Posted: August 31st, 2009 | Author: Matt | Filed under: News | Tags: Awesome Noise, Blakfish, Dragon Eye Morrison, Munroe Effect, Southsea Fest | No Comments »
Awesome Noise… the title says it all. This is the place to go at Southsea Fest for those of us who like our music loud! This won’t all be straight up shouty metal though, we’ve got everything from Dragon Eye Morrison’s visceral rock to the math rock of Shapes, by way of the complex but (relatively) chilled out This Town Needs Guns by way of the soaring soundscapes of Aeroplane Attack.
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT?
Sweaty musicians blurring the space between audience and stage and throwing themselves about in a frenzy. There’s going to be a lot of shoutiness, with a splash of melody thrown in here and there.
NOT TO BE MISSED: Blakfish. They took us by surprise when they were a last minute addition to a gig at this venue earlier in the year. It may sound all heavy at first, but listen a little closer and you’ll find a band with a great sense of humour and some surprisingly poppy tunes.
OUR TIP TO WATCH OUT FOR: Munroe Effect. Beautifully layered tunes, eschewing the simple route and going for complex time signatures and intriguing approaches to tunes, these guys are a band apart, and all the more interesting for it!
WHO IS OUR HOST: Dan, DD and the rest of the gang are all musicians in their own right and they’ve picked some of their favourite acts from the local crowd and those on tour, they know the quality because most of the acts here have shared stages with the Awesome Noise boys.
CHECK OUT THE FULL LINE-UP: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=140701933832
Posted: August 18th, 2009 | Author: Matt | Filed under: News | Tags: B Of The Bang, Holdfast, Southsea Fest, The Dawn Chorus | No Comments »
We at Call Upon The Author love The B Of The Bang… there’s no two ways about it, we are unashamedly huge fans of Wit and his merry minstrels, so when we discovered they were curating a Southsea Fest stage we were very excited indeed!
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT? Anarchy! Well, perhaps not, but expect things to be rather charmingly shambolic. The emphasis is on slightly folkie alternative music, though from James Yuill’s techno-folk to the insanity of The Deads, it’s undoubtedly going to be fascinating viewing (and listening of course). The Dawn Chorus. Their debut album was one of the best things we had heard in years, a complete breath of fresh air with it’s charm, sunniness and lyrics that perfectly summed up their (and our) hometown. With a second album on the way, we’re expecting big things!
NOT TO BE MISSED: The Dawn Chorus. Their debut album was one of the best things we had heard in years, a complete breath of fresh air with it’s charm, sunniness and lyrics that perfectly summed up their (and our) hometown. With a second album on the way, we’re expecting big things!
OUR TIP TO WATCH OUT FOR: Hold Fast. We’ve already written about these youngsters a lot. But why not add a few more lines? With their brooding electro-rock and front woman Roberta’s haunting vocals theirs is a hugely atmospheric live show and, as with the guys above, we see a bright future for this group!
WHO IS OUR HOST: The lovely Wit. Often labelled ‘enigmatic’, to us he’s the musical equivalent of that favourite science teacher you had at school who encouraged you to experiment and found it funny when you generated so much sulphurous air you stopped being able to breathe (true story…). Not that Wit teaches science, but he genuinely loves to experiment with new ideas and that should be borne out on this stage.
Posted: August 14th, 2009 | Author: Matt | Filed under: News | Tags: Hong Kong Gardeners Club, Southsea Fest, Strange Death Of Liberal England, The Joy Formidable | No Comments »
Hong Kong Gardeners Club has gained a reputation for putting on new, exciting and unique bills featuring acts that exist a little outside the road most of us walk in life, but close enough that if we make the effort we can really relate to what they play for us.
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT? A real musical mixed bag. Everything from the haunting alt.folk of Haunted Stereo to the more mainstream indie rock of Melodramas, and that’s just bands two and three on the bill. You may not recognise all the names on this stage, but they’ll be united by having some of the highest quality live performances you’ll see all day.
NOT TO BE MISSED: The Joy Formidable. Dark, brooding and yet still fun, this Welsh trio have the rock chops that we‘ve come to expect from Welsh bands, but they take it in different directions that hint at the more intelligent end of 80s musical output.
OUR TIP TO WATCH OUT FOR: The Strange Death Of Liberal England. One of our absolute favourite bands, these guys have been compared to the likes of Arcade Fire, Guillemots and, most accurately, British Sea Power, but there’s something unique about this band that’s difficult to put into words. If you check out one actat Southsea Fest that you haven’t before, you owe it to yourself to make it this band!
WHO IS OUR HOST: There are two, Sarah Parham and Abbie Eales, equally lovely and each as enthusiastic about live music as the other. If you’ve been to more than one gig in Portsmouth, you’ve been in the same room as one of these two. This love of things ‘live’ has leant them some of the most discerning ears for searching out interesting new bands that you’ll ever come across.
Posted: August 12th, 2009 | Author: Matt | Filed under: News | Tags: Southsea Fest | No Comments »
Where better to start with our previews than the flagship stage, captained by the admiral of the fleet?
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT? Some of the biggest names at the festival, and indeed on the independent scene, with the likes of Little Fish, Doll and the Kicks (still on a high from their European tour alongside a certain well known Mancunian miserablist) and the ever impressive Peggy Sue. That’s not all though, as some of Portsmouth’s own most popular talent will be present too, not least the fun-lovin’ folks of Kill Kasper, though sadly, their time travelling counterparts in Kirk’s Lapel are unavailable. There’s impressive newcomers Tigre Bite Tigre too, and a lot more besides.
NOT TO BE MISSED: Official Secrets Act. The angular indie rockers made waves with their debut album this year. We loved t and if you had any sense, you did too. Live they’re a formidable beast indeed, as any who caught them outshining Athlete on their recent tour will attest.
OUR TIP TO WATCH OUT FOR: Showcase 2009 Winners. We don’t yet know who it will be, but judging by past form (The Strange Death Of Liberal England, for one) this slot is likely to be filled by what might just be your next favourite band. WHO IS OUR HOST: Josie Curtis. Captain Curtis is the founder and driving force behind Southsea Fest, she has deservedly nabbed some of the best names on the line up for what promises to be an impressive days music all by itself.
CHECK OUT THE FULL LINE-UP: Wedgewood Rooms Stage
Posted: August 9th, 2009 | Author: Matt | Filed under: News | Tags: Southsea Fest | 1 Comment »
Southsea Fest, an annual one day event taking in venues along the iconic Albert Road in the titular Portsmouth district, is back on the 19th September 2009 for a day packed full of some of the most exciting independent music. The brainchild of Josie Curtis, Southsea Fest started as a two venue event in 2007, raising funds for a young musician with lymphoma. Since then it has evolved to take in more venues, more acts and more variety, with DJs, poets and artists all getting involved. This year there are some well known names like The Joy Formidable, James Yuill, Blakfish, Thomas Tantrum and Official Secrets Act alongside established local acts like The B of The Bang, Hold Fast, Dragon Eye Morrison, Andrew Foster, Little London and many more.
Keep checking back to the site as we preview each of the stages individually, we’ll be highlighting the acts you shouldn’t miss, those you might not have heard before and, of course, the brave souls curating the stages at each venue.
To buy tickets (£12 adults, £8 children) check out the links below.
Find out more about Southsea Fest here: http://www.southseafest.com
THE WEDGEWOOD ROOMS:
http://www.wedgewood-rooms.co.uk/additem.asp?GigID=3254
MUSIC GLUE (WITH FREE DOWNLOAD)
https://fan.musicglue.com/sale/saleproducts.aspx?productid=0decd4ed-2dc5-4f9a-8c37-1933eb78dd45
WE GOT TICKETS
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/51169
