until he uttered "We're Polar Bear Club from Rochester, New York!" and the atmospheric opening to EP favourite "Parked In The Parking Lot Of Your Heart" started up. With a look that would make scene girls dressed in black, with only more wristbands than belly tires swoon over him if he sang for a band like Taking Back Sunday, singer Jimmy Stadt is able to combat this with a voice you could gravel a drive with. Even with his onstage antics of jumping about and 'throwing shapes', his voice doesn't faulter at all, his vocals shine through just as well as they do on record. The set is a good mixture of "The Redder The Better" EP and their debut album released last year, "Sometimes Things Just Disappear", as well as a new song, which was a bit faster and upbeat in comparison to a lot of their material. Unfortunately they didn't end the set with "Most Miserable Life", although they did play other favourites of mine such as "Hollow Place" and "Our Ballads". Polar Bear Club are back in June for a full headlining tour with hardcore bands Ruiner and Defeater. And will be playing Reading/Leeds, as well as apparently doing a couple of side-shows with A Wilhelm Scream, definitely worth checking out.

Up next was Frank Turner. Frank had done every other date on this tour sans backing band, but in London he dragged his band out again. This is my third time seeing Frank, in three different 'cities' (A field outside of Leeds isn't particularly a city), this time, having went for a piss before his set started I got stuck near the back and couldn't get further forward to see him. So instead opted to stand on the raised area at the back of the venue and watch while sipping away at a ridiculously overpriced pint of Strongbow. I've basically seen the same show from him three times now, and part of me wishes this had been a solo acoustic show as every time I have seen him he's had his backing band, but he always captivates me and I'd happily see him again, whether or not he was releasing his new album soon. Much like Polar Bear Club he played a new tune alongside a set that was mostly made up of "Love Ire & Song" material, with one or two tracks from his debut thrown in for good measure. I'd say Frank easily had a stronger support than Gaslight. Yes, I was in the thick of it for Gaslight and it was great, people singing along, going nuts, but with Frank it was literally impossible to move on the floor, at all! Crazy. Awesome show. He gets some shit from people sometimes, but he writes amazing pop music. Yes, lyrically I can see why some people get on his case, but as a live act he's one of the best I have ever seen, he always draws me in.

Finally on stage were The Gaslight Anthem. From the moment their intro music crackled to a hault and the opening riff to "Great Expectations" started up the venue became electric. Whether it was the song, the anticpation of Gaslight's performance or the fact Brian Fallon finally decided to lose that fucking ridiculous flat cap, this electric atmosphere stayed throughout the entire set. Following this they lanched straight into two other favourites from their sophomore album, "The Patient Ferris Wheel" ("I'M A FIGHTER PILOT!" ) and "Old White Lincoln". Up next was their first venture into "Sink Or Swim" in "We Came To Dance". Having seen this song get a massive reception at Leeds Festival less than 6-months earlier I was a little saddened at its lack of love here, however other tunes from their debut got much better reactions later in the night, as "Wooderson", "Drive" and "I'Da Called You Woody Joe" were arguably standout songs of the night. As a whole the setlist was very "The 59 Sound" heavy, they did everything besides "Casanova, Baby!". Which, given how much I adore "Sink Or Swim" I thought I might be a bit annoyed about, but the quality of the album and the songs off there meant their performance was still incredible. Surprise of the night I must say goes to "Film Noir". Coming in after the early tiring run of songs, I was expecting it was a chance for everyone to regain their breath, boy was I wrong. It may seem laid on record, but the way the guitar syncopation works, live, it's either motherfucking jump or be flattened. All in all, it was just non-stop, every song was as good as the one that proceeded it, they have a stronger catalogue in 2 albums and an EP than most bands can have in a decade. Hell, they had a stronger catalogue in 1 album than lots of bands have in a decade. Again, the band seem overjoyed and in awe to be playing to such a large and appreciative audience, and it really shines through in their performance. Brian Fallon's banter, while sparce was both charming and funny, and despite the size of the venue made the entire thing feel intimate. Thankfully I managed to stay until the last song before making a mad dash across London on the Underground to catch my coach home, able to see my two favourite Gaslight songs in the process, "Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts" and the closer "Say I Won't (Recognize)".

All in all, it was a fabulous gig. The line-up was outstanding from top to bottom. Polar Bear Club did their job, they got people talking, and seemed generally quite liked even though not a lot of people knew who they were. Frank Turner was his usual excellent self. And Gaslight Anthem delivered in every way I hoped they would. Quite possibly the best overall show I have attended!

NOTE: Again the photo is not mine (it looks fucking badass though), I did get a couple of PBC, but my dongle is fucked, might toss them up when I can be arsed to sort it out/buy a new one.

NOTE 2: I actually downloaded a bootleg of this show. It's a .FLAC (and 500mb+), so when I can be arsed to rip it to MP3, I will upload it.

SETLISTS

THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM

Great Expectations

Patient Ferris Wheel

Old White Lincoln

We Came To Dance

High Lonesome

Stand By Me (snippet) -> I'Da Called You Woody Joe

Film Noir

The '59 Sound

It's A Man's Man's Man's World (snippet) -> Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?

Meet Me By The River's Edge

Miles Davis & The Cool

Here's Lookin' At You Kid

Wooderson

Boomboxes And Dictionaries

State Of Love & Trust (Pearl Jam cover)

The Backseat

-----------------------------

Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts

Even Cowgirls Get The Blues

Drive

Navesink Banks

Say I Won't (Recognize)

FRANK TURNER (might be a bit off)

I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous

Father's Day

Substitute

Back In The Day

Live Fast, Die Old (NEW SONG)

Photosynthesis

Love Ire & Song

Long Live The Queen

The Real Damage

Imperfect Tense

The Ballad Of Me And My Friends

POLAR BEAR CLUB (might be a bit off)

Parked In The Parking Lot Of Your Heart

Eat Dinner, Bury The Dog, And Run

Hollow Place

Another Night In The Rock

Resent And Resistence

(NEW SONG)

Burned Out In A Jar

Our Ballads

Bug Parade

CHECK THEM OUT

The Gaslight Anthem

Frank Turner

Polar Bear Club

Edited April 30, 2009 by YI

[Lowerdeck]

You saw Gaslight? Lucky. Closest they get to me is Jersey City in August... ugh.

So far I've seen Steve Winwood (Jan. 31st?), Bruce Hornsby (Mar 27), and Jeff Beck (Apr 11) this year - all three from the MGM at Foxwoods. Not a bad new place, though the upper deck is a climb and a half.

Contemplating seeing DMB when they come around next month. At this rate Hartford June 6th cause I don't feel like dishing out the extra money to see them and Willie Nelson at Fenway Park a week before. Well, I might. I dunno yet.

[METALMAN]

Jeff Beck must have been right good. What was his setlist like?

I don't really know Steve Winwood. I really like the Spencer Davis group though.

[YI]

You saw Gaslight? Lucky. Closest they get to me is Jersey City in August... ugh.

It involved me doing like a 600mile round trip, in a day (putting my back out on the coach home), due to me having to be back at uni on the Monday. Was so worth it though, as I said in the review, probably the best top to bottom gig I've attended. And Bruce Hornsby is awesome, would love to see him live.

Edited May 2, 2009 by YI

[Lowerdeck]

Jeff Beck must have been right good. What was his setlist like?

Beck's setlist was pretty similar to the Live at Ronnie Scott's album from last year, if that sounds familiar. The order was a tad different, and there were a couple extra songs thrown in... but much of that album was done.

And Bruce Hornsby is awesome, would love to see him live.

That was the second time I had seen him. This time around, he only had like 70 minutes to perform and he was pushing it to 90. So cut short a few things, didn't play as much as he usually does. Is pretty good live though, more when he gets proper two and a half hours.

Edited May 2, 2009 by Lowerdeck

[METALMAN]

I took this video last night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDR6sh-QLXw

[YI]

Get your own thread, cock knocker.

[Lowerdeck]

Looks like a couple smaller gigs I might go to this month. Burning Human perhaps, but that's two hours away and I gotta be more motivated than I am now. Then there's this blues band the Delta Generators, I hear they're the best in New England so I'm gonna check that out.

Was looking to see the Dropkick Murphys (again) next weekend but I have Red Sox tickets the same day. Won't be able to get from the game to the concert in time, aside from the fact they're in opposite directions and three hours apart. Ack.

[YI]

Will hopefully get a couple more reviews up today.

Edited May 12, 2009 by YI

[YI]

DATE: February 18th 2009

VENUE: Tyneside Cinema - Newcastle

GIG: "CANOPY NEW MUSIC" (ft. Jamie Allen, The Long Lonesome Go, Hapsburg Braganza, Posset, The Gloom)

I seem to have a reputation on here for liking 'weird' bands. I'm not entirely sure where that came from. Yes, I do like a lot of bands who are far removed from the mainstream, but just because a band's not popular doesn't mean they're 'weird'. In fact, for the most part, unless it's something exceptional, I really struggle to get into more 'experimental' music.

One such example of an exceptional artist is Stars of The Lid. Their 2007 double album "...And Their Definement Of The Decline" is one of the most breathtaking releases I have ever heard. As a whole I still can't really appreciate ambient/drone material, but there's something about that album that really got to me. When I had a chance to see them perform in Newcastle, in the Church Of St Thomas The Martyr, it's something I just couldn't pass up. The gig was fabulous (the venue really helped make it), but it also opened my eyes to the fact Newcastle has a fantastic experimental music scene.

Fast forward the best part of a year. It'd been a while since I paid much note to 'the scene', but a small advert in The Metro made me decide to check this out. I was going to go to Das Pop, but why pay £18 for 2-tickets to a band I vaguely like, when I can see some weird shit for free? Plus, I had been moaned at to try things more 'sophisticated', nothing more 'sophisticated' than a weird experimental music night in a recently renovated cinema with a bar that looks like it's straight out of James Bond.

Up first was the combination of Posset and The Gloom. The Gloom are a duo of youngsters, and I mean youngsters, as in they wouldn't even have pubes yet. The set consisted of Posset providing some screeching electronics as a basis for them to hit some shit, rattle some shit, loop some shit. I honestly didn't like it. I mean, generally this kind of music really needs to be seen live to appreciate it, but even the slideshow of images on a big screen did not help. Just a little too 'harsh' on the ears, for my tastes. At this point I was a little worried, if this was a sign to things to come, I think I'd really dropped a bollock coming, but thankfully things soon started to get better.

Up next as a one man project by the name of Hapsberg Braganza. Again it was very similar to what had just been on, long droning compositions, with the occasional fiddling of knobs and changing of chords. Once again a slideshow presentation of images accompanied the set. However, Hapsburg Braganza definitely had a step-up over our previous acts, in that there seemed to be the slightest bit of melodic structure to his compositions. That's part of the problem I find with these electronica styled ambient, drone bands. At times it seems to be a competition to see who can do the wackiest and weirdest, most avant-garde stuff. It's also a problem I've had with with IDM for years. They try so hard to be 'intelligent' that the 'dance' part is horifically neglected. Just like these bands seem to try so hard to be experimental music, the 'music' suffers tremendously. Stars of The Lid use gorgeous chord structures and patterns, and their songs build so triumphantly building luscious landscapes (plus their inclusion of a string trio live was fabulous) and Eluvium overlays simple piano melodies on his building chords, it's things like that which really sets these bands ahead of the crowd. Hapsberg Braganza was nowhere in the league of those two, but unlike the opening act, was not offensive to listen to, and it was possible to get somewhat lost in the music and enjoy it. However, like a lot of these acts, does not transcend well to CD/myspace.

Up next were The Long Lonesome Go. They were the only artist of the night to use traditional band instrumentation; blending ghostly bass tones, smooth keyboard lines and intricate drum rhythms to create beautiful lo-fi, neo-jazz compositions. They're a band where it's a bugger to find something about, all I know is that they're a more chilled out offshoot from local rock band "The Unit Ama". They did have a website which had about 20/30 songs available for free downloads, but silly me I never got hold of them and the website no longer exists. It's a real shame, because out of all the artists that performed, these were the most easily accessible and put on a beautiful set.

Finally out was Jamie Allen a renowned experimental musician the world over, who is currently lecturing at Newcastle University. Allen's performance of his 2007 work, "Circuit Music" would alienate a good amount of the audience, but I found it highly entertaining. Oh believe me, it was far from the prettiest 'music' you'd ever hear. Lots of the time it sounded like a someone taking a chainsaw to a Robin Reliant, but the whole concept behind it really intrigued me, and it for me is what experimental music should be about. It shouldn't be about being 'weird' for the sake of it. It's about pushing boundaries. Allen was standing, playing an illuminating suitcase, connecting circuits to create 'melodies' and complex rhythms and patterns. Yes, it was weird, hell it was probably the 'weirdest' thing of the night. But it wasn't about 'being weird'. It was about doing something different, something fresh. His sound really did alienate quite a lot of people though, but for me, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I don't give a fuck about anyone else!

So it was a bit of a weird night. Went down rather well though, plus it was free. I probably had a better time than I would have done at Das Pop (once I realised I liked 2 songs and the rest bore the fuck out of me), so all worked out well.

NOTE: Picture not mine. I do have a couple, mostly of The Long Lonesome Go, but bloody dongle is still being an arsehole.

CHECK THEM OUT

Jamie Allen

Hapsburg Braganza

Posset

The Gloom

[YI]

I can do these in any order I damn well please.

DATE: May 23rd 2009

VENUE: Alington House Community Association - Durham

GIG: DEFIANCE, OHIO (w/Madeline, ONSIND)

I've heard about many a strange gig in my time, but this is easily the strangest that I have attended. In a rundown community centre tucked away towards the student area of Durham, there was a fantastic night of punk infused folk music accompanied by a policy of BYOB, vegan snacks for sale and a brief period where I chilled out, leaning against a filing cabinet - something I can safely say, I have never done at a gig before.

Up first on the bill were local act, and promoters of this show, One Night Stand In North Dakota (aka. ONSIND). The band are an acoustic based duo, who I had previously seen a few weeks earlier supporting Bridge And Tunnel. Since then I'd familiarised myself with their material (both their demo and newly released debut album, "Dworkin's Bastards") and I don't know whether it was because of that or the fact they were surrounded by friends and fans, their performance seemed so much better. From cracking jokes, to making up their set on the fly, they had the entire room feeling good and a fair amount singing along. Their songs are full of fabulous little quips, from the humourous, "In 79 the female leader had such an abject case of penis envy" ("Riot Don't Diet"), to the local pride shown in "A Generous Exposition" ("One more metre of concrete, one more local shop closed down, no matter how much their change it, this is still out town"), the powerful "Real tragedies are skimmed over, or ignored in favour of feel-good endings, celebrity weddings or seasonal cheer, and the only thing that anyone can think about is the price of petrol" ("A Story In Three Acts") and even the absurd, like "If poverty's a cancer, then surely that means Band Aid was a chemotherapy wig" ("Shop Less, Live More"). However, standout track for the band and one of my favourites of the entire night was "I Could Carve A Better Man Out Of A Banana", a track from their Demo, which inspired a en-masse sing along of "I could hide the body underneath the shed, where they won't find him, no they won't find him". Outside of some negative banter towards my local area, I can't say a bad thing about these guys, who come across much better and 'angrier' live than on CD. A great mix of album tracks, demo tunes and a song from their brand new split with angry-folk pioneers Ghost Mice.

Up next was Madeline. Her stuff is soft, laid back indie, with a country vibe part in thanks to her Southern twang vocals. The kind of stuff you'd expect to be playing from an old fashioned jukebox, in a rundown bar off a dust track, where the clientele wear cowboy boots. She incredibly cute and bubbly and seemed very pleased with the reception she received, whilst basically unknown to the attendance, she noted the positive vibe, which was in stark contrast to what she'd received at some other places on this tour. The vast majority of her setlist was from her 2009 album "White Flag", which was good, as it was the only material of hers that I vaguely knew. The songs all followed a simple pattern, her strumming a sweet little riff that generally continued throughout, smooth basslines joined in and it was offset with cool, intricate drumming. She'd occasionally throw in the odd 'swear word' into the songs, which was awesome, really added some character and given the sweetness of the material really seemed out of left field. Towards the end of the set things started to get a little bit twee, with the gorgeous title track from "White Flag" and the closer, which was chock-ful of "Doo's", finishing things on a high note. Also, massive respect to her for the fact she's just released a new record and is already playing brand new tracks live, these come in the shape of "Dead Leaves" (which I'm not 100% sure about, but I can't find it in her back catalogue) and "Johnny Cash", which featured a great recurring lyric in "If Johnny Cash is up in heaven, then he's bored to death and probably wondering, where the hell the jukebox is, and he misses his guitar". Nothing to set the world alight, but great chillout music.

Finally Defiance, Ohio took centre 'stage'. Defiance, Ohio were one of the two bands that got me into folk-punk. Their 2004 debut "Share What Ya Got" and Against Me!'s "Reinventing Axl Rose" were the first two albums in the genre I ever heard and are still my favourite's in it (along with "Take Flight" by Pedals On Our Pirate Ships). Unfortunately they didn't visit that album a lot during the set, instead weighting more towards their 2007 offering "The Fear, The Fear, The Fear", but they did play a few favourites from it, that went down a storm with the crowd. However, they opened the show with the self-explanatory "Petty Problems" from their sophomore album "The Great Depression", that had everyone singing along. From here they dove straight into a punked up rendition of "Bikes And Bridges", one of the before mentioned favourites from their debut. At various times throughout the set the band stopped, changed instruments (including playing the venues battered, old, out of tune piano) and went on massive, somewhat awkward talks about charity, racism, geography, politics etc. One of these 'rants' was about the Icarus Project, a charity set up to raise awareness of Bi-Polar Disorder and Mental Illness. A month or so ago Defiance, Ohio released an EP for this project, and they played two of these new songs, "The Reason" and "Everyone Else On The Other Side". Following the downtempo "Everyone Else..." the band finished their set playing three of their favourites. From the huge "Oh, Susquehanna!" they then launched into their 3rd and final tune from "Share What Ya Got", the fantastic "I Don't Want Solidarity If It Means Holding Hands With You". And just as they opened with the first track from "The Great Depression", the finished with the last track, "Condition 11:11". The band smiled and waved away requests for one more song, but nobody was particularly disappointed, it had been a hell of a show.

Yes, finally a photo I took...and now you know why me taking photos is generally bad, as they always end up blurry and not very focussed, plus my phone camera is pretty shitty (actually it's really quite good in the right conditions, but shit in gig conditions).

Oh, lots of beards and plaid too.

You can get 'all' (besides the Ghost Mice split) of ONSIND's stuff for free - http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=ONSIND

SETLISTS

DEFIANCE, OHIO

Petty Problems

Bikes & Bridges

The Things We Wont Let Settle

The List

The Reason

I'm Just Going To Leave Now

Anxious And Worrying

Eureka!

Can't Stop, Won't Stop

Everyone Else On The Other Side

Oh, Susquehanna!

I Don't Want Solidarity If It Means Holding Hands With You

Condition 11:11

MADELINE (missing some)

Black Out

Fish In The Sea

Jive Talking

Johnny Cash [NEW SONG]

Rain, Fire & Brimstone

Shotgun Wedding

Dead Leaves [NEW SONG]

White Flag

Dirty South (Tie One On)

ONSIND

A Story In 3 Acts

Shop Less, Live More

My Clean Sweep At The Clown Oscars

I Could Carve A Better Man Out Of A Banana

NEW SONG (from Ghost Mice split)

A Generous Exposition

Gardez la France Propre Contaminez l'Angleterre

Riot Don't Diet

CHECK THEM OUT

Defiance, Ohio

Madeline

ONSIND

[Lowerdeck]

About a couple weeks ago I saw this blues band called the Delta Generators

And this Friday I'm off to see DMB (again)

[Liam]

If things went ok today, I'll be going to see Muse in November, apparently.

[YI]

Tickets are like £42 aren't they? Fuck that. Got quite a lot of good stuff coming up...nothing particularly big, but a bunch of bands I like.

[METALMAN]

I am going to see the Cribs in September. That is about it. Got no money in my pocket you see.