Live bands not to miss in 2017

For any fan of music, there are few things better in this world than seeing a band perform live. With the popularity of streaming sites such as YouTube, yes you can sometimes find live recordings of gigs and studio versions of the band you are after but it just doesn’t give you the smell of the place...the anticipation...and above all else...the sound. You can stay at home in your comfy houses and download to your hearts’ content but sometimes it’s all about the show...the born entertainers. Whether it be in a dark and dingy club in front of next to no-one or in a muddy field side to side with hundreds of others, it’s what people pay through the nose at times to experience...it’s become an addiction. I must be honest at this point and say that I’m a big believer in making my own mind up about a band without certain in the know media types telling me that I will love this band because I like so and so. The bands that I have chosen are ones that I personally feel are different from the churned out crap Indie Rock that finds itself on major radio stations or being lauded in the press. When the writer describes a song as being fiery, explosive and exciting...when in actual fact it’s drab and whiny...oh...with an obligatory synth thrown in just for good measure which seems to be the norm these days. So, here are the my five bands that I think people should know more about...do not miss them if they are coming to a venue near you...you’ll regret it.

Shame

Shame hail from South London and are a band that don’t seem to want to rest upon the coat tails of their glowing reputation of being ‘ones to watch’. I saw them live recently, in a fantastic intimate venue called The Westgarth Social Club in Middlesbrough...I arrived with high expectations after seeing a few live YouTube videos...and left in quite a daze, mind blown! Sometimes you can be blown away by the sheer sound and energy of a band, when they have you right where they want you and you can’t comprehend what you have just heard or seen until a few hours afterwards. These lads still leave you wanting more when your body and mind is screaming out for a rest. They have certainly put in the hard work too, with support slots with The Fall, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Fat White Family and Warpaint...that’s before they even released their first single! Having just come to the end of their first headlining tour and with their unnamed album produced and ready to be released the world seems to be at their feet, and just because they are a bunch of 19 year olds going on 20 doesn’t mean that their music is raw and unfinished...the singles “The Lick”, “Gold Hole” and “Tasteless” are played to perfection live. For me though, it is the songs “Concrete”, “Friction” and “Lampoon” that have me clambering over hot coals to see them again.

Idles

Bristol-based punk band Idles have quickly materialised into a band that I seem to need a daily fix of at the moment. If you want something instantaneous...exciting...but at the same time terrifying then you have the right band in the right moment. Front man Joe Talbot looks as though one minute he wants to give you a massive hug and rip your face off the next. Don’t be put off by that statement though, if you ever hear any of his interviews, he is a very articulate and intelligent man with a voice...all the things that the Tories hate. I was lucky enough to see them at Live at Leeds where there seemed to be an underlying playful love thing going on between the band members and with the crowd. They are not a band who just like a bit of mayhem with their music though...their guitar playing is tight and not unruly as it shows that they can actually play their instruments behind the wall of noise. Their lyrics can be very grim, sobering, amazingly real and to the point...but at times really funny too. Songs from their album Brutalism are thrust upon the crowd by the snarling front man just ahead of a wall of ferocious noise. Their single “Well Done” is an infectious earworm that lead me back into the mosh pit after a 22 year absence. They will certainly leave you entertained!

Goat Girl

The second band from this list that have emerged out of South London at a similar time as Shame, are Goat Girl. They are a refreshing DIY concept of a band that like to try their hand at all parts of management, from making their own fanzines, t-shirts and even handing out their own homemade fliers. Although they are from the same South London ‘scene’ as Shame, HMLtd and Sorry...they maintain that all the bands mentioned have their own unique sound...and they are right. Following the release of “Country Sleaze” last year, their reputation has been building nicely with sold out gigs featuring rock n’ roll that has been stripped back to its most primal components. They will shock at times and leave you open-mouthed with lead singer Lottie’s vocal and punchy lyrics that would happily sit in between very early PJ Harvey and Kim Deal but they will more than make up for it with songs like “Scum”, “You Da Man” and my personal favourite “No Heart”. Believe the hype...Rough Trade signed them after their debut single “Country Sleaze” just happened to be trending on Twitter...before it was actually released. That’s some feat!!!

Dead Pretties

I knew very little about this band before they played...apart from they had a few people from South London that had travelled up to see them at the Live at Leeds festival. They turned out to be the best new band that I had seen throughout the day. They were fantastic!!! You could be quite easily sat in a chair with your feet up and still be exhausted and dripping with sweat after watching their exhilarating set. The bands’ front man Jacob Slater looks like a man possessed who’s songs are his way of exorcising the demons in his head. The genius of the lad is there to see though as he stumbles around the stage tripping over bassist Oscar Browne and narrowly missing drummer Ben Firth his frenetic guitar playing is all over the place but sounds amazing. They are a band who have built up a following from London from regular gigs at the Windmill in Brixton alongside the bands that I have already spoken about on here...Shame, Goat Girl and Sorry (FKA Fish)...some of those performances can be found on YouTube. After looking at a few articles about Live at Leeds I’m staggered that there is no mention of this band at all...as their newly released debut single “Social Experiment” leans towards people flocking like sheep to watch bands that have changed their own identity so that they are accepted by the herd. The same thing was happening here...the herd flocking to other venues around the Yorkshire city because they wanted to keep in with the It crowd when they were missing a very special band under their very noses. They have a set list full of catchy indie dancefloor rock n’ roll songs that I’m sure 9 out of 10 people who see them for the first time will leave wanting to see and hear more. The only other named song I can find on the internet is “Take it easy” which is another song packed to the brim full of energy and attitude...they are well worth seeing if you get the chance.

Estrons

Last but not least we have Welsh band Estrons. This band burst onto my radar last year with the release of their debut single “Make a Man”...they were on BBC introducing over in SXSW if I remember correctly playing it live...the fast paced bass-lead song had me hooked and that was before I heard lead singer Tali Källstrom scream out her sexually domineering lyrics with “I’d like to make a man of you”...a quite directly lustful song that turns female objectification on its head. Strong lyrics over the top of blistering machine gun-esque guitars and drums. Core members of the band consist of Welsh-Canadian Tali and guitarist Rhodri Daniel who met by chance on a beach in Aberystwyth a few years ago. When it comes to writing the lyrics though you need to bank on Tali having a bad day...as all of her lyrics seem to arrive after really bad experiences...and you know that the majority of things she’s singing about are from actual events as she sings them with so much passion and belief. Their songs are punchy melodies full of powerful vocals and loud guitars...songs like “I’m Not Your Girl”, “Drop” and “Call You Mine”.

As I mentioned earlier, these are just some of the bands that have really got me excited about leaving the house and going to a gig...fingers crossed it might get you to go and get involved...if so...enjoy!!!