U11 304 Showcase at the Welly - 11th March 04 By Cilla

Photograph Gallery   Sidewinder Gallery 1,   Gallery 2,   Gallery 3,

I have to admit to being at the very least confused about this particular event. Not being a regular listener to Viking FM (where, I gather, most publicity took place) I heard about it by chance from one of the bands who were showcasing there.

And it seemed like a big event, too - the line-up included Sidewinder, still life, Superscape, Komplikated, Steve Reed - all familiar names to me, plus a couple I'd not heard of before, The Senses, The Caged and Yes Y Not.

I didn't see The Senses - I don't think they played. And I missed the first band, Komplikated, arriving 30 minutes or so after the doors opened. I was really annoyed about that, I really wanted to see them having had some contact with them already with a view to including their gigs in the Coming Up section of thisisull.com.

I'm still hoping to see them - Chris Jarratt from the band told me they're playing the Humber Pilot on the 30th April - playing two sets.

As we arrived, Steve Reed was just starting his slot. I remembered his name from a night around Christmas. He played to a modest audience behind a large, empty dance floor - without question a feat of courage, alone on stage with this guitar. He didn't seem daunted in the least and confidently sang his way through his set. A talented and entertaining guy with plenty of his own material to showcase.

Superscape came next. I had all sorts of reasons for wanting to see this band live. After reading Steve Rudd's review of their latest CD and then listening to it myself, I really thought they'd be worth going to see. I felt almost awe-struck when I saw them, recognising them from photographs I'd seen recently from a gig they played at the Adelphi in October last year.

Well, they certainly brightened up my evening, performing with the ease of a band who know one another back to front and inside out. You can see that they do this for pleasure. They're totally original and totally relaxed. Lead singer, Pik opens his mouth and the words roar out!

How can a band like this be unsigned? They sing WORDS! They got better and better with each song and ended their set with the MOST uplifting noise at the end of Mote (a memorable number in any case) - a veritable wall of sound that made my hair stand on end. At the time I wrote ..the most amazing ending to a song, ever .. No question that I'll be going to see this band again.

Shortly after Superscape went off stage I was to realise that even in Hull, things are not always as they seem. This is when the whole thing went peculiar and I began to wonder if someone had dropped something sinister into my pint.

Yes Y Not were due up next. The DJ from Viking FM came on stage to announce them - or so I thought. Then there was this girl. I'd seen her in the audience earlier. She had the microphone and told us that the rest of the band were too shy to play so she'd be doing some songs on her own. OK. And then the backing track started. I began to feel uncomfortable.

She started to sing and I thought Isn't this karaoke?... I asked my mate, Timmy and he explained that maybe this young lady needed a band. I continued to be stunned, in awe of her bravery, aghast at the event organisers for putting an act like this in the middle of a showcase of live music.

Don't get me wrong, everything is right in its place and I don't really want to make any judgement about the actual performance, other than to say that you have to be a lot better than that to compete with Ginger Spice, and the heights of Kylie or Madonna are way out of reach, but this was incredible. It really, really did not work. Later, in the ladies, the singer came in feeling a little disappointed and said that this had been her first live gig; she'd only ever done karaoke before. I rest my case.

What a fabulous stage for still life to explode onto - well, you'd think so, except by now the audience was trickling away. I had a nasty, sinking feeling in my stomach and it wasn't the Grolsch. I watched still life play their set with real pleasure. Back to what it's really about. Live music played by musicians worthy of a showcase. I wondered if there was maybe someone hidden in the dwindling audience who was an A&R person.

After all, that's what a Showcase is about, isn't it? Unsigned bands doing a short set within a specific time slot for an audience of people who are in the main, from within the music industry and on the look out for new bands.

still life played a blinding set - I thought there must be something in the air. Despite the ringing in my ears, this was one of the best performances I've seen. Lost All Feeling was better than ever. I have a copy of their last CD and I've been listening a lot to it since. I've got to say that live performance is what still life is about. I know the tunes, have seen them play several times and I've got to say that I honestly never get bored. And I love their blue neon still life lamp which goes with them everywhere.

A tired and shoulder shrugging Sidewinder hit the stage next. Christian, lead singer, showed his usual vitality, with an edge of attitude and the odd expletive. Great front man. They'd waited a long time to get up there and maybe he was feeling the sting of the evenings fiasco. But these guys just do what they do and get into what they're doing without any fuss at all.

Once again, the fact that these guys have been playing together for quite some time really shows. The camaraderie on stage is apparent and they're repertoire is well practiced, well balanced and well worth listening to.

The Caged must have been the most undermined band of the night. I think everyone (that is everyone who was still there) had really had enough by they time they appeared. But they came on with a smile and a wicked set and played some really rousing rock music. The female lead singer stomped about the stage, wading through synthetic smoke and keeping up the act like a true professional.

I'd like to see this band again. Please get in touch. And so the end to a night which was if nothing else, an eye opener. It was well worth seeing the live bands for £3. I'm so glad we paid at the door. A guest ticket would have been entirely inappropriate.

Photograph Gallery   Sidewinder Gallery 1,   Gallery 2,   Gallery 3,

Music Reviews - Ten Men @ Relax coffee shop 09/03/04 By Elsie Creek
	An unusual setting for a gig, you may think. I have never seen a live band in a coffee shop before. But on Wednesday night Relax, on Newland Avenue, stayed open past eleven at night to host an atypical performance from the young Hull-based duo known as Ten Men. In the past couple of months my friends and I have noticed a huge improvement in Ten Men's music. Read more...

Music Reviews - Clare Teal at the Shire Hall, Howden - 6th March 04 By Lyn Acton
	Clare Teal at the Shire Hall, Howden, backed by Simon Wallace (piano), Mark Crooks (sax and clarinet), Rob Brown (drums), John Day (Double Bass), Nils Solberg (Guitar) From the minute Clare walked on stage she was in command. I've seen Clare on Parkinson and read interviews and was struck with how natural and self-effacing she seemed. I wasn't disappointed Read more...

Music Reviews - No-Nonsense Nigel's Smash It Up - The Adelphi, Wednesday 3rd March 2004 By Elsie Creek
	Dark, dingy and loud; what better way to spend a midweek evening than at Smash It Up, Nigel Holmes' live punk night. Having not been to a punk gig for a couple of years, I was quite excited about this evening. I've only just started getting into the Adelphi and, although I maintain that it's a total dive, it proved the perfect setting for the sweaty crowd which gathered.. Read more...

Music Reviews - Salako and Misshapen Lodge at the McCarthy Bar, Hull Student Union 1st March By Starpaw
	More often than not, I turn up to see a band and before the headliners even play a single note I'm happy to just get off and go home. I saw Athlete at the Adelphi last year and Fonda 500 played first. After Fonda, Athlete sounded like the musical equivalent of having a nice cup of rosy lea with your grandma on a Sunday morning. Read more...