In June Lone Wolf and Independent Live joined forces. The venue was Independent Little Room, and first up was Cohesion, who I'd seen (and enjoyed). There was only a very small audience, but it didn't stop them from giving a very impressive performance. Next up was Bleachbird. New to me, but it wasn't hard to work out that they had been influenced by bands such as The Strokes, Libertines and a number of classic Mod bands. They did a decent cover of The Strokes 'New York City Cops', but the rest of their set was all their own stuff. Next it was the headliners of the night, Towns. These guys are a four piece from Weston Super Mare who, by their own admittance, are influenced by 90's guitar music. As I listened to their swirling guitar assault, I was reminded of My Bloody Valentine and the like. They played a great set and it was such a shame that there wasn't more people present to enjoy them.
The Last Lone Wolf gig until the autumn, over the road at Plugged Inn, promised to be a great spectacle. The first band up was a last minute replacement for The Famous When Dead, as injury had caused them to pull out. Gateshead 3 piece - Warning! had energy that was second to none. There was quite a nice little crowd and they appeared to be enjoying the antics of the band, as the singer and bass player jumped all over the small stage. The singer is a real showman and reminds me of a young Justin Hawkins, from the Darkness. Although they are quite a heavy band, I was reminded in parts of Red Hot Chili Peppers, as some of their guitar riffs were really funky.
Parastatic were up next. I had seen them once before and had loved how different they were. This time their set was going to be special, as they were incorporating projected visuals into their performance. I just love the krautrock sound of these guys, reminding me how much I loved Kraftwerk, back in the 80's, and 'Magic Fly' by Space, in the 70's. They use limited vocals, but the heady sound created by these talented musicians, is enough to guide you through each cleverly crafted composition. Although their sound isn't totally unique to the North East music scene, they differ from the likes of Warm Digits because they don't use a drum kit. The scintillating scotoma experienced through the clever use of visuals, synths, sequencers and guitars, held a captive audience to the core. To find out more check them out at http://www.parastatic.co.uk/
A good crowd had now gathered just in time to see headliners Watchers. I am no stranger to this 4 piece from Newcastle, as I try to catch them whenever I can. They opened with 'Train Wreck', and immediately I noticed that people were sitting up and paying attention. Most bands have one member who the audience focus on. However, with Watchers, I find myself constantly scanning the stage, unable to focus on just one of them as they are all captivating to watch. They then played my favourite track, (I think, hard to choose), Night and Knife. When I first saw this band I was aware that singer Liam has a stage presence that, for me, just surpasses all other frontmen. With their own unique brand of psych-rock, each song they played was as accomplished as the previous. Towards the end of regular set-closer 'Path of Least Resistance' saw the singer drop his guitar, attack the effects pedals, then leave the stage, only to tear one of the night's promotional posters from the wall, return to the spotlight and promptly force his head through it, crowning himself triumphant. Rightly so, and much to the delight of the crowd. Summer sees the release of their double A sided single, 'Cut the Ribbon / Rebel' but you can catch them at several gigs in the coming weeks. To check out where and when they're playing go to the following link. http://www.thewatchers.co.uk/
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