It was another stormy Saturday and the Globe in Glossop, was the High Peaks setting for last nights musical mayhem. The weather was doing its best to make everyone stay in, but it meant only the most hardened music fans ventured out in storm twat-face or whatever it was called. One thing is for sure, those who decided to stay indoors really did miss out.
It was great to bump into Carrie from headliners Cold Water Simmers as soon as I walked in. I was going to interview them a few weeks ago, but was ill so I had to cancel last minute. She was a darling and we talked about our musical influences, playing, autobiographies and more. It was also great to see Nidge aka Trust a Fox who's been working on some really incredible stuff in the last few weeks, and believe me it's all going to be amazing! I love the music scene in Manchester and the genuine support not only the bands give each other, but the bloggers and photographers as well. It's all a community - One love.
The upstairs function room at the Globe in Glossop is rather amazing. A rectangle with a good high stage, thick stone walls, extremely high ceilings and beautiful beams with massive speakers chained to them across the top of the stage. It was a bit chilly, but I took my coat off and braved it because 1) I'm a Geordie and we don't feel the cold & 2) If you don't take it off you don't feel the benefit later right? (People still say that I think).
Up first were Bones Shake and silly me actually recorded their soundcheck thinking it was the start of their set... to be fair to me it was all running a little late. I'm putting it up anyway because it ooze's sheer bloody brilliance! When they finally took to the stage I had no preconceptions other than their sound check and I was a little in awe! They're Manchester based and are a kind of fuzzy, punky, bluesy band. Vocalist David reminded me of a Iggy Pop and he definitely had the moves of Jagger. It was a great set from start to finish, you just had to dance to it. I managed to record a track from their set (below). Check out their soundcheck track on my YouTube channel. Great start!
Up next were The Battery Farm. If you're a fan of the blog, then you'll know that I interviewed the lads last year and I've reviewed the last two singles I Am a Man and Crude Oil Water. They started with the deeply disturbing, dark 97/91 (below) - Now I've streamed this song a lot and I've also watched the video about 20 times. I'd not seen the lads play live before last night either, but I have seen loads of pics. Ben always looks like he's giving his all; but you cannot really get a sense of the energy they bring until you've see them play live. I was watching, recording and I had goosebumps. I know their music is high energy, almost dark magic but fuck me live these lads are gargantuan! I'm not kidding, I was shocked. In the good way. In the way that makes you regret having not seen them until now due to other commitments but in a way I'm only glad because it was so worth the wait. High octane, bullishly beautiful yet vulnerable their set fucking picked you up, spat you out and left you wondering which way was up or down. I got some great pics, videos (see YouTube) and even made a few GIF's. I loved every second of it. The lads gave it all and they came off the stage dripping in sweat and absolutely knackered! Top drawer!
Onto Cold Water Swimmers . I first saw these perform in Manchester at Jimmy's (RIP) as part of YANA in March last year and I was super impressed then, but last night their energy seemed different. Maybe it was the vibe of the evening, the fact that I knew their music I don't know. But whatever it was; it was the cherry, the icing and the fucking doily on the cake. They've been musicians for a long time and it shows - Carrie and Seline even swapped instruments for the last track (bass & drums) so the rhythm section is interchangeable. Chris on vocals has perfect punk voice - their music is right up my street. Their set seemed to be the shortest of the night, but I think that's more down to how caught up I was rather than timings. I even had a boogie in-between filming and taking pictures. If you love punk music that sets your blood pressure racing, that you won't be able to stand still to; then this is a band you need to see live. The rest of the bands love these guys, and it's easy to see why. There's something quite magical about them.
All pictures within this review are mine. If you'd like to see more videos from this gig then you can on my YouTube channel.
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