After a year off, I'm pumped for the return of Southsea Fest in Portsmouth tomorrow. My debut encounter was in 2014, and I'd never experience anything of its kind. Whether you liked pop or metal or blues or punk or jazz or dance, there was (for lack of a less wanky phrase) something for everyone crammed into Albert Road.
BLACK FOXXES - THE LOFT AT THE KINGS @ 10.00PM
Black Foxxes have seriously upped their game with their debut album, I'm Not Well. The hooks are ballsier, the choruses are of stratospheric proportions, and there is a writhing tone of catharsis that gives it that extra push of organic power. If it transforms live, Black Foxxes will become a band with ridiculous - if not scary - potential.
LONELY THE BRAVE - WEDGEWOOD ROOMS @ 7.15PM
Lonely The Brave's live show these days is rarely short of mesmeric. Not in its production or its pizazz, but in its authenticity and its musicianship. While David Jakes remains one of the best vocalists that Britain has to boast, the focus has finally become more of an even spread between Jakes' introverted presence and his sensational bandmates. It's about fucking time.
DOE - THE HONEST POLITICIAN @ 8.30PM
The socially conscious crop of DIY indie-punks have had a lot to shout about this year, and rightfully so in Doe's case. They're a bit grittier and occasionally more off-kilter than some of their peers, but their debut album, Some Things Last Longer Than You, has more than its fair share of simple and outrageously catchy moments.
ITOLDYOUIWOULDEATYOU - THE ATRIUM @ 5.00PM
The wistful lyricism, the noodling math-rock melodies, those little pepperings of brass in the verses... I know what you're thinking. But what itoldyouiwouldeatyou have to show for themselves which is a brilliant rarity of advancing so effortlessly from those mathy intricacies into massive choruses and endearing emo sing-a-longs.
JOHN - EDGE OF THE WEDGE @ 6.00PM
You really think that Slaves make the most noise possible for a two-piece? You're so not ready for JOHN. If you start to feel that teatime lull after walking from venue to venue, then this duo will wake you up in the most appropriate of fashions: by ripping off your ears and jamming them down your throat (in a good way, obvs).
FUGITIVE ORCHESTRA - THE ATRIUM @ 8.00PM / WINE VAULTS @ 5.00PM
Oh look, it's another singer-songwriter with two mics, a guitar and a loop pedal... WRONG. James Tattington (AKA Fugitive Orchestra) is as charismatic a proposition as you can get, bringing quirky yet esteemed undertones of blues and jazz. Plus, he said on Twitter that if I came and watched one of his sets, he would pull out his cover of Blu Cantrell and Sean Paul's 'Breathe'. Trust me, it's nothing short of brilliant.
NOYO MATHIS - THE HONEST POLITICIAN @ 12.45PM
Earlier this month I had my first encounter with Noyo Mathis at a punk all-dayer at The Joiners in Southampton. I'm still struggling after two weeks to articulate how encapsulated I was by a band with so many technical nooks and crannies in the sound, but who still leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.
SAINT AGNES - THE BIRDCAGE AT THE FESTING @ 6.25PM
Here's one for you lovers of classic rock, as I am shamelessly so. If you dug that hip-shaking, seductive, whiskey-drenched, slightly psychedelic sound of the last couple of Rival Sons (as I have shamelessly have), mixed with the theatrical mystique of Purson, then Saint Agnes are right up your sunset boulevard.
KAMIKAZE GIRLS - THE HONEST POLITICIAN @ 3.45PM
Thank fuck there are some great people out there doing something to spread awareness about mental health through music - whether it's blogging and podcasting about it like the dudes at Don't Fret Club (more on them another time), or writing heart-wrenching lyrics and backing them with poignant, get-your-feels out alt-rock; something which Kamikaze Girls do exceptionally well.
MINQUE - WINE VAULTS @ 9.15PM
Being a pop apologist feels like a far less guilty admission from a rock journalist's standpoint over the last few years. That's thanks to artists like Minque, who swirl soothing, soulful vocals into ethereal and funky electronica. That's a very verbose way of describing what Minque does, but she's basically just got a fucking good voice.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
TELLISON (Edge Of The Wedge @ 10.00PM)
TIGERCUB (Edge Of The Wedge @ 9.00PM)
PERSONAL BEST (The Honest Politician @ 7.30PM)
SHIT PRESENT (The Honest Politician @ 6.45PM)
EAGULLS (Pyramids @ 6.45PM)
BLACK HONEY (Wedgewood Rooms @ 6.15PM)
HAPPY ACCIDENTS (Edge Of The Wedge @ 5.00PM)
AVIV & THE EUNUCH HORN (The Fat Fox @ 5.00PM)
HANNAH LOU CLARK (The Loft At The Kings @ 5.00PM)
FIZZY BLOOD (Pyramids @ 3.30PM)
NIGHT OWLS (Edge Of The Wedge @ 3.00PM)
If you see me at Southsea Fest, come say hi/buy me a beer. The struggle continues.
Danny
