Miscellaneous - Gullivers, Manchester, 19/11/2011

  by Dixie Ernill

published: 26 / 11 / 2011

intro

Dixie Ernill looks back on our first Pennyblackmusic Bands' Night in Manchester which saw sets from the Experimental Pop Band, Brilliant Mind, Becca and The Broken Biscuits and Davey Woodward

Having overcome the teething troubles of a delayed soundcheck with a maverick soundman, amazingly the evening got underway a mere ten minutes behind schedule. The room filled rapidly as news filtered downstairs that Davey Woodward was taking the stage to perform a short set of acoustic tracks. Despite the fact that only 'Burger Bar' had previously been released and the absence of any old Brilliant Corners sings in the set, his songs of everyday life are extremely well received. The slightly comedic numbers 'Worry' and 'Pretty Girls' drew justified applause, but it is 'Discount Parka' with its heartfelt plea of “But this is the last dance/This is the last chance/I’ve been waiting so long.” That shows Woodward’s wonderful song-writing in all its glory. Next up are the rather brilliant Becca and The Broken Biscuits with their first-rate folk-pop that leads one punter to describe singer Becca Williams as a young Chrissie Hynde! 'Train Driver' is undoubtedly one of the real highlights of the whole evening, but the rest of their set isn’t far behind with 'Bellyachin’ and an untitled new track running it close. Northumberland 6-piece, Brilliant Mind, led by the youthful looking Calum Lynn, then up the tempo with a vibrant set of indie-pop. Lynn openly admits that are their songs are” basically Smiths’ songs”, but while anyone would be hard pushed to match the magic of Morrissey and Marr, he is not wrong in highlighting the obvious similarities. 'Two Lives' and 'Blyth' are excellent tracks that light up the first half of their set, while the closing couplet of debut cassingle 'Our Osprey' and 'Leave Your Friends Behind' further underline this band’s credentials as ones to keep a close eye on in 2012. Headliners the Experimental Pop Band are seasoned pros having formed over fifteen years ago, and certainly know how to entertain despite years of performing below the radar of the popular music press. Starting with the quieter songs from their impressive canon, the set builds into a raucous climax with new track 'Outside' proving to be the ideal closer as it gradually grows into a hook-laden musical beast that is something quite special indeed. Before that though a whole raft of yet to be released songs are given their head with the riot referencing 'Bowling' and 'Can You Feel The Heat?' being the highlights of the opening half dozen tracks. 'Jodie' from 2009’s 'Tinsel Stars# also appears early in the set and in a just world it would have been a top ten single when it first came out. 'Little Things' and 'Transit Van Superstardom” are superior guitar tracks, both with single potential, while the punchy 'Second Best' is further proof that the Experimental Pop Band's next LP could quite possibly be their career defining one. The gas is turned up even further by 'In Heaven' with its near metal wig out ending and 'Punk Rock Classic' (rightly a fixture of the band’s live set since the late 1990s), an electro/guitar mash up ode to punk girls belted out by Davey Woodward despite battling with a heavy cold. The later is also elevated by the superb slide show on the wall behind the band and would be a top notch way to finish if it wasn’t for the previously mentioned ace 'Outside'. A triumph for the bands and a triumph for Pennyblackmusic.

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