Payola and Malibu Stacey at The Springhead Sunday 11th July By Dick Spring

Photograph Gallery   Payola Gallery 1   Payola Gallery 2 Malibu Stacey Gallery 1   Malibu Stacey Gallery 2

ROCK'N'ROLL!!!!!!!!! Bring it on.

This is what gigs are about; the like of which we haven't seen for many a long year and in a proper little rock 'n' roll venue. The Springhead, not known for being a hotbed of originality, despite being an excellent place to see live music, has stuck it's neck out and booked a fast rising UK rock band, making their 4th visit to Hull and obviously trying to play every possible one (the others being Moriarty's, The Haworth, The University).

Sunday nights are generally pretty dour affairs but Belfast band Payola who opened tonight's show got things moving rapidly in a way I haven't witnessed since the halcyon days of The Quireboys, Girl, Dogs D'amour and the like, with even a slight nod to Leigh from Malibu Stacey's previous band, Terrorvision. This is no feint praise of this band doing something so blatantly unfashionable (all the rest are doing some Faux punk/ new wave thing) that it sounds fresh.

I cannot wait to see more of this, though hopefully it will grow organically and not be such a fashion thing.

Payola seem to straddle the generation gap, as they look too young to have gotten this Glam/Sleaze rock 'n' roll the first time round, though too old to be new kids on the rock block. I have a distinct feeling that should promoters give this band a chance, they could well be a part of a new vanguard of good, honest, hard hitting Rock 'n' Roll.

Malibu Stacey on the other hand, with all due respect to Payola, are in a different league! Having served time in numerous West Yorkshire bands and even done the whole pop industry thing, the spit and polish of over a year gigging in the worst toilets, has left this band on the brink of greatness.

With an album finally due out, I suspect people will start to look seriously at this band, who with the whirling dervish of a front man Jonny Wilson, every inch a showman, should be whipping up audiences everywhere shortly. The remainder of the band are no slouches either. With both bass guitarist Leigh, and guitarist Kes, giving it loads in equal measure, it was a wonder how the stage of The Springhead kept them in.

Let's not forget some of the best, most grooving and danceable rock tunes this side of the late 80's, with a soundclash reminiscent of Cinderella (80's American Big Hair Metal band) meeting the Wildhearts. I cannot say more that this was a fantastic Sunday night in Hull and from the rapturous response from the audience, I was not alone. If you haven't seen (or heard) this band, then I suggest you do so, as it is a premier league example of both performance, musical chemistry and song writing from the heart. 10/10

Check the thisisUll.com Gallery Photograph Gallery   Payola Gallery 1   Payola Gallery 2 Malibu Stacey Gallery 1   Malibu Stacey Gallery 2 Photographs courtsey and Copyright © Mo thisisUll.com

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