Gig Review

Amateur Ornithologist Celebrate Their Anniversary in Style with Belle Skies and May Days in Barcelona – Live at The Globe, Newcastle

22nd Oct 2024 — Leave a comment

Friday night saw art-pop outfit Amateur Ornithologist celebrate their anniversary at The Globe with a vibrant live performance.

The night began with support from Sheffield’s May Days In Barcelona, who brought a different vibe to proceedings with a shoegaze-inspired brand of folk that was truly magical to witness.

May Days In Barcelona – Live at The Globe – 18/10/24

An awful lot of effort went into their performance, featuring numerous looper pedals, a violin and a guitar. This 100% paid off, delivering a captivating and engaging performance that silenced the room.

With songs inspired by such things as birds of prey, it’s no surprise that the set felt majestic and beautiful. The set was concluded by a wonderful cover of Smile! No One Cares How You Feel!, which rounded off the musically rich show well.

They were followed by Belle Skies, who shifted the mood from shoegaze-inspired folk to full blown indie rock. I was impressed by the groups stage prescence, which was both captivating and engaging, further enhancing their very unique style of indie rock.

Clad head to toe in medieval regalia, the group took influence from the least obvious places with songs inspired by Saint Rose of Lima, the patron saint of embroidery, and Nosferatu.

This all led to fun and surreal pieces of indie rock, which seemed to draw inspiration from the 2000s with twinkling synths, strings and riotous guitars.

The whole thing came together very well leaving an impression and showcasing their crop of great indie rock songs.

Belle Skies – Live at The Globe –18/10/24

Next up were headliners Amateur Ornithlogist, who decorated the stage in beautiful autumnal leaves and even dotted a few fake crows about for added effect. The group really took full advantage of their headline slot bringing energy and costumes aplenty to bring something different to their show.

However, the focus was fully on the performance, which was executed to perfection with the stage presence matching the quality of the songwriting on show. The whole thing popped with colour and excitement.

Musically, the band falls somewhere in between musical theatre, Talking Heads, and David Bowie, crafting a unique blend of traditional pop and new wave.

The combination of violins, guitars and thumping bass worked incredibly well to create a collage of fun, colourful songs with meaningful lyrics to boot.

Frontman Daniel Clifford’s vocals were excellent, injecting something special into each tune. This was further enhanced by the amazing lyrics, which flickered between personal topics and playful whimsy.

Amateur Ornithologist – Live at The Globe – 18/10/24

Particular highlights included When They Fall, with it’s epic Bowie-esque feel, and Birds Fly Over Me, which has been stuck in my head for days since the gig.

The instrumentation was fantastic throughout the night, with the band sounding tight. I especially want to praise the guitar work, which was truly excellent, without being overly showy with its beautifully clean tones.

The night concluded with a noncore that treated the crowd to a fun cover of Boney M’s Rasputin, a fittingly enjoyable finale with the band’s Talking Heads vibe turned up to ten.

Overall, I had a thoroughly enjoyable Friday night, and I’m excited to see where the group goes next as they depart the live scene to create their next album.

The Black Rain & House Proud Bring A Night of Post-Punk Perfection to Sunderland’s The Ship Isis – Gig Review

17th Sep 2024 — Leave a comment

Friday night saw The Ship Isis in Sunderland play host to a great night of live music as post-punk band House Proud and gothic group The Black Rain took to stage to showcase the genre at its very best.

The gorgeous venue was a perfect choice for the evening, offering a selection of great craft beers and a warm, friendly environment. I’d never been before, but I’d definitely return if I’m ever in Sunderland.

The night was opened by House Proud, who hail from all across the North East. Their blend of post punk and noise rock was excellent and really got the night started in the right way.

Their sound carried influences from post-punk groups like The Chats, Squid, and Shame, with angular riffs and an energetic tempo driving their performance. Each track stood out with careful composition, crafted from an array of different guitar pedals that brought a near studio-quality sound.

Their third song, Farmers Village, soon to be released as a single, had shades of post-punk titans IDLES to it and was a particular treat. Recent single Rescue Dog finished the set off in the right way, sounding a bit like South London’s Shame, but with an even heavier emphasis on riffs and gloriously loud noise.

House Proud – Live at The Ship Isis, Sunderland

I particularly enjoyed Perfect Body, which was more melodic in its approach while still delivering the massive, bombastic sound that dominated their set.

Overall, their performance was amazing, and they will definitely be a band which I will be keeping an eye on going forward.

I also wanted to leave a link to Wearside Women In Need, a domestic violence service the group were raising funds for on the night. They have recently lost their funding, so it’s a worthy cause if you can support it!

Next were The Black Rain, who I previously covered back in March at their gig at the Bunker, where they really impressed me with their gothic post-punk.

Friday was no different with the group putting in yet another excellent performance of starkly dark tracks. The group have been hard at work since March and that could be seen in their performance with various new songs in the set which continue to show why the band are so special.

Despite the stark nature of their sound, The Black Rain‘s set fizzed with energy, with the thumping drums and bass keeping the atmosphere lively.

The bass was particularly impressive, adding depth to the performance, while the guitar lines often served as beautifully intricate embellishments.

However, when the guitar did come to the fore, it was really impressive, often bringing an almost synth-like sound to certain tracks, which was a real treat. Shadows Cry showcased this best, amplifying the gothic feel, reminiscent of Joy Division’s Closer LP.

I also enjoyed the dark ’80s vibe of Regression, which really opens up in the chorus, creating a really nice feel. Glass Box brought a lot of energy leaning more on the side of punk rather than goth which I found really enjoyable.

Overall, both bands put in a fantastic performance, which led to a really enjoyable night showing the various different styles of post punk each performed at a really high standard. Make sure to check them both out!