Saturday 1st February
Well what a roller coaster of a year it was for me last year. Being a real music enthusiast I was devastated when one of my favourite local bands, in fact, one of my favourite bands decided to call it a day. The Chapman Family were no more. Still, my favourite band of all time, Sound of Guns, had a gig, their first in quite a few months. After a fantastic gig in Whitehaven, my world was torn apart when next day it was announced that they too were calling it a day.
But as the saying goes, as one door closes another door opens. And so quite by accident I stumbled upon an amazing band, Exit Calm. The four piece from South Yorkshire, released their second album, The Future Isn't What It Used To Be, in September 2013, and what an album it is. The raspy vocals of frontman Nicky Smith, combined with some of the best psychedelic guitar and bass riffs that I have heard, come together to produce some memorable anthemic tunes.
I was now on a mission to see these guys play live again. A trip to Sunderland and Liverpool confirmed that I had been missing out on one of the music industries hidden gems. The release of the second single from the album, The Promise, prompted a mini tour. I was lucky enough to see the final night of the tour in Bodega, Nottingham. The two support bands, didn't leave me wanting more, I was there for one band only, and judging by the packed out venue, others were too.
With tracks such as Fiction, The Rapture and Holy War, (all from the new album) and the menacing meanderings of the singer, Exit Calm had the crowd in the palm of their hand begging for more after the last song. They came back for the encore with one of my favourite tracks Higher Bound, leaving me in no doubt that I would be seeing a lot more of these guys.
