Stockton Calling has become a regular annual multi-venue music festival, with a focus on providing support for North East bands. Saturday this Easter weekend is the 3rd I’ve attended. Going to post thoughts in reverse order from the top – the day didn’t quite go to plan thanks to Northern Rail cancellations – so a bit of a random, hurried selection of who to watch, where, once I’d checked-in at The Arc – and didn’t see any of the official headliners – spent the latter half of the evening in The Georgian.
Avalanche Party were the band I was there to see, again. Energy-packed stampeding beast of a performance as we’ve come to expect, this home gig effectively the finale of their promotional European album-tour. As others commented, the sound has suffered recently. Hurried sound check seems to be about the band being able to hear what they need through their monitors, with the audience experience set at everything turned-up to eleven. Lost something of the dynamic interest in the varied instrumentation between guitar, keyboard, sax and multiple vocals. Hard to pick any one of them out of the wall of sound so it ends up a bit monotonous, even when you recognise the opening riffs and choruses
Home Counties were the best act on the day. Fantastic energetic delivery and presence from the front pair and the conventional guitars, keyboard, bass and drums augmented by the male lead and the bassist doubling-up on synths. Heavy delivery with synth sub-bass lines and an 80’s disco twist compounded by the male lead looking like a cross between the young Marc Almond and Dave Gahan back in the day. Found myself standing in front of the rhythm guitarist who seemed to leading much of the choppy drive and direction. Very entertaining all round. Hope to see them again.
Swannek were the biggest surprise of the day. A laid-back jazzy-soul collective led by Findlay Hewitson didn’t auger well for my usual tastes. Electric piano, tenor sax and cello used sparingly and effectively (take note AP), but it was the vocals that wowed. Mollie Birmingham (a name which Google struggles with) accompanied by a reggae / ska / toaster vocalist for the first couple of numbers, soaring and gravelly by turns, she commanded attention from audience and apologetic photographers throughout, couldn’t get enough of her. Courageous therefore for the band to finish on an instrumental to showcase their musicians. One to watch, they were actually promoted by the local “BBC Introducing”. Will seek out again.
Before these a mixed-bag. I only just caught the last number and a half of SISTER MADDS – heavy and probably fun, but for me she was trying a bit too hard to be the bad girl. CASINO a bit too laid back funky soul with little else to commend performance-wise. Suspect from their audience there may be more in their songs? WALDO’S GIFT – weird to say the least, even their drummer had to admit, doing his best to engage the audience. No songs, all instrumental numbers led by their nerdy-persona virtuoso guitarist(*) and an impressive board-full of effects and loops. Notable to me that Carl, the lead guitar of Middle Management, was there in the audience to appreciate him (though they weren’t on the bill) and that Waldo’s bassist and drummer were chilling – as I was – in The Kopper Keg after Avalanche Party.
(*) Not a bad thing in itself – I’m off to see Joe Satriani & Steve Vai next month.
Onwards and upward.
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