A PowerSolo live show is like no other gig you’ve ever seen.

At times it feels more like you’ve stumbled on a situationist comedy performance at the Edinburgh Fringe, with music breaking out only sporadically.

Eccentric frontman Kim Kix is mingling happily with the audience just before they’re about to go on stage.

The band gurn and clown around hilariously, quaffing from bottles of hot sauce and staging so many false endings that it’s hard to know when one song has finished and the next one has started.

But boy, can these guys play. Eschewing the bass player you might expect for this type of three-piece, they conjure a supercharged rockabilly maelstrom from just two guitars and Mike Sullivan’s jackhammer drumming.

Charlie Shapiro can also play some mean guitar – which is just as well, seeing as Kim frequently slings his own over his back to indulge in yet more audience banter. At one point ,Kim comes down into the crowd but then feigns that he can’t drag himself back onto the stage. “Grab his leg someone and help him up!” urges Charlie, enjoying the fun.

PowerSolo are an extraordinary experience – it’s just a shame that the Brudenell community room wasn’t packed to the rafters for one of the most insane Monday evenings you’re ever like to have.

Simon Ashberry

 

Terrorvision – live review

Terrorvision at St George’s Hall, Bradford

Friday 3 November, 2023
After three decades, Terrorvision are still very much in the pink.
Literally so as they played a triumphant homecoming show at St George’s Hall in Bradford, their first at the venue for more than a quarter of a century.
Dressed resplendently in various items of pinkish hue, the lads (and lass) gave a performance that was infused with more energy than anyone decently had a right to expect.
Although this was billed as a 30th anniversary show, Terrorvision are a band who have been blasting out their unique blend of rock ‘n’ roll and Yorkshire folk wisdom in different guises for even longer than that – since 1987 in fact..
And yet their infectious enthusiasm remains utterly undimmed. Tony bounced around as vigorously ever and Leigh struck some classic splayed-leg bassist poses.
Of course their biggest hits all sounded massive, like proper H.I.T.S – the soaring choruses of Oblivion and Perseverance, the relentless drive of My House.
But it was some of their ‘lesser-heard bangers’ that maybe impressed even more. The band had given their fans the chance to vote for which LHBs would go into the set list – and the fans chose well.
Tracks like the rollicking twangathon Fists of Fury hinted at the pop potential lurking between Terrorvision’s gruff rock exterior while earlier material like the earthy Problem Solved revealed an altogether darker, punkier underbelly.
And when Tony sang: “Stop the bus, I live here”, it was with real feeling. This felt like a true return to their roots – welcome back.

Simon Ashberry

LIVE REVIEW: The First Ones at Saltaire

The First Ones at Roberts Park, Saltaire
Saturday 1 July, 2023

The reality of playing outdoors in the British summer hit home for Doug, Dan and Will at the Bradford Dragon Boat Festival.

But the Emley-based trio took things in their stride despite everything the elements threw at them during their performance.

One point a huge gust of wind almost threatened to blow the roof of the stage and guitarist Doug was doused with rain.

But one of things that’s so impressive about the First Ones is the way they deal with adversity in a live setting. Wet fretboards hold no terrors for Doug, who just gets on with delivering their distinctive brand of spiky pop rock.

Such self-confidence belies their tender years – these boys are frighteningly young! At Roberts Park, they won the admiration of a weather-beaten crowd for a set that mixed crowd-pleasing covers by the likes of the Stones Roses (“He’s certainly got a better voice than Ian Brown” observed one onlooker) and the Arctic Monkeys with their own compositions.

Opening track Red Ridge is a deceptively insistent grower while their most recent release Parallel Universe really gives Dan on bass and Will on drums a chance to let rip as much as Doug.

Not just the First Ones – but ones to watch for sure.

.

Simon Ashberry

 

 

 

Well done West Riding

Congratulations to West Riding on winning the ChallengeFest Starmaker competition!
They’ll be performing at Myrtle Park in 2024.
Also, well done to Sooner Or Later and the other bands chosen to play at Saltaire Festival.

It’s the 2022 Christmas Countdown!

It’s been a really strong year but we’ve managed to whittle down the best releases of the last 12 months to these 20 stunners:

1 Heslop and Stringer – Barghest
2 Jesca Hoop – Hatred Has A Mother
3 Newtown Aces – Song For The Gone
4 Julia Jacklin – Lydia Wears A Cross
5 Deep Throat Choir – Witches
6 Bug Club – It’s Art
7 Johnny Flynn – Through The Misty
8 Black Angels – El Jardin
9 Mush – Group of Death
10 45 – It’s All A Dance
11 Montparnasse Musique – Bonjour
12 The 1975 – Part of the Band
13 The Wombats – I Think My Mind Has Made Up Its Mind
14 Apollo Junction – Perfect Plan
15 Ural Thomas and the Pain – Gimme Some Ice Cream
16 Belle and Sebastian – Unnecessary Drama
17 Nick Toczek and Signia Alpha – Another Shoreline
18 Dropkick Murphys – Two Sixes Upside Down
19 Egon and Thies – Uber Nacht
20 First Ones – Falling Backwards

Christmas Countdown for 2021

Here’s the full Christmas Countdown for 2021:

  1. Montparnasse Musique – Bitumba
  2. Tuneyards – Hold Yourself
  3. Wet Leg – Chaise Longue
  4. Spencer – Genesis
  5. Loose Articles – Buses
  6. Alt-J – U&Me
  7. Lost Horizons – n Quiet Moments
  8. Yard Act – The Overload
  9. Jungle – Truth
  10. Jim Bower – Shut Up About Your Girlfriend
  11. Mush – Hazmat Suits
  12. Radiohead – Follow Me Around
  13. Deep Throat Choir – Camille
  14. BC Camplight – I’m Alright In The World
  15. LUMP – We Cannot Resist
  16. This Is the Kit – Was Magician (live)
  17. Paul Weller – Cosmic Fringes
  18. Newtown Aces – Take Back The Streets
  19. Warmduscher – Wild Flowers
  20. Parquet Courts – Walking At A Downtown Pace

Christmas Countdown 2021 – part 1

We’ve unveiled the first part of our annual chart of the top 20 tracks of the year.

Here’s what we played on this week’s show, including numbers 20 to 16:

Staple Singers – Who Took The Merry Out of Christmas?
Damon Albarn – Combustion
Deep Throat Choir – Picturing
Jim Bower – When David Bowie Died
Colin Moulding – The Hardest Battle

Christmas Countdown – part 1:
20 – Parquet Courts – Walking At A Downtown Pace
19 – Warmduscher – Wild Flowers
18 – Newtown Aces – Take Back The Streets
17 – Paul Weller – Cosmic Fringes
16 – This Is the Kit – Was Magician (live)

Radiohead – Follow Me Around
Nell and the Flaming Lips – Red Right Hand
Marsicans – Your Eyes
Mattiel – Jeff Goldblum
The Wombles – Wombling Merry Christmas

Listen again to the show here: https://www.mixcloud.com/BradfordBeat/bradford-beat-2-december-2021/