Samantha Fish is another female guitarist I discovered in a streaming radio/playlist, that also had other talented ladies like Joanne Shaw Taylor and Ana Popovic.
That was enough reason for me to want to go to the Band on the Wall, but the support band was definitely another. The Curse of Lono was a fine choice to open up the evening’s entertainment.
The sound was as good as I expect at this venue, and the evening rocked. Samantha Fish has some bluesy numbers, but is definitely more rocky when she gets going.
Possibly the smallest venue I’ve been to a gig in. In the Little Germany part of central Bradford, near the Cathedral, there is a studio that improvised a performance space for the concert. The photo is the best I got, because lighting seemed to be a bit of an afterthought. The sound was good though.
Artmagic is a duo of musicians. On the left, playing keyboards is Shaun McGhee, who we’ve seen on stage in Alison Moyet’s band. On the right, playing guitar is Richard Oakes of Suede fame.
I admit I wasn’t overly familiar with their album, although I had heard it before the concert. It went down rather well with the small crowd, and I thoroughly enjoyed the evening.
Ana Popovic turned up on a streaming radio or playlist (can’t remember which) which featured a number of very good female guitarists.
When she was due to play the Deaf Institute, we couldn’t resist seeing her and her band in the flesh.
Not actually knowing how popular she is generally, it was good to see an almost full crowd. I enjoyed the bluesy sound, and could definitely detect the inspiration of Stevie Ray Vaughan. The rest of the band were very good too. Definitely recommend if they’re touring near you.
Saw these chaps at the Sounds of the City last year at Castlefield Bowl in Manchester. Enjoyed them in the sunshine so we decided to see them when they toured this year.
The Wildhearts
Massive Waggons
Towers of London
There were two support bands on the night. Massive Waggons and Towers of London.
Everything was predictably LOUD, and there was a definite bouncy atmosphere. One of those gigs I’m really glad I had my accoustic ear plugs with me. That’s not a criticism of the band(s) by the way, they are loud, and their fans know it. I’m just rather fond of my hearing 😉
I’ve been most tardy with recording my canny capers this month. Been to five gigs, which need writing up… oops. Might not mention all the support bands, which is regrettable, and is definitely not a comment on their quality.
I’ve also been enjoying lots of music I’ve streamed, along with some very good audio books.
Not many bands can hold a weekend festival all on their own. Marillion manage to 🙂
Three evenings might sound like a tough one to do without repeating material, but with 30+ years of material to draw on, the band have lots to choose from.
Marillion
The enormous screens on the backdrop were made good use of. The graphics were some of the best I’ve seen at a concert. The light show and lasers were pretty good too.
The music is the most important thing though, and the first two evenings were largely a best-of from the H era. Most people remember Fish fronting the band, but it’s worth remembering that H has been with the band for 30 years. The songs on Friday seemed to be the shorter ones, with longer ones saved for the Saturday.
Marillion Weekend 2019 – finger lights
The Sunday evening was dedicated to one particular album – Happiness is the Road.
As seems almost traditional now, the crowd surprised the band with a light show of our own. We were sat on the next to back row in the circle, so the picture really captures the sight of all those lights.
Support was provided by the Buffalo Skinners, a group from the north east that I’d never heard of before the gig. Upbeat and bouncy, they were a good choice to warm up for one of my current favourite bands.
Holy Moly and the Crackers
I’m waiting for the mainstream to catch on to this very talented group. They have a funky sound which mixes distinctive beats, up tempo brass, wonderful lyrics and not-to-be-mistaken-for-anybody-else vocals.
The whole place was bouncing from start to finish, and I’m really looking forward to seeing them again at Moonbeams in July.
