Late Night Fiction, Windum Earl, Blacklight Pioneer and The Belle Collective at The Adelphi - Thursday 14th October 2010 by Dick Spring

Photography Gallery by Cilla Wykes The Belle Collective Gallery, Blacklight Pioneer Gallery, Windum Earl Gallery, Late Night Fiction Gallery.

You know when you see a billing that gets you hopelessly excited with anticipation, yet can often end up being an anti climax, or worse still, a disappointment? Well, scratch that thought. There was no such feeling tonight as a healthily busy Adelphi was testament to. Opening up the show was a shortened set by The Belle Collective, who have been quietly and steadily building a reputation locally with gypsy folk inspired pop, that draws obvious comparisons with band of the moment Mumford and Sons.

Having witnessed them in their regular guise they are capable and have a songsmith, in the shape of John Copley, with a good ear for a melody to grab you. In keeping with the somewhat 'Heavy' feel of the bill they elected to stick their guitars through a distortion pedal and 'punk it up' a bit, which on balance didn't really work.

There appeared to be some anticipation for the second band up tonight. Having seen some very determined and persuasive postings on facebook suggesting Kettering's Blacklight Pioneer were 'not to be missed' and 'one of the most exciting new bands to come through Hull in a long time', one cannot help but think that this is just huff and puff on the part of promoters much of the time, but this was most certainly NOT the case tonight. There was a palpable air of anticipation in the Adelphi as they hit the stage with their massively powerful, yet still very accessible tunes.

Lying somewhere between Bloc Party and White Lies, they have a sound that is very 'now', whilst not being 'more of the same'; something that the Adelphi crowd seemed to pick up on with a rapturous reception from the off. Stand out tracks for me were Making History and Lucille which is expected to be their debut single in 2011. For me it felt as if we were witnessing something special, and had really got the night moving.

With all their members being well known on the Hull underground yet still being a bit of an enigma, Windum Earl never fail to impress with their aural soundscapes that leave the audience spellbound and often unsure of what to make of it.

With moments of such intense power that could be likened to early vintage Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine or The Swans, yet with some such delicate nuances of melody, and latent power that suddenly slays you with a punked up grunge of the likes of Nirvana and Mudhoney in their heyday. One quote I got was ' ... the last band had better be bloody amazing because Windum Earl just raised the bar.' ...'nuff said.

To this point it had been somewhat of an event, rather than just another gig. And so it was left to Late Night Fiction, hosts for tonight and launching their new CD, Horsefight, produced by The Talks front man, Pat Pretorius. Giving a free copy away to all those in attendance tonight, they had paid some attention to detail, yet were strangely nervous. This was apparently their first self promoted headline show, but they need not have worried as the turnout tonight was testament to their rising star status. The audience got right with them as they tore into their set with vigour and energy.

I have caught this band before and they have developed at a rapid rate of knots and have more than just raised the bar for Rock in Hull; they are a band hitting their stride for sure. Horsefight was played with such joy and enthusiasm you couldn't help but be dragged along by its catchiness. More of this, please. Their songs come from the Biffy Clyro School of rock but don't mistake them for copyists, they are showing that they can stand alone; something they will no doubt prove with their forthcoming mini tour.

Hull appears to have a new dawn rising with a crop of bands (of different genres) showing promise, with Late Night Fiction right in the leading pack. The future is looking bright! Links: Belle Collective: www.myspace.com/bellecollective Black Light Pioneer: www.myspace.com/blacklightpioneer www.facebook.com/blacklightpioneer Windum Earl: www.myspace.com/windumearlsounds Late Night Fiction: www.myspace.com/latenightfiction

Photograph Copyright © 2010  Cilla Wykes, thisisUll Ltd.

Copyright © 2010  Dick Spring

thisisUll.com Featured Writer Dick Spring
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