Saturday 25th February 06 - Dirty Dreamers, Viper 88s, They Died Too Young, When Saturn Returns and Cat - Islington Lark In The Park (3/5) By Michelle Dee

(1/5), (2/5), (3/5), (4/5), (5/5).

Photograph Gallery   Cat Gallery,    When Saturn Returns Gallery,    They Died Too Young Gallery,    Viper 88s Gallery,    Dirty Dreamers Gallery ,    People Gallery .

During Statement of Intent I find I have written the following, there's a little emo inside all of us, because we can't help but love the drama, the theatrics and the angst. On a bigger stage, given room to move, I think these guys could really shine. With a certain amount of inevitability the final number starts of nice and gentle then roars into a full on heavy guitar fest with more grinding bass and some choice percussion. I am particularly drawn to the red tied guitarist who shakes and thrusts his axe with self assured élan.

He then decides to come off the stage and play in and amongst the crowd. Good moves and fine musicianship.

The band middle on the bill are They Died Too Young first impression is that they are another emo band but almost immediately I begin to see subtle differences. The overall sound is reminiscent of heavier sounding bands like RATM. The vocal has a totally different quality too; lyrics are almost spat out with venom in a hip hop style possibly. I look to the rest of the band and they are clearly loving being on stage. The bass player I feel is having a party all of his own, where he's the special guest.

They continue, announcing a song about a junction on the North Circular. Well why not we have songs about every other conceivable thing. Lots of power and noise ensues just like a busy main road. I'm almost on top of them taking pics whenever I can and believe me they generate a hell of a lot of decibels. Strangled guitar lines and percussive elements rise and fall with the significant vocal strength.

I would like to see one more element added to the sound; during the quieter sections I think a keyboard could be introduced perhaps with some ungodly organ sounds to create new layers.

Either way, whatever they have got, they have it by the shed load. At the end of the set recall the singer commenting on the high quality burgers served at the venue. I really regret not sampling one now. I do however have a fine collection of They Died Too Young badges and a copy of their latest three-track CD DNA Neglects so it's not all regret.

Now we move on to Viper 88s yet another new name for many but with a sound that is a touch more familiar. The band name stuck after several hours of drinking, brain storming and arguing in a pub on Old St near to where they used to rehearse. They appear to be an older band than the others we have seen tonight. Like the openers they have a woman on lead vocals; I suddenly think of our own Sara from The Favours on how much harder her task will be if there are a plethora of female lead singers gigging in London. I am struck by the rapport between bassist and drummer both sounds are tightly woven together. I don't know whether the band are Indie/folk with punk elements or Indie with punk/folk elements?

I do know that live, they are really exhilarating to watch. There's just so much going on.

Continued..... Next Page (4/5).

Photograph Gallery   Cat Gallery,    When Saturn Returns Gallery,    They Died Too Young Gallery,    Viper 88s Gallery,    Dirty Dreamers Gallery ,    People Gallery .

Music Reviews - Sunday 6th November - Staks Battle of the Bands 05 By Michelle Dee
	On Sunday 6th of November the popular cafè bar cum restaurant on Beverley Road held the final of the Battle of the Bands competition. This event is not to be confused with Band Wars organised by the staff at the Polar Bear on Springbank. The bands that had successfully made it to the final were Hollywood, Minus 272 and the Vels. Regular readers of this site will Read more...

Music Gig Gallery - Tuesday 20th September - SideWinder and The Raindogs at The Sesh By Darren Rogers
	Sometimes we get photographs of a Gig in without a review. Check out some great shots in a 5 page Photograph Gallery of SideWinder and The Raindogs at The Sesh on Tuesday 20th September 2005 By Darren Rogers. Read more...

Music Gig Gallery - Friday 9th September - Above It All and Your Demise At Apocalypse at The Silhouette by Michelle Dee
	Sometimes we get photographs of a past Gig in without a review. This Photo Gallery of Above It All and Your Demise At Apocalypse at The Silhouette, Hull Friday 9th September 2005 is by Michelle Dee with photograph production by Kayleigh Tate. Read more...

Music Reviews - Saturday 8th October 05 - The Mardous and 59 Violets at Yo-Yo By David Thurlby Photos By Michelle Dee
	The Yo-Yo night at The Welly Club on Beverley Road is slap bang in the middle of its most hectic period what with all the students back in place and the host of bands that are lined up to play it's Live Lab. Tonight saw a band from just across the bridge share a small and compact stage with some up and coming chancers from down south. Barton's own 59 Violets Read more...

Music Reviews - 14th August 05 - Frank's Right Hand Trouser, Shindigg, Sal Paradise and The Vultures at the Adelphi By Anthony Baine.
	So, another week, another gig. This time it's the Paul Jackson's gaff for some of Hull's top local fare. Sundays are usually quite hit and miss in the summer months while there are no students about and this on this occasion I took a seat in a half-full Adelphi just in time to witness four bands strut their stuff. First up were The Vultures. Hull's music scene at the moment consists mainly of Read more...

Music Reviews - The Leeds Festival Diary - 25th to 28th August 05 By Andy Knudsen Photos by Em Alexander, Steve Clappison at (www.tallorders.org) and Sam Saunders
	In the same inexplicable way that you sometimes wake up a second or two before the alarm goes off, I wake up just before the door to the room I'm sleeping in opens. Dave bends his blonde head round the door. "Helloo" he sings and advances into the room wearing a face like the Cheshire Cat. I muster some kind of greeting and check my watch for the time. Read more...

Music Reviews - Night Clubs - 26th August 05 - Eat Your Words at The Welly By Diane
	What a night to remember! If you enjoy continuous dance music then get yourself down to Eat Your Words at the Welly Club on Beverley Road and dance the night away like I did. Very friendly staff as I entered the building. Somewhere to drop your bag and coat and helpful staff at the bar if you're like me and can never decide what you want to drink! A kind lass behind the bar offered Read more...

Music Reviews - Saturday 13th August 05 - Arctic Monkeys at The Silhouette by Nick Quantrill Photo Gallery by Darren Rogers
	Supported by The Applewhites, Sheffield's Arctic Monkeys rolled into Hull as the current NME-approved future of music, and for once they might just be correct. Despite having released just one single, the band has already toured extensively to build a formidable word of mouth fan-base, and they look equipped to explode into the musical mainstream. Read more...

Music Gallery - Thursday 18 to Sunday 21 August Scarborough Beached Live Music Festival By Roland Standaert.
	Checkout this incredible 11 page photograph gallery of Scarborough Beached Live Music Festival sent in by Roland Standaert. The four day festival's fifth year is captured beautifully by Rolands superb shots of the bands and their audiences. You may just be featured yourself....so get clicking and have a look. Read more...

Music Reviews - 13th September 05 - Kill Surf City at the Sesh By Michelle Dee
	Kill Surf City is generating a fresh wave on the Hull scene. Just a few months ago no-one had heard of this mixed (boy/girl) five-piece. I first saw them 17 August supporting the Applewhites at Ringside. That day I sat down pretty pissed off about things in general and life in particular, I happened to see a vaguely familiar face aside the stage. I recalled some weeks earlier, a conversation Read more...

Music Reviews - Friday 29th July 05 - Park and Ride, The Landaus and The Truth at KU Bar Stockton By Michelle Dee
	At half past three on a balmy Friday afternoon I clambered into the back of a hire van to make the journey to Stockton. Once inside, I was greeted by Hull's flagship band The Landaus, who were playing on the same bill, and a few fans of both bands including the much-loved Haribo and original party monster Dean Shakespeare. Danny Landau appears to have found the best seat Read more...

Music Reviews - Sunday 31st July 06 - Benefit Gig at Staks Bar By Joe Hakim Photos By Roland Standaert
	It's an early start, three in the afternoon, but it's for a good cause. Sundays, and the weekend in general, tend to be meaningless when you're unemployed, yet you always feel obligated to spend as much time in bed and do as little as possible in between bouts of napping. A lot of this is due to the fact that there's fuck all on TV on a Sunday. There's hardly anything good on TV during Read more...

Music Reviews - Monday 25th July - Hayseed Dixie at The Cockpit, Leeds By Joe Malarky Whole lotta Dixie
	I discovered Hayseed Dixie whilst searching for a version of Duelling Banjos in my local record shop. I won't go into why I was searching for the main tune from Deliverance, that's my business and anyway it's not important. What does matter is that I was intrigued by the Tennessee quartet. I did a little research and found that their beliefs are simple. All good songs Read more...

Music Reviews - Saturday 18th June 05 - Yeti and White Rose Movement at Sweet n Sour at The Silhouette By JG Photos by Mo
	Tonight, Yeti's support came from London based White Rose Movement. As soon as the band dived into their first song, I really thought that I was going to love them. In fact, every one of the songs on their set started off sounding very promising; fantastic intros that grab your attention and prepare you for a song full of energy and catchy hooks. However, when the vocals Read more...

Music Reviews - Friday 29th July 05 - GST Cardinals at Ringside By Catherine Campbell
	As Hull's newest and most exciting band, GST Cardinals can really put on a show; their rock and roll sound with a splash of punk is real breathe of fresh air. A support act for the evening, GST Cardinals enchanted the crowd and certainly have a large following for such a new band. When these boys play, you can't help but listen. Read more...

Music Reviews - Wednesday 27th July 05 - Emma Rugg Oceans/Depart EP Launch at the Lamp By Michelle Dee Photos By Roland Standaert
	After the worldwide success of her 2003 album Isolated Impressions Emma has been back in the studio both at home in Hull and in New York and put together a particular set of tracks marking a change of direction in her music. Emma welcomes us all to the Lamp with a bright smile and breezy Hello and an acknowledgement to the artists Shep and Steve Reed who have Read more...

Music Reviews - Saturday 16th July 05 - Doing Hull a Favour - Silhouette Club By Joe Hakim
	So I'm walking down Beverley Road, and as I'm walking this car stops at the lights and a guy hangs it head out of the window and shouts across to me, "Ey, mate...yeah you!" I try to ignore him, but seeing as I'm the only person on the street, there's no doubt in my mind that he's talking to me. Shit... "I think yer've dropped summat, mate," he yells. Read more...