Friday 7th March - Hull Punk Mini-Fest Featuring The Vibrators support from The Cliques Go-Go Kings Mike Watts (2/2) Words and Pictures by Michelle Dee Punk is dead long live punk!

(1/2), (2/2).

Photography Gallery Go-Go Kings Gallery,   The Cliques Gallery,   Mike Watts Gallery.   The Vibrators Gallery 1.   Gallery 2.

Joe Hakim, after a press trip to Manchester is on the bill for the second day of the Mini-fest. A shrewd move by Joe and Mike saw them playing to a punk crowd a few Sundays ago. Saturday's punk crowd knew something of the two performers work and their set was punctuated with requests and audience participation. Joe Hakim and Mike Watts are a must for any promoter looking to expand their horizons and offer something current and cutting edge to prospective audiences.

The Cliques a three piece band that seem to be playing every gig under the sun right now strutted onto the stage and split the crowd with their indie pop tunes. Influences worn on their sleeves like badges on a guitar bag. All the breakthrough bands are evident in their sound, from the Cribs, The Libertines and the Arctics.

They embody a lot of what it is to be in a band these days; youthful spirits, good intentions, passion, onstage energy but are yet to come up with a killer song.

Whose side are you on and It'll be alright soon are the two that stay longest in the mind. The Vibrators slightly long in the tooth and going grey round the edges take to the stage and the crowd creates a semi circle down the front. They blast through old and newer material Rip Up The City and Judy Says Knock You In The Head sees a few union shirts pogoing and slamming at the front. Disco In Moscow was my favourite of the night with its scream out loud manic choruses.

The set was replete with snarling coarse vocals with guitar moves that thrill and appeal to the anarchist inside. The most well known and probably best loved number, Baby Baby came towards the end of a lively set that attempted to recreate something of the old punk ethos. The sight of the band doing punk covers when they have a wealth of their own songs to choose from came as something of a surprise but it did get the crowd singing, so fair play to them.

Was the £9/£11 ticket price too rich for the average pocket? Did the venue put people off? Were the drink prices too high? At nearly £3.00 for everything; a pint of cider, a shot of rum, a bottled beer, I'd suspect at least one of the three suppositions above of having a ring of truth.

Photography Gallery Go-Go Kings Gallery,   The Cliques Gallery,   Mike Watts Gallery.   The Vibrators Gallery 1.   Gallery 2.

Photographs courtsey and Copyright © 2008  Michelle Dee

Music Reviews - Sunday 5th August 07 - Piney Gir, Analogue Consumption and Wendy at The Adelphi By James McGuire
	The evening saw the Piney Gir Roadshow come to The Adelphi, supported by Analogue Consumption and the Adelphi's own Wendy. First up was Wendy, with her sweet vocals and calming acoustic sounds. Even though there were a few minor technical hiccups with the backing track, the audience loved her cat related performance. Read more...

Music Reviews - Live Music Reviews - Saturday 22nd September Metieval Festival Beverley Memorial Hall By Michelle Dee 14 Page Photo Gallery by Cilla and Michelle
	A heavy metal festival in Beverley? Sounds like fun, so donning my Sworn Amongst tshirt, Cilla and I drove down to the sleepy market town. Cilla announced almost as soon as we were inside the darkened confines of Beverley Memorial Hall that she was really up for it, and immediately began snapping Face of Scars who were already on stage. Read more...

Music Reviews - Sunday 26th September 07 - Acoustic Gathering II at Peasholm Park, Scarborough By David Wright Photographs By Danielle Millea from efestivals
	Peasholm Park looks beautiful tonight. Headliner Chris Helme is singing a gentle song called Pure, his fragile voice floats above flickering candles, up to the recently rebuilt oriental Pagoda. Blinded By The Sun, a song he wrote for his former band The Seahorses sounds refreshing, stripped down to just guitar and voice. A.G. 2 began perfectly at midday, with 15 year old Alastair Schmuck; his version of Read more...

Music Reviews - Monday 17th September 07 - Open Mic Night at the Adelphi Club featuring So So Modern By Michelle Dee Our (Kiwi) Friends Electric
	Another open mic review from Adelphi - that must mean Paul Jackson is booking some great bands for the very popular Monday nights. Yes it may be free but it's still hugely popular with the growing hip hop and rap fans. They take to the stage after practicing their rhymes in the cold and wet giving the smokers something to listen to Read more...

Music Reviews - Thursday 13th September - Hull Explosion - The Talks and The Favours At The Welly Club By Michelle Dee
	Much anticipated by local media, laudable attempts by BBC Look North to promote The Favours and The Talks recently, via coverage of Grassroots, and Favours interview plus live performance of their new single, Islands the night before the Hull leg, should have made this one of the hottest tickets for months. As it was, the Hull date Read more...

Music Reviews - Saturday 21st July 07 - Over The Wall at Gallery 49, Bridlington By Katie Ashworth
	A poetry and music night in an art gallery in Bridlington? Sounded fun - so off we went to Gallery 49, which although small, managed to fit in a lot of people! Performers that night included a French accordion player named Jon Pierre, Fudgey playing some acoustic songs, Phill Wilson/MyOneManBand with a more stripped-down pedal arrangement and a band called Over The Wall. Read more...

Music Reviews - Monday 10th September 07 - The Skies At Open Mic Night at Adelphi Club By Michelle Dee
	You never know what you're going to get at Adelphi on a Monday, the flyer states featuring the best and sometimes worst that Hull has to offer, but ever so often there's a full band on, after the individual slots. I've seen a great band Alfa 9 on one of these nights as well as artists like, Paolo Nutini, Paul The Girl, and others, so if you pick the right Read more...

Music Reviews - Saturday 1st September 07 - East Park Rocks Hull By Michelle Dee
	I arrive at East Park and make my way straight to the main stage. I'm late due to having been to see Tonik and new singer/songwriter Tom Dorridge. Both were in fine fettle at Alderman Kneeshaw Park open day on Amethyst Rd. A good sound being provided by the Springboard chaps from Cottingham and a bright sunny day to listen to Read more...

Music Reviews - Sunday 26th August U2OPIA King Billy Pub Hull By Michelle Dee (Joshua Twigg)
	Sunday night I hailed a cab to the King Billy in Hull, to see a U2 cover band. They had an impressive set up with big speakers and spotlight racks all linked to a modest mixing desk in the capable hands of itsl (In The Spotlight) Sound and Lighting company. It was just £3.00 on the door. Some people didn't want to pay Read more...

Music Reviews - Friday 24th August 07 - Thisisull Live - Soulflame, Nato and Sworn Amongst at the Adelphi By Metal Mickey Photos by Mo, Michelle and Cilla
	ThisisUll.com doing a metal night? That's a first. Not all metal because the first band were more rock, a bit loud but not really heavy metal. I'd seen them before at Goose and Granite pub in town. The singer/guitarist Nic was screaming the lyrics a bit more tonight on certain songs. Read more...

Music Reviews - Tuesday 14th August 07 - Open Mic Night at Durty Nellies with David Elf, Cox Brothers and The Peasants Revolt Words and Pictures by Lady Of Leather
	It was most certainly a damp grey night, but cobbles glistened reflecting the streetlights, spirits were cheery and bright on entering the old town Irish pub Durty Nellies. I sashayed to the bar in tight leather to order a pint of Masham's finest ale Black Sheep. Drinking in the atmosphere were customers from Queens Pub and more than a handful Read more...

Music Reviews - 19th July 07 - Stripped 2nd Birthday At Wellington Inn By Perry Farrell Photographs By Michelle Dee
	I made notes at the gig, then got a bit too drunk and dropped them into the bar room spittoon at The Queens Hotel just before last orders. Thankfully, I can still remember enough to provide this brief but highly accurate and concise review of proceedings. By the way - for those of you who can't be arsed to stray off Prinny Ave these days - The Wellington Inn Read more...

Music Reviews - Tuesday 3rd July 07 - Classic Rock Music Night At The Wellington Pub, Russell Street By Michelle Dee
	After a hard day at the office, I sallied forth to Wellington Pub , home to the ever-successful Stripped nights run by Pat Gradwell on Thursdays, and to a little known Classic Rock Night on Tuesday evenings. We were in the special pub last Tuesday about eight o' clock when a group of chaps came up to us and said, "Hey you'll have to move, it's our music night." "Music night!" Read more...

Music Reviews - Wednesday 11th July 07 - Lecorum, The Riffs and Riley and The Mumps at Lamp By Katie Ashworth Photos by Michelle Dee
	Despite the recent smoking ban that was predicted to cause a blow to bar and pub custom, it is safe to say that this is one of the fullest Lamp nights we have seen - the stage front becomes packed towards the end of the night, and you can still see people in the seating area and outdoor area, all providing ample support for these all-Hull bands. First support is Riley and the Mumps. Hard to guess Read more...

Music Reviews - Wednesday 27th June 07 - Maul and Reign Of Chaos and Mechanical Breeding at Ringside By Ian Johansson Reign of Chaos Photos by JWA Photography
	This was one night that shouldn't have been missed. It was one of the biggest nights I had seen at Ringside in my two years of living in Hull and attending a lot of local gigs. The night kicked off a bit late but the atmosphere strong and tense, the first band up was a band named Mechanical Breeding. The guitarist was possibly the only decent member in the band, Read more...

Music Reviews - Grace Potter & The Nocturnals By Chris Warne
	I'm always amazed by the amount of musical talent on MySpace that goes unnoticed, often hidden behind endless streams of lesser artists trying to promote their "songs" by friend requesting the world and it's husband. But sometimes - just sometimes - you make a rare discovery that blows your mind! Last week I logged on to the profile of Grace Potter and The Nocturnals Read more...

Music Reviews - Sunday 24th June 07 - The Sonic Hearts at Lamp Words and Pictures By Michelle Dee
	Just lately I've found myself down at the Lamp checking out the very different range of artists performing there. Tonight was a pleasant surprise; one new band The Sonic Hearts. Another reformed, with a new name in Kalels Cape and one with two new members and new songs, Red Night Strip. I'll start with Red Night Strip Read more...