Review & photos by Huw Williams
If you’re thinking about hip hop legends Arrested Development, you might be forgiven for harking back to the 1990s and their breakout album 3 years, 5 months and 2 days in the Life Of…. It is home to top 10 hits People Everyday and Mr. Wendal after all.
However, there’s a huge volume of work since then, chalking up 5 albums in the last 6 years. Of course, the set list leans on some of that classic back catalogue, but there are still inclusions from the more recent output, including this year’s Bullets In The Chamber, a particularly politically charged record, even in their history of politically charged records.
The crowd at The Old Woollen, in Farley are definitely here for the familiar favourites though, and they’re joyfully lapping up the celebration of this performance. From the moment Speech - the only original member of the group still involved - takes the stage, there’s a collective smile on the face of the crowd.
The band performs with real joy. The brilliant Fareedah Aleem burst on to the stage with her passionate and expressive dancing, alongside soulful vocalist Tasha La Rae. Backed by the tightest of bands, there’s a seamless quality to the whole production. Speech and One Love interchange from time to time on the vocals, both with irresistible flow, and the latter - according to one fan at the back - sounding a bit like JayZ.
There are clever arrangements, which weave excerpts from classics such as Bob Marley’s 3 Little Birds, 4 Non Blondes’ What’s Up? into their own material, alongside a mashup of Kriss Kross’ Jump and House of Pain’s legendary Jump Around.
The whole thing feels like a party, celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip hop, something which Speech calls out between songs. It was a feeling that spilled out into the balmy night in Farsley, as people still sang the refrain from the closing song, People Everyday, as they seemed determined to keep that party going into the night.
Review and photos - Phil Wright
What an amazing night as the 6,000 strong ‘Quo Army’ packed the Halifax Piece Hall. As a MASSIVE Quo fan, I was so excited to have the honour of working as a photographer for this event.
The Piece Hall is a huge open-air courtyard which has been sat in the heart of Halifax since 1779. A fantastic venue to see the Quo, and so well organised.
Opening the show was 80’s vocalist Mike Peters of ‘The Alarm’, getting the sold-out crowd warmed up. He performed their biggest hit ‘68 guns’. Sixty-five-year-old Mike did a stellar performance, sticking two fingers up at cancer.
As the clock struck 9, the mighty Quo casually walked onto the stage as the crowd cheered. I was mainly watching Richi Malone after he replaced the late great Rick Parfitt, but as soon as he played the opening riff to ‘Caroline’, I knew he was going to be good.
For the next ninety minutes, we were treated to a barrage of hits spanning the bands long career. ‘Roll Over Lay Down’, ‘Hold your Back’ to name just a couple. These timeless classics sounded just as good as when they were first released.
The highlight of the show was the brilliant mix of ‘What You’re Proposing / Down the Dustpipe / Something ‘bout you baby I like / Wild Side of Life / Rollin’ Home / Railroad / Again and Again / Mystery Song’ and a full 1o minutes of ‘Down Down’.
A Status Quo show just cannot end without ‘Rocking All Over the World’ and that is exactly what they gave us, along with an encore set of ‘Don’t Waste My Time’, ‘Paper Plane’ and ‘Burning Brides’.
Overall, this was a truly amazing show for all Quo fans, young and old.
Review and photos - Liam McEvoy
With the summer season of gigs at The Piece Hall in Halifax coming to an end there was still time for the mighty McFly to call in and deliver a sensational headline set performed to a venue that was packed to the proverbial rafters.
Having formed as a band an eye watering 21 years ago, McFly are now seasoned professionals, and it was clear from the very start that they know how to put on a show opening with the first two track off their lates 2023 album Power to Play, Where Did All the Guitars Go? And Land of the Bees.
With 7 studio albums behind them however and much to the delight of the fans the band dived into their back catalogue playing Star Girl, Room on The Third Floor (The title track from their 2003 debut album) and their number 1 hit Obviously which had the crowd dancing throughout.
Being the consummate professionals they are McFly were experts in working the crowd even finding time to throw a jibe at their onetime collaborators Busted, for who could forget the 2014 supergroup team up of McBusted.
Working the crowd expertly McFly continued to delve into their extensive back catalogue playing Happiness, another of their massive hits All About You before closing their set with the fantastic Red. This left the capacity Crowd eager for more and McFly were more than willing to oblige.
Returning to the stage the band performed a few final tracks and finishing with the only song they could, Five Colours In Her Hair. The track that kickstarted the band rise way back in 2004 and was the beginning of what is a 21 year and counting career this track is the only one McFly could end with and it had the crowd dancing until the very end.
On their Headline set at The Piece Hall McFly showed just how good they are and for anyone who missed the show there is good news as they will be playing a second show at the venue on the 18th August and no doubt this will be just as packed as the first date and McFly will put on another stellar performance.
Set list:
1. Y.M.C.A.
2. Where Did All the Guitars Go?
3. Land of the Bees
4. One for the Radio
5. Star Girl
6. That Girl
7. Lies
8. Room on the 3rd Floor
9. Obviously
10. Everybody Knows
11. Happiness
12. All About You
13. Shine a Light
14. Red
15. Forever's Not Enough
16. The Heart Never Lies
17. Broccoli
18. 5 Colours in Her Hair
19. God Gave Rock & Roll To You
Review and photos - Levi Tubman
PJ Harvey is one of my bucket list artists, someone who’ve I’ve managed to miss live for decades, and the slightly unconventional venue of The Piece Hall seems like the perfect place to see this equally slightly unconventional artist.
The band takes the stage in plain simple clothes with the lady herself in a long white smock. It’s all very subdued and modest, as is the opening number. while all low key it feels very meticulous, the stage set with a collection of old wooden chairs, a small desk, and what looks like a small prayer table, each prop with a place and purpose.
The first half of tonight’s set is reserved for the new album, starting with Prayer At The Gate, a song that shouldn’t work to open with, light on lyrics, it’s a slow soundscape but the moment she opens her mouth the crowd are captivated. Making it look effortless as each note rings out across the quad, an ethereal figure in the centre of the stage, arms moving to the beautiful music like limbs of a tree as she’s lost in the moment.
The new album is very poetic, exploring spirituality, life, nature and her love of Elvis, set against the backdrop of the 18th centrally Hall, as the driving rain falls on the stage, picked up by the lights it creates a beautiful image, and while she can’t keep still, the first half isn’t for dancing, its truly for the fans.
I am a fan, and I really enjoyed her set, but if I wasn’t I feel I might have left a little sooner, from the moment they take the stage to the moment they leave not a word is spoken to the crowd. This is my biggest pet peeve when it comes to seeing a band, it comes across as rude, and builds a barrier, I felt part the crowd getting distracted and turning more to their phones.
After a break of The Colour Of The Earth, an instrumental by the band, PJ takes the stage again with a new energy turning towards her older albums, material that’s a lot more upbeat and energetic which quickly brings the crowds attention back.
The second half brings us the phenomenal 50ft Queenie, Man-Size and Down By The Water, 3 of her big hitters that blow the cobwebs away and are a pleasure to hear, but sadly nothing from Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea, but with the new album taking up half of the set there was limited space.
You can’t blame her for putting most of the new album up front, it has some beautiful songs, bringing an otherworldly feel to the night, and mixing them up with the older material would have broken the atmosphere they created. Tonight felt like 2 distinct sets, both wildly different but both fantastic, even if the first was more for the fans.
Tonight, we saw an artist who, not in a selfish way, was there a lot for herself, being part of the music and performance loosing herself into it. I’m so glad I finally got to see her, and as each of her albums differ to each other I can imagine no tour is alike, so I’m excited for the next one.
Setlist
1.Prayer at the Gate
2.Autumn Term
3.Lwonesome Tonight
4.The Nether-Edge
5.I Inside the Old Year Dying
6.A Child's Question, August
7.I Inside the Old I Dying
8.A Child's Question, July
9.A Noiseless Noise
10.The Colour of the Earth (Just the band)
11.The Glorious Land
12.The Words That Maketh Murder
13.50ft Queenie
14.Black Hearted Love (PJ Harvey & John Parish cover)
15.The Garden
16.The Desperate Kingdom of Love
17.Man-Size
18.Dress
19.Down by the Water
20.To Bring You My Love
Encore:
21.C'mon Billy
21.White Chalk
Review and photos - Levi Tubman
The Pixies are another bucket list band for me, they’re one of those bands that everyone either knows, or knows a band that’s been influenced by them. I don’t think it’s too much to say they’re one of the most important bands of the last 40 years, let’s see if they’re still as relevant today.
Supporting The Pixies are The Pale White, who have been supporting them for the past 20+ dates, and you can see why. Their sound really matches the classic Pixies Sound, and they have energy and presence to spare, riffs and songs are catchy, and a drummer who could give Animal from the muppets a run for his money! The only issue was sometimes the guitar was a little quiet, but more of that later.
Taking to the stage there’s no messing about as they get straight into Gouge Away, quickly followed by another Doolittle big hitter Wave Of Mutilation. For the first time I wish I wasn’t in the pit taking photos, so taking a step back for 30 seconds, to a few confused looks, I just enjoy the band. Everyone there will have a favourite album, or the album that got them into the band, and this is mine. Hearing 2 tracks from it at the start of the set l sounding just as good at the album couldn’t have kicked it off any better for me, and going by the noise behind me, the rest of the crowd too.
When they built The Piece Hall, I don’t think this is what they had in mind, but apart from a view of the stage no matter where you stand, the sound there is always great, but something’s not right tonight. With both bands there’s been songs where the guitar has been too loud or too quiet, and despite an impressive pedal board at times Joey Santiago’s guitar is clean when it shouldn’t be, this is no criticism on the band, just unusual for the venue.
Unfortunately, they’re one of those bands that don’t talk at all, from the moment they take the stage to taking a bow at the end not a word, and I find it rude. The lack of interaction with the audience helps create an extra barrier, you start to feel more distant and then you hear those 3 notes. In a moment you go from annoyed about the band not talking to being outside with 6 thousand people singing along as you watch The Pixies belt out Monkey Gone To Heaven and you forget all about your annoyance.
This is the theme for the night, after almost 4 decades you could have a band that doesn’t want to play the popular songs for the thousandth time, or they might want to get all experimental and arty. Instead, what we get is hit after hit, everything you might want to hear is there, there are a few covers in there but they fit nicely into a set that gives us over half of Doolittle alone.
We get a second rendition of Wave Of Mutilation, UK Surf edition, a quieter acoustic version that goes down as one of the best songs of the night. Walking out there’s groups of people talking about it, saying they’ve only had them play one version before, just popping in this other version towards the end of the set has made the night for some. Sadly, we won’t hear Gigantic, with Kim Deal no longer in the band their first single doesn’t really make the set anymore, for that you’d have to catch Kim in her new band.
While it’s not their biggest selling single, Where Is My Mind is probably their best-known song, and its inspired dozens of covers, to the point bands are doing cover versions of a cover version. It’s the biggest reaction of the night as soon as the intro riff starts with 6 thousand people singing along, at one point it sounds a little like the band got slightly lost but they recover before finishing the night off with a cover of Neil Youngs Winterlong.
The crowd are obviously excited to be here tonight, it’s sold out and the quad fills up very quickly, and while you don’t know if the band enjoy it as much, they hide it well behind the music if they don’t. The set does a lot to help with the lack of interaction, but a few words would have really elevated the night, but despite this it’s a fantastic show and they don’t disappoint.
Review and photos - Neil Milner
Krankenhaus triumphed again despite Storm Lillian’s worst intentions. Fortunately, its one stage is within a massive agricultural shed at Home Farm Barn, next to Muncaster Castle, sheltering punters, dogs and performers alike from the Armageddon weather.
I won’t pretend that there weren’t challenges for festival organisers Sea Power and their crew to manage, but to their great credit, they kept these hidden from the audience. The only time you noticed was when a power cut, caused by treacherous overnight weather, delayed proceedings by around 45 minutes on Sunday. Such was the weather’s severity, that the coveted Krankenhaus dog show was moved from the open Flying Meadow to the covered Glade canvas. I suspect if the dogs could talk, may still have collectively asked, ‘Why are we here?’, but they were well behaved throughout.
There’s plenty to keep you occupied at Krankenhaus. The majestic Muncaster Castle set in stunning surroundings and overlooking the spectacular Eskdale Valley are reasons enough to come. This festival offered Flash Fiction, where author Adam E Holton created an instant story from three random words and the character’s name; organised local walks; DJs in the Glade; the Cleator Moor Brass Band; Kosmic Bingo; and much more. I’ll focus on the live music and the talks that I saw.
Sea Power are obviously the main draw and played two excellent sets Their Friday show was the crowd pleaser, playing for almost two hours. It included some of their big tunes, but also surprises such as the Spirit of St Louis featuring snare drum soloist Ryosuke Kiyasu. This set mostly covered songs from albums The Decline of British Sea Power, the recent Everything was Forever, and Do You Like Rock Music? Their Sunday show was more reflective and included some of their film soundtrack albums such as From the Sea to the Land Beyond and Man of Arran. It’s always a joy to watch them. They are consistently good and always seem to enjoy themselves.
I liked the Lanterns on the Lake captivating set, but their sound rarely deviates from their dreamy, melancholic sound. BC Camplight had to borrow the Lanterns on the Lake piano. Their set on Saturday was extraordinary and dynamic. In more enlightened times they would have been massive. My highlights were the excellent Back to Work from the Shortly After Take Off album and closing song I’m Desperate from Deportation Blues.
Nadine Shah and her band on Friday was so powerful. Her voice is on a different level. Someone behind me exclaimed ‘wow’ during one remarkable vocal moment. Most songs were from the brilliant recent record Filthy Underneath. She closed with Out the Way from the album Holiday Destination, which was aptly dedicated to the people of Palestine. Nadine and her band just keep on getting better.
Now to the ‘non-headliners’. Ryosuke Kiyasu opened proceedings with a virtuoso performance. Free Love gave an energetic performance. They had an industrial dance sound with plenty of bounce and flair. Teeth of the Sea sounded similar, but more hardcore. Callum Easter & the Roulettes reminded me at times of Suicide, with added glam rock percussion.
Mozart Estate, led by perennial pop-star dreamer Lawrence was solid, but not spectacular. I loved his previous outfits Felt and Denim. I’m less impressed by his Mozart incarnations, but I can’t wait to read Street-Level Superstar: A Year with Lawrence by Will Hodgkinson coming out in September, because I’m sure it will provide an objective account.
Genn was loud and muscular. The vocalist has a powerful and affecting voice. Plantoid at times reminded me of Black Midi with their jazz influenced arrangements. Butch Kassidy were instrumental, dense, loud and great. Hey Colossus were intense and challenging, with vocalist Paul Sykes unafraid to express his views.
Free-spirited Islets began by hypnotising the audience with some kind of electronic bell instrument before entering the stage. They were delightfully strange and mystical, swapping instruments and moving erratically around the stage.
I found Senyawa interesting, intense and primeval, but with the heavy rain outside, there was an Armageddon feel to it, and I wondered if anyone could listen to their records for pleasure. I later got my answer to that as I bumped into an old friend who said he had all Senyawa records, had wanted to see them live for years and declared it the highlight of his festival. That perfectly encapsulated both life and the Krankenhaus experience for me!
The New Eves looked and sounded refreshingly different and were interesting. A four-piece playing cello, violin, flute, guitar, bass and drums. Their clothing reminiscent of female grunge rock bands from the early 1990s. Their sound mythically ethereal at home in unspecified times from the past, the present and the future.
Man / Woman / Chainsaw are talented and a band to look out for. They are good instrumentalists and have great harmonies. There’s lots of energy and changes of speed and direction in each track. Whitelands were a joy for anyone wanting sublime, soaring shoegazing indie, which, by the audience reaction to them, was most people.
The Eccentronic Research Council, or The International Teachers of Pop, as I previously knew them, were joined on stage by Maxine Peake reciting dream experiences put to music. Lias Saoudi and John Doran also performed during this set. Maxine Peake previously joined the Lovely Eggs at the Glade to discuss books and reading.
The Wave Pictures provided hugely entertaining, energetic and at times poignant rock. Their self-effacing attitude endeared them to most people. Lias Saoudi (Fat White Family) was possibly the opposite to that. But his confrontational set was appreciated by many. We saw him on the Monday morning looking forlorn with his guitar and belongings at Ravenglass railway station whilst we were waiting for La’al Ratty to depart to Dalegarth.
We saw four wonderful talks at the Drawing Room in Muncaster Castle. Despite the room’s opulent surroundings, I do think they would be better held in a large outdoor canvas as demand for these illuminating conversations was much larger than the room could accommodate, which inevitably disappoints people.
Simon Raymonde, (Bella Union record label owner) was in conversation with John Doran from the Quietus talking about his book In One Ear: Cocteau Twins, Ivor Raymonde and Me. Paul Simpson talked with Roy Wilkinson about his book Revolutionary Spirit: A Post-Punk Exorcism: The Teardrop Explodes, Care, The Wild Swans, And Beyond. Will Sergeant (Echo and the Bunnymen), chatted with John Robb (The Membranes, Goldblade and Louder than War), about his latest book Echoes, who was later in conversation with Sarah Walters promoting his book Do You Believe in the Power of Rock & Roll?
I learnt that Paul Simpson was in the pop duo Care, responsible for the classic single Flaming Sword. I knew of Ian Brodie’s role in that, but I knew nothing of Paul Simpson until now. Despite that, he did explain his heart was with the Wild Swans. Sarah Walters described John Robb as loquacious, and it’s impossible to disagree. But he is interesting with too many stories. He’s an interviewer’s dream. You only need to ask him about three questions, and he’ll do the rest, occasionally answering the question, but going off on many fascinating tangents.
Sophia West’s Bedtime and West was the final delight which finished each day. It was an immersive audio-visual installation built around original stories inspired by nature. It was captivating, and we briefly felt like we were in Pandora.
What a way to end!
Links:
Review and photos - John McEvoy
The Piece Hall, Halifax is quite rightly establishing itself as one of the premier outdoor venues in the UK and 2024 has seen a total of 32 different acts ply their trade more often than not in front of a 6,000-capacity crowd.
Amongst the many highlights of summer series of gigs that took place, one which will certainly last long in the memory was the appearance of Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim who delivered a truly epic two hour set which had the place up and dancing from the very start.
As most know, he was originally a member of the Housemartins back in the day, and indeed as recently as this year’s Glastonbury, he reprised his role in the band by joining up with his mate and former front man Paul Heaton to deliver a crowd-pleasing version of Happy Hour.
However, he of course now known as the king of the big beats in the guise of Fatboy Slim, and is now renowned as one of the finest DJ’s around.
Ever since he released his first album ‘Better Living Through Chemistry’ way back in ’96, his distinctive sound has been a main stay of dance music ever since and based on the set tonight he’s certainly not in danger of slowing down at all.
Even though the Acid/Rave crowd may have, ahem, matured slightly, as soon as he took to the stage and the opening refrain of Queens ‘Don’t Stop me Now’ morphed into a huge bassline line, it was clear that everyone was ‘up for it’, and the ensuing two hours seemed to fly by in the blink of an eye.
Early in the set, he delivered what has become a dance anthem in the shape of ‘Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat’ which gave the impressive sound system a good workout with its chest rumpling bass and infectious hook line.
Whilst some DJ sets are (rightly) criticised as being a little soulless, Cook manages to bring an infectious joy and warmth to the occasion which the crowd respond to.
Whilst the set is littered with bangers, he also skilfully weaves in standards such as Talking Heads ‘Burning Down The House’, Indeeps ‘Last Night A DJ Saved My Life’ and of course set closer ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was the cherry on top of a spectacular cake which has been clearly mixed to perfection.
For some, the Dance music genre and especially DJ sets are sacrilege as they’re regarded as not being ‘proper musicians’, and that’s fine if you have that view.
However, there are lots of people out there who love to see a performance like this and the gig at The Piece Hall, once again (for me at least) confirmed that Fatboy Slim still delivers in terms of his recorded output, and most definitely as a live performer.
If you get chance to see him, you really should, you won’t regret it.
Although you might ache the following morning after all the dancing!!
Review by Huw Williams
Photos courtesy of Cuffe & Taylor / Rhodes Media / The Piece Hall
It’s been nearly 2 years since Scottish rock legends Biffy Clyro have been on the road. With Simon Neil exploring his side project with supergroup Empire State Bastard, the focus was off his alma mater. As the 4th anniversary of A Celebration of Endings approaches, the band are warming up for a stint at Barrowlands in Glasgow, and blasted the cobwebs away with a thunderous show at Halifax’s Piece Hall.
Witch Fever kicked things off with a typically energetic set. On the bigger stage, there were points at which they looked a little lost, but there were some standout moments, especially when lead singer Amy Walpole vaulted the barrier to dance in the circle pit with the fans. They have a strong sound though, and a really clear identity that will hopefully see them find their feet more on stages of this size.
Biffy Clyro showed no signs of rustiness, blasting out on to the stage with 3 huge numbers. They showed immediately why the fans who crammed into the Piece Hall had missed them. A frenetic run through The Captain, That Golden Rule and Who’s Got A Match whipped up the crowd, before things slowed down a little for Re-Arrange. A little flatter, musically, but the staging was stunning, as was the case throughout.
WIth a large scale moving light rig, the visual impact of the show was almost as great as the music. Large pink squares moved down at the front of the stage, framing the 3 band members while the other musicians performed upstage. Pyro and lasers added to the atmosphere. Smoke filled the arena at several points, with those lasers reflecting off the haze and dancing on the roof that surrounds the plaza.
The arrangements of these familiar tracks were rich and textured. The electric violins, mostly upstage, added an anthemic sound. During 9/15ths they take centre stage while Neil and James Johnston took their place at the back allowing them to shine and bring another dimension beyond the rock sound.
Each song was more enthusiastically sung than the last, as the show ramped up towards a great conclusion. Closing out the main set with Mountains would have been a great finish on its own, but a 4 song encore culminated in their biggest song Many of Horror, bringing together the strings, the kinesys of the lighting rig and the lasers to send people home with the sounds of the Scottish legends ringing in their ears.
Review & photos by Huw Williams
As the summer season of great concerts draws to a close at The Piece Hall in Halifax, it was time to put your dancing shoes for a night of disco, soul and electronic funk.
Right across the plaza, people danced non-stop through the 22-song set from Jungle, which drew on numbers from each of their 4 albums. Opening with Busy Earnin’, from their self-titled 2014 record. Despite not troubling the top 100 of the UK charts at the time, it’s become an anthem in subsequent years, with an infectious riff and trademark falsetto vocal.
Despite a plea for no videography during the show, it was hard to stop the phones coming out and capturing the 2023 viral banger Back On 74, the song that probably brought most people to the Piece Hall this evening.
They have an impressive back catalogue though and there’s no let up in the funk through the whole evening. Alongside the multi-instrumentalists Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland, vocalist Lydia Kitto adds so much to the sound. Vocals layered up to give rich, textured arrangements that deliver their signature sound.
Rather than just reproducing their music, heads down at their laptops, Lloyd-Watson and McFarland bring a 7 piece band to the stage and create a show that is as strong visually as it is musically, a consistent driving force behind their whole output. Cast in silhouette for most of the show, the band stand out against a backdrop of colourful screens.
There are occasions when the dancers and backing vocalists take centre stage while the 3 permanent members of the band take their place towards the back at their keyboards. For other songs, Kitto comes down to the front to deliver powerful vocal performances.
It’s not just up on the stage that there’s fun to be had though. Half a dozen giant colourful beach balls bounced around the crowd, delighting all those who continued to dance through the 90 minute set. Indeed they were not ready to call it a night and were delighted with the encore of 2021’s Keep Moving - a track Rolling Stone called an “upbeat post pandemic antidote - did exactly what it promised as the dancing continued to the last note.
It was a non-stop party that brought infectious joy to Halifax, and showed Jungle to be absolute masters of the craft. A sonic and visual feast that will live long in the memory.
Setlist:
Review & photos by Mo Longfellow
Cian Ducrot's latest tour, Victory, headed to The Piece Hall in Halifax on Monday 26th August. He played to an energetic crowd who were utterly fantastic from start to finish. Victory, is of course the name of his debut album which was released on 4th August 2023.
Now, I’d not heard a great deal from him until going to this gig, but he sounds like he’s been gigging for years with a plethora of albums behind him rather than promoting his new, debut album. He has been working hard to get where he is and although relatively new to the scene he certainly isn’t an overnight success and this is apparent in his attitude and the way he plays to us all. His stage presence is impressive and each of his songs already have a feel of longevity about them.
He’s basically singing stories to us, bearing his life for all to see. His voice is powerful and soulful and his lyrics weave intricately throughout each tune. As well as Cian’s obvious talent in song writing and singing he’s also pretty decent on guitar, piano and flute!!
It’s apparent that Cian isn’t a fan of just being on stage as he jumps down several times to be with his fans, signing autographs and singing with them as the evening light begins to fade to darkness. You can see everyone connecting with him more and more as the night goes on which is a real testament to his relatable persona.
Cian first rose to fame in 2022 with his single "All For You", which gained popularity in 2022 via TikTok and reached number 19 in the UK singles chart. Having seen his performance tonight I’m confident he’s gonna be around for a long time to come.
Review & photos - Phil Wright
Becky Hill photos kindly provided by Jason Siddall
I was looking forward to the Rock 'n' Roll Circus three-day chilled-out festival in Sheffield ever since I attended last year’s event. The concept of merging live circus art with live music is amazing.
This may be the ‘little brother’ to Sheffield’s Tramlines festival but, boy, does it pack a punch!
Thursday night opened with star of the 70’s, Gilbert O’Sullivan, with classic hits such as ‘Claire’ and ‘Matrimony’. These were sounding just as good today as they did all those years ago. (So I am told. I’m obviously not old enough to remember the 70’s. If you believe that, you’d believe anything).
Next up was a brilliant set from ‘The Coral’, getting the crowd moving with a barrage of hits, including ‘In the Morning’ and ‘Dreaming of You’.
The Circus Big Top was filling up with people waiting for the arrival of Sheffield’s very own Richard Hawley, but prior to his arrival, we were treated to the sounds of ‘The Divine Comedy’, whose sounds truly were ‘divine’.
Richard Hawley then made it on stage, looking like he had just dropped in from the 50’s with his blue and cream cowboy jacket and sunglasses. Opening up with ‘She Brings Me Treats’, Richard’s smooth vocals seemed to just glide around the Big Top. He certainly knew how to work the crowd and held a sign saying, ‘Welcome to Sheffield’. You can take the man out of Sheffield, but you’ll never take Sheffield out of the man.
I missed Friday at the festival due to work commitments, but feedback from those who made it was superb. Becky Hill took the headlining set. Thank you to Jason Siddall Photography for capturing those moments.
Saturday soon came around and I was ready for it. Festival favourites The K’s took to the stage with their unique style, getting all in the Big Top bouncing with tracks like ‘Chancer’ and ‘Home Town’.
I was particularly looking forward to the Two Tone legends, ‘Selecter’. Pauline Black, Queen of SKA transported us back to the early 80’s. It was so hard trying to photograph and dance at the same time! Seventy-year-old Pauline gave us non-stop hits and was in fine voice. An outstanding performance and a treat to witness.
There were also some brilliant performances by ‘Riffles’, ‘Seb Low’ and ‘Jake Bugg’.
We were then treated to a performance by Pete Docherty. He gave us a full 45-minute acoustic set. A massively talented guy whose skills didn’t go unnoticed.
To finish off this fantastic weekend of entertainment, Sheffield shone, yet again, with the outstanding ‘Milburn’. These guys started the group around the same time as the Arctic Monkeys formed, but just never made that ‘top spot’ until now.
They were the group many of the crowd had been waiting for and, boy, they did not disappoint! They rolled out a phenomenal performance for the last hour of the weekend and the crowd adored them!
A huge thank you to the organisers of this fantastic event. It was compact, so easy on the legs for us old folk, (a world away from Tramlines where I could not walk for a week after). Thank you to all the vendors, staff and also a big shout out to Greggs for all the freebies!
Review & photos - Mo Longfellow
As the lights dimmed and the familiar chords of ‘Air Hostess’ echoed through the venue, the crowd erupted in excitement, a sea of fans eagerly anticipating the iconic, pop-punk band, Busted. The energy, even outside at the Scarborough Open Air Theatre, was electric, with fans of all ages ready to relive the nostalgia of the early 2000s.
The show kicked off with a high-energy performance that set the tone for the night. The band displayed their undeniable chemistry as they interacted with the audience, sharing stories and laughter between songs. Their charismatic stage presence kept the crowd engaged, with sing-alongs erupting at all the right moments—an incredible testament to the band's enduring popularity and ability to engage the crowd.
As they moved through their setlist, fans were treated to a mix of classic hits such as ‘What I Go To School For’ reminding everyone of their catchy melodies and clever lyrics. The production values were top-notch, with vibrant lights elevating the experience. The band's musicianship shone as brightly, as they seamlessly transitioned between upbeat tracks and more emotional ballads, showcasing their versatility.
They told us that this was their last show of the season and as they introduced the next tune, their cover of MMMBop, originally by Hanson, they also told us this would be the last time they performed the song live. The crowd took the news in their stride as they bounced and sang along.
The encore brought the house down with ‘Year 3000’. The concert ended on a high note, sealing a night full of nostalgia and infectious energy.
Overall, Busted's gig was a fantastic trip down memory lane, proving that their music continues to resonate with both longtime fans and newcomers. Their ability to connect with the audience and deliver a fun, energetic performance solidifies their place in the hearts of pop-punk lovers everywhere.
Review and photos - Liam McEvoy
In celebration of his newest studio album, I AM The brilliant singer songwriter Tom Walker called into The Wardrobe in Leeds for an intimate album launch show that was performed to a sold out venue and to countless more on the live stream.
Five years on from the release of his critically acclaimed debut album What a Time to Be Alive Tom Walker has released his second studio album I AM, and he opened his album launch show with the title track from the new album.
Walker was in fine form giving emotional performances of tracks new and old including Head Underwater, Life line and two of his biggest tracks Leave a Light On and Angels. Between tracks Walker kept the crowd engaged and entertained and in a strange turn of events found himself signing a prosthetic leg.
Walker continued to play tracks from his new album and from his back catalogue and when playing ‘Just You and I’ The Leeds audience gave a brilliant rendition of the chorus and ended with rapturous applause.
Tom Walkers second studio album I AM is out now and the show in Leeds was a fantastic celebration of the release. If you have not already this is an album well worth listening too and there will be ample opportunity to see him live in the coming months.
Review and photos - Levi Tubman
After reviewing her superb new album, Blind Faith, I’ve been excited to see and hear her in person. Now the stage at the Old Woolen isn’t massive, and tonight it's absolutely crammed with instruments and cables. Both Gemma Hayes and her support, Ellie Gowers, are singer songwriters who primarily use an acoustic guitar, but tonight we have 10 guitars, 3 synths, 2 laptops, a violin, a collection of pedals and to finish it off, what looks like a portable kids Xylophone, it looks chaotic compared the neatly arranged chairs and tables out front.
Up first, Ellie quietly takes to the stage mug in hand without much notice, until the music lowers and we get a slightly shy wave. Picking up her acoustic guitar she starts picking through the first number, the room falls silent with her beautifully delicate voice ringing out through the notes, even after the loud applause the room drops silent again while she re-tunes. Between songs we get stories about her life, tours and adventures and inspirations for the songs and even a little sing along for stunning The Stars Are Ours. She’s the perfect support act for Hayes, captivating the audience from the very start with her voice and musical tastes, I know I won’t have been the only one checking out her tour dates the moment she leaves the stage.
Joining Gemma on stage are a number of talented musicians, on one side we have someone on dual keys, with what appears to be samples and software synths on a couple of laptops and a guitar that’s pitched low to fill in for bass. The back is taken up by a guitarist, sticking mainly to one instrument despite the range across the stage. The drums are all muted with cloths and played with brushes and bundle sticks, but by no means will this be a quiet set. Finishing the backline off on the other side we have a violinist who also has a small keyboard and the curiously small xylophone with a collection of pedals, yet another multi-talented musician. Down front and centre is Gemma, quietly waiting for the applause to die down before the first song of the night gets underway.
Starting off on the slower end, there’s an applause the first time she opens her mouth to sing, there’s a lot of excitement and energy in a crowd seated at tables while someone plays an acoustic guitar. Apart from unique, describing her voice calls on all the usual cliches, she has real power but at times is soft and gentle bordering on fragile, but always with perfect pitch and tone, and while not overly unusual its always easily identifiable.
First song out of the way, she addresses the audience, it’s the last night of the tour, thanking everyone for coming because surprise it’s raining in Yorkshire. Most of the songs have talking between them, sometimes it’s just a few jokey words about the silence as guitars are swapped or tuned, we shouldn’t be surprised words come so easily to one who crafts them so well in songs.
One surprise is just how naturally funny Hayes can be, after introducing the fantastic Palomino as being about a horse it becomes the running gag of the evening. Going into detail describing the origins of a song in detail followed by saying but were not playing that before going headlong into it. It’s a stage presence that seems to come partly from experience and partly from withing naturally, confident and at home on the stage, the stories jokes and observations really close the gap between performer and audience, in what’s an already intimate gig with dialogue back and forth, it’s something that can be lacking so much in modern performances, here being displayed as an art form.
Were treated to the range of her catalogue tonight, a good helping of her older tracks mixed in ones from her fantastic new album including two personal favourites, Feed The Flames and Hardwired, both played with a big reaction from the crowd with cheering and comments. Songs about the human connection and the encroachment of AI and the digital world really resonates with the crowd in the old mill tonight. Rarely was the same guitar was used for 2 songs in a row, with the couple of electric guitars and the carousel of acoustics behind her, each one has its own sound and tuning, the simple swapping of acoustic’s really changes the sound and feel of the songs.
As a singer/songwriter known for playing the acoustic guitar, and having never seen her perform live before, I went along expecting a more solo folk event, but I was very pleasantly surprised. As the show reaches its end, loud dirty distorted bass and guitars come through the speakers unlike anything we’ve had so far, and while the skins are still covered the bundles drum sticks have been swapped for standard and are being beaten furiously. As the violin and Gemma join in she starts bouncing on the spot, it’s a perfectly balanced chaotic and creative wall of sound, then taking to the mic, those delicate perfectly neat vocals start. From the first song of the night, the moment Hayes starts to sing she seems to go into her own world, not a single note is missed proving time and again it would have still been a great night acapella.
One of the last songs of the night is a haunting cover of Chris Isak’s Wicked Game, where not for the first time of the night I get goosebumps as the backing vocals come in with the most perfect harmonies. After a brief encore they take the stage again for a final 2 songs ending with the fantastic Happy Sad and a thoroughly deserved standing ovation.
At times tonight the intimate gig was so close and quiet, even during songs, that I couldn’t take photos, the click of my shutter easily audible over the music and drawing attention, and sitting so close to the front of the stage. I also felt it too rude to make notes on my phone in full view, resulting in a few guesses in song order from memory, with the set lists being whisked away the moment they finish by fans, these are not negatives in the slightest, it helps the atmosphere of the night.
For me this has been another highlight of my musical year, getting to see such an accomplish artist playing at her best with an incredibly tight and talented band, with the perfectly accompanying support from Ellie. A lot of the night the band play with their eyes closed, smile on their face enjoying the music as much as the audience. One of the best gigs I’ve been to by an artist who’s just brought out one of the best albums of the year, if it wasn’t the last night of the tour I’d be so tempted to go again.