Things I Enjoy
Had a cracking evening out with my other half and the in-laws, watching a Simon and Garfunkel tribute band all the way from Leicester.
They covered a lot of time with songs from right through Paul Simon’s songwriting career, including a fair bit of his solo stuff. I really enjoyed myself, and particularly enjoyed the trivia and stories from the band.
I’ve been looking out for the opportunity to see this new band live. I’d heard good things about them through social media, and listened to the few tracks they’ve put out.
Salt’s Brewery is in Saltaire on the far side of Bradford, and a venue we’ve not been to before. I was pleasantly impressed.
The performance space is in the back of the converted tram shed. Brewery hardware is in the same space, which gives it a unique vibe. The feeling is airy and bright. The acoustics are good too.
I thoroughly enjoyed the evening. The music was excellent – better live than recorded, like the best bands usually are. They soon had the crowd dancing. The beer was also good – I’m glad I wasn’t driving 🙂
The beer and the venue will be explored again some time when we can get there on the train. The band will be worth looking out for again in future.
One of my favourite live bands at one of my favorite venues. The acoustics at the Bridgewater Hall are sublime, and the perfect setting to some of my favourite violin riffs.
No support band, just two sets from the headliners. They played a good number of my favourite numbers, along with some newer stuff.
The violin riffs in ‘Girl Called Johnny’ and ‘Whole of the Moon’ were personal high points. An exceptionally good evening.
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.
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 😉
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Keston Cobblers Club play a brand of upbeat, joyous anglicana, which is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
The band all seem to play several instruments, so some songs are mainly keyboards and guitars, whilst others are heavy on the brass.
We first saw them supporting Bellowhead on their farewell tour. Seen them a few times since at the Band on the Wall and the RNCM.
The Stoller Hall is a performance space in Chethams School of Music near Victoria Station in Manchester. The acoustics are sweet 😉
Le Vent du Nord are French Canadians, and they do Quebec folk music. I don’t understand a word they’re singing, but it sounds good regardless.
We first saw them at Moonbeams festival, and were suitably impressed. After a couple of trips to the Waterside in Sale to see them since, it was good to see them try Manchester for a change. A highlight for me was an acapella song which really made use of the theater’s acoustics.