I realise the fest was about 2 weeks ago, normally I'd start writing shit up the day after the show but I was just too fucking tired. And then one thing led to another and I ended up putting it off until right now.. I mean, its not like it really matters though, its not like people are sitting on the edges of their seats waiting for my reviews to come out, I just feel I need to clarify things for my own sake.
The night was amazing, it totally blew away any expectations, not simply because of the music calibre, but the vibes were perfect - the right people in the right place. I had originally planned to go with some friends from London but they couldn't make it, so I found some replacements in Leeds. Just kidding, Chris, Mike and Dave came along completely voluntarily which I found pretty remarkable and admirable in a way, most people would be deterred by the entrance fee and the lack of recognisable band names. It was a good crew though, all dudes are really open to new things so I didn't have to keep checking over my shoulder like an over-enthusiastic camp leader.
We got there a bit before 4.30 because I being the cocksucker that I am had to get a good spot for Blacklisters.. there was no way I was gonna miss them. The crowd was pretty weak, and as a dude later on pointed out, very very sober, which I guess in white society isn't a good thing in terms of enjoyment.. We are a pitiful race aren't we? The set started off in typical blacklisters fashion, and thank fuck the stage was on ground level with the audience. I reckon all shows should be on ground level, provided the venue is pretty small. It makes the experience so much more personal, your standing right next to them, and they're standing right next to you. Its like.. all in your face.. and shit. There's one song blacklisters play, and every time I hear it it cuts me so deep. Everything just melds together so well in this moment of uncontrollable sound. The bass, the heavy, low, single note he plays shakes my head from side to side, it keeps building and building like a water balloon about to burst. Then, out of nowhere, the scream. THE FUCKING SCREAM. Just thinking about it makes my fingers clench and my teeth jam together. As soon as he lets out that scream my whole spinal column gives way and I just start screaming at the floor, I have absolutely no control over my body.. the music is just so fucking powerful. The drums smash so hard the moment he screams too, it feels like I'm gonna have an epileptic fit, I just have to sit there and spasm while the band continues to manipulate me. Its a crazy feeling, and I can't fucking wait to feel it again.
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| Billy on the scream |
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| mm, thought-provoking |
Gum Takes Tooth came on afterwards, back in the main room. Their set was alright, it was pretty fast and noisy, a duo of one dude on keyboard/synth with raspy cut up vocals and one of the fastest most co-ordinated drummers I have ever seen. This dude was nuts, I think part of the theme for this year's festival was crazy drummers, because almost every band seemed to have one. The crowd was starting to liven up (finally), and there seemed to be quite a bit of hype for the band. Their sound was unique, but I wasn't feeling it that much. The guy on keyboard had some pretty cool effects playing on his voice, the best was a fucked up toy megaphone which he used a good few times, but overall it wasn’t the greatest set of the night for me.
We had a half hour or so to kill before Juffage's set so I figured I'd go grab some food, and the crew came too. Sometimes I hate talking about pointless things such as deliberating what food to choose, so I'll just summarise it; it was a battle between fish and chips or a kebab. Seeing as I've never had a kebab before I thought I'd get on it, so we hit up the Royal Fish place.. Fuck it was disgusting; I don't ever plan on eating it again, or anything from that place. The first thing we see is the guy dumping an iceberg of lard in an ocean of oil. We watched it float around peacefully as he prodded it every now and then with a big stick. The kebab meat looked like a pile of freshly disembowelled entrails, and Mike's chips were at least a few days old. I'd spent my money and Juffage was bound to start playing soon so I had to stuff it down my throat as quick as possible. In a way that was a good thing because there was less room to 'savour' it, and the soft blubbery texture of the miscellaneous meat made it easier to swallow with minimal chews.
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| The crew |
I was still trudging through my last bite of intestine by the time we reached the games room for Juffage's set, and to my surprise he was stood without any keyboards, drums or pedals - just him and his guitar. I'll be honest, at first I was a bit disappointed, but as the set rolled on I came to appreciate it quite a bit. It definitely wasn't as entertaining or mind-blowing as his regular multi-layered set up, but it gave a different perspective to his songs. I came to notice an even softer, more melancholy undertone which I'd never noticed before, not to mention his ability to yell so clearly/audibly without a mic. I guess when you're only playing one instrument instead of 50 you can focus on your singing more. I spoke to him a little while after his show and asked him about his decision to play without the ensemble, and he told me his main aim was to give the audience an insight into his music beyond the usual cacophony and to put more emphasis on the lyrics, and I reckon he pulled it off pretty well, but at the same time I can't wait to see him fuck up that drum kit again!
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| JUFFAGE! |
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| "get them caterpillars to lick the freckles off yer face" |
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| Beards |
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| TTT + pit boys and the dude with dreads |
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| This guy was having the best time ever |
We shoved our way close to the front of the games room, there was no fuckkin way I was gonna miss out. We managed to make it for the last half of Lullaby of Leeds, one of the best songs to sing along to. I've come to tolerate people jabbering like idiots in the back more these days, but for this show I really wanted someone to tell them to shut the fuck up. Its not like it really mattered, I could still hear Sam, but it just annoys me sometimes - its pretty disrespectful to the artist (and audience) if you come in just to talk over the music. Seems like a pretty big waste of money, you might as well go to tiger tiger, i've heard they've got a bangin new soundsystem. Maybe they make a competition out of it, see who can talk the most coherently in front of the loudest speaker. And then the loser has to drink everyone's cum. But don't worry they're not gay, they're just manly. Fuck it, Sam was getting into it and so was I. I was thinking he must get a lott of chicks, he's got the voice and he sings about the pain of love.. what more could they want?? He ended up his set with 'rock and roll heart', and I had to hold someone so I put my arm over chris's shoulder, as friends do. I'm hoping he didnt take it the wrong way. I felt someone squeeze my ass a couple of times but I reckon it was the nice girl standing behind me.. at least I think there was a chick there.
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| Serious Sam |
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| Pit-boys reppin serious sam! whaaattttttt |
Finally, we'd reached the pinnacle of the fest, VESSLES. I'd never heard them live, but I'd definitely heard of them before. There seemed to be a lot of hype building for this set, and it was a fucking amazing way to finish, they couldn't have chosen a better band to end it on. It was just so fuckin... epic. Beyond epic, it was almost mind-altering at times. Their composition as a group is professional as fuck, you can tell they've been at it for a while. I cant remember any songs in particular, I just remember the feeling of heat and energy undulating throughout the room with every build up.. people at the front were jamming, the entire dancefloor was moving. That was a first for me to see in the Brudenell. They just kept going and going, I was physically non-existent, my muscles had turned into dust, but my brain just couldnt stop, and the power of their music managed to force me back into it.. They managed to fit in 2 encores to top it off, by the end of it everyone was so overwhelmed and juiced up by their performance it probably could've gone on for another 10 minutes at least and they'd still be up for it.
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| Vessles. dead. |
This was one of the best nights I've been to in a longg time, the organisation of it all was so smooth, though one or two songs may have been missed, I still managed to make it to each act with plenty of time to go. The bands that played were amazing, the mix of sounds was pretty eclectic, but thats exactly what made it so fun. Major major MAAAJOR props to Nodwell, to my knowledge he's the one who put it all together, so, Nodwell, thank you. It was awesome.. hyped for next year!
Listen to:
Juffage
Listen to:
Juffage
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