28 February 2012 (gig)
28 February 2012
A real buzz of expectancy surrounded Brick Lane’s Vibe Bar on Friday night as THIS FEELING once again played host to a clutch of red-hot bands on the rise. The cream of Manchester, Dublin and London came, saw and conquered, seducing the THIS FEELING faithful with mesmeric live performances and leaving the audience in no doubt as to exactly where indie music’s next big things are coming from.
Manchester’s JANICE GRAHAM BAND has been enjoying a rapidly burgeoning reputation as one the best live acts in the country and, with tonight doubling as an album launch party, and with an array of familiar journalistic faces in the crowd, the band are on fierce form, crashing through a simply riotous set of ska/pop-infused romps from their debut long-player, ‘It’s Not Me’. In all honesty, this band is something of a live juggernaut, combining the good-time party atmosphere of The Happy Mondays with the lyrical charm of Arctic Monkeys and the bravado and strut of The Specials. No mean feat, to be sure, and all this done with a confidence and swagger which makes mockery of their tender years.
Dublin’s THE CHAKRAS take to the stage amidst a wail of cavernous feedback – six fairly unremarkable looking lads pick up their instruments – and then something quite breathtaking happens. The sound is dense, multi-layered and almost ethereal in its nature, and the songs are epic, ecstatic even, certainly life-affirming in a sky-scraping, punch-the-air kind of way – like the best bits of Elbow and Doves but by no means derivative of either band. This band follows its own unique path and deserves to play to hell of a lot of very large crowds in the coming years; a class act.
Manchester’s DAYSTAR has that oh-so-important quality which is crucial to every aspiring group of musicians – belief. And in front man Simon Monaghan they have talent with serious potential. During a set of mid-tempo indie pop tunes very much in the R.E.M. mould, and with more than a passing nod to The Smiths, there are flashes of real spine-tingling excellence. Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien is a fan, as is Clint Boon of Inspiral Carpets-fame, and it’s easy to understand to why upon watching the band live. There’s a comfortable assuredness to the performance and the song-craft is of a high quality – definitely ones to watch in the future.
FILMS OF COLOUR impressed with a widescreen sound akin to that of Coldplay with raking Radiohead-esque guitars. The Londoners give it their all – heart and soul – and the songs have an intelligent, almost progressive quality which grips the audience like a vice – little wonder Bowie is fan.
MODEL SOCIETY, also from the capital, brought an even more upbeat mood to proceedings, expertly borrowing sun-drenched Brit-pop harmonies that we all know and love in a gloriously unashamed celebration of the era. Big sing-along choruses always go down well, especially when they’re as catchy as this.
JANICE GRAHAM BAND headline This Feeling's first UK tour next month. In tow will be Britpop revivalists SULK (earning rave reviews comparing them to The Stone Roses and Primal Scream) along with THE CORAL and HOWARD MARKS on the decks, as the This Feeling rock and roll carnival rolls into town at the Sheffield Leadmill (March 15), Manchester FAC251 (March 16), Liverpool Magnet (March 17), Dunfermline's PJ Malloys (March 30), Glasgow's Chambre 69 (March 31) and London Queen of Hoxton (April 14).
Other great new guitar bands on the tour include THE SUNDOWNERS, THE DRAYMIN', SELECTIVE SERVICE, WHERE'S STRUTTER? and MURRAY JAMES.
For advance tickets, info and exclusive free downloads from all the above bands visit www.thisfeeling.co.uk
