Vivid Nation Headline @ The Beer Cart Arms, Canterbury

After missing Vivid Nation last time at the Beercart due to the lead singer being unable to talk that night, let alone sing, I was eager to hear these boys live even more due to the anticipated wait. But before they took to the stage we had two other bands to build up to them.

The first group to open up for the night were Belleville, fronted by a female singer who also played keyboard, along with the usual set up of bass, guitar and drums. The singer has a strong soulful voice which the group have used well with a blend of gentle folk and indie rock, and with the slow tempo gives a calming relaxing sound. As the set went on I felt the band were getting stronger as a group, with the sound cutting through more clearly and the lyrics working better with the composition, but the last two songs were definitely their strongest in terms of performance, which could be felt by all in the pub as the sound had died down to a barely audible syllable so that they could listen to that angelic voice.

If I was to criticise the band at all, it would be to work on their performance to put on a show, and maybe mix match their set up to start with something that will grab everyone's attention at the beginning, as I found that mid way through their set a lot of people had forgotten about the band and were more engaged with social chit-chat. Towards the end though the singer had cut through the back ground sway with some powerful lyrics, and the band sounded more alive in terms of louder and more engaging content. Though their sound was a little out of place of what you'd expect from the usual music from the Beercart, it certainly would fit in with the likes of 'The Ballroom' in Canterbury or clubs/bars like this which would blend in with the sound and the general surroundings. I'd like to hear maybe a faster tempo song, or one which pushes the singer to her limits to see what they can produce in the future, but certainly a band worth keeping an ear out for in the future. They have their feet planted, but not firmly enough yet to make that leap.

Next onto the stage were Jamie & The Portraits, with their geeky looks I was expecting something in the likes of Weezer from these guys. What I got instead, was a earful of pain from the frontman's attempts at singing. There were a few times that he had a good mix of whining mixed with gritty singing like you hear from Kings of Leon, but those few times were few and far in between. Which is a shame as the rest of the band had a good sound to them, it was just the singing which grated on everyone's nerves. I could see the pain on all the faces as they grit their teeth to grin and bear this half hour assault as the frontman tried to reach notes that just weren't there. I honestly tried listening out for any potential, but I think a replacement of their frontman was all this band could do if they planned on getting anywhere, either that or turn to thrash/black metal where the need to sing would be replaced with the need to scream and would probably fit in better. After getting a few shots of them I sat and waited for the arrival of the night's anticipated saviours, Vivid Nation.

 

I had already listened to their songs on their band pages, I already knew that they sounded good recorded. What I wanted to find out now, was how good they were to see, to feel, and to enjoy in the confines of a charmed pub. What I didn't expect, was to witness one of the best live performances I've witnessed in a long time. To being with, the lead singer's voice was a little flat, and not quite as strong. But this might have been down to just recovering from illness, plus no chance to warm up those vocals. I can however remember that after the first song he was in full tune to a well received audience. I could hear influences of Muse and 3 Doors Down most definitely in their music structure and notes, but with such a blend comes a high electric rapture from the void of unique creativity. What I'm trying to say here is, these guys are amazing. It's hard to digest that they are so young, that they've only been together for a little over a year, that they are so animated on stage! Unfortunately I missed out on these picture opportunities either because I was standing too close with a 100mm prime lens or because I was standing behind them as they flew out onto the floor on their knees.

If you missed this gig, shame on you, go to their next one and you'll see why words are not enough to describe such a good band. They have all the boxes ticked, they have already a catalogue of great songs both slow and fast, both soft and hard, memorable and likely to stand the test of time.

 

www.ljsdigitalphotography.com/band-photography 

Springtide Cavalry – OBCU Club

After googling my way to where the venue is at, I locate the big red bricked building with the many “can't see through here” windows. I wasn't sure where to enter at first until I nearly tripped on the low key white board with the words “Springtide Cavalry” with an arrow underneath detailing the way. Underneath this though were the ominous words “£1 for non members”, I wondered what I had let myself into here.

Expecting some cult after a wooden stake crashed down when I opened the front door I was ushered in by a friendly local and found myself in an old hall, which looked like an old 1960s office block with a full traditional bar built in at some point. The smell of age brought back memories of my youth of going to bars or halls like this with my parents, with that distinct aroma or human and smoke still clinging to the walls and ceilings. I wasn't expecting a rock band to be playing here, but thought that the charm of the atmosphere mixed in with everything else would give a different light on the standard gigs I was used to at pubs. Plus I didn't know how well the old skool rock would fit into the present surroundings considering the average age group that was present.

With the ambient chit-chat reaching higher and higher, it wasn't long before the first distorted chords reverbed through the hall and distilled the hustle bustle of gossip queens and hearty male bonding. That antiquated feeling soon hit me again upon hearing the singer's “Thin Lizzy” like voice and typical rock sound, with bass, drums and lead singer with guitar. The band played a mixture that night of covers (which they played really well and the singer's voice was at it's strongest) and their own material, which at times felt like a shadow of these great songs they played. The exceptions were the songs “Run Away”, a new as of yet unnamed song they played and “Out Of Here”, which is their latest single to be released. All of these held some distinction of the bands own flavour, and with their catchy choruses will probably go down as favourites to the fans.

The band consisted of a drummer, a bass player doing backing vocals and the lead singer also playing guitar. Though this formula is like a tradition amongst bands, 'Springtide Cavalry' managed to maintain a distinct sound of their own throughout, which was like a blend of turn of the century indie music mixed with late 1970s to early 1980s rock. It also helped that the band were tight, with a few banters passed between each other in the gaps between songs and the fact that they bounced off each other so well during songs.

I left the venue as the band were still playing out, and found I was singing some of the choruses on the way home in the car. Nothing beats a good night out with some old skool rock playing at an old skool club, and rocking every bit better than you first anticipated. There's great potential for this small group, and hopefully in the future, they delve deeper into their roots of musical inspirations to pull out a classic song that will rock our nation.

Leon Staden

www.ljsdigitalphotography.com

A break from my usual trend of rock and metal bands, I got to go see Nina Clark play live at the Ballroom in Canterbury. A talented individual who can control the stage and ambiance with her melodic voice and gentle swaying music. It was hard not to just sit there and listen to her captivating sounds, but luckily the Bar manager allowed me to stand behind the bar to get a few photos of Nina playing.

I.R.I.S. & Tin Soldiers @ The Walmer Castle, Deal

Vibrant, like a 1960's pop attack. So much orange and so much detail in the most smallest of things. It was hard not to stay awake after a long day, sitting in a chilled atmosphere on one of the most softest worn out seats I'd sat on in ages. It made me feel like a young student again, disregarding comfort over a rebellious nature that just took things as they were.

To start off the night I.R.I.S. took to the stage to give another memorable performance with their punchy heavy rifts. The sound was set up perfectly tonight and every instrument was finely balanced so you could hear every decibel as it was meant to be heard. This was the first time I had seen I.R.I.S. with their new bass player, but they sounded just as every bit as good as before with my favourites “Aversion To Light” and “Thick Than Water” both stimulating the mood of the pub. By the end of the set I could see all the patrons nodding or clapping along and some attempting to join in with the choruses.

After such a serving the crowd were left to digest and savour the flavours as the next band, Tin Soldiers, prepared for their own menu of music. I had never heard of the band (as is most of the case with most bands for me) but people I had spoken to had spoken highly of them. So I sat and anticipated delight to see what my next course was. Well, if someone stuck a bowl of 6 scoopings of cookie dough ice cream with double cream, hot chocolate fudge sauce and a flake to boot, I would be over the moon and drooling like dog over a freshly cooked sausage. It wasn't any less of an effect as the first song by the Tin Soldiers filled the the small holdings of The Walmer with a lively, crisp array of polished notes and good strong vocals. Their song “Wait For You” was a notable highlight to the night and it reminded me of Feeder in the good ol' days. But I didn't have time to dawdle with reminiscent moments in my past life, so up with the camera to try and freeze frame this exciting young group.

By the end of the night the Walmer Castle was laden with people, all of whom were in high spirits and edging Tin Soldiers for encore after encore. Today had been a fantastic day for me, and tonight was the icing for it.

 

To get a listen and find out more about either of the bands visit the following links,

www.reverbnation.com/irisbanduk – I.R.I.S

www.reverbnation.com/tinsoldiers – Tin Soldiers

LJS Digital Photography - Photographer and reviewer for RockKent.com. If you're in a band and interested in having your gig covered by me just check out my website and get back to me.

6 Years later @ The Bull & Vic

It's the 6^th year for the The Bull & Victoria Hotel (Bull & Vic) to host a weekly rock night in Dartford, or so I saw as advertised. This was actually a first time visit for myself as 36 miles is a little out of the way for a local thing, but the event caught my eye claiming “We've picked the best we can find from the years we've been doing this...”. I had to hear this for myself of course, and off I went.

The Venue: Wow, what a cool pub! The perfect place to stage live events, maybe even hold photo shoots (I quietly thought to myself) the interior was decorated tastefully for the likes of your average rock hearted soul. Mixed with your average selection of drinks, a very large curved bar, some bright as you can find coloured stage lights and some pretty impressive speakers, you've got yourself a good place to spend the hours of your evening.

To kick start the night off, after a little delay in getting everything set up, Redwood Fall opened up with a slow tempoed sound, enough to get the punters to gather round and go, “oh, music to my ears!”. The group have labelled themselves as a Hard Rock Blues sort of band with influences spanning all over the place, and you can certainly pick up on that. Every song has a different influence that has obviously sparked the writers to write them, and they have a good sound. Sometimes chilled and melodic, then they pick up to a faster tempo and heavy it up and with a slightly husky edge to the singer's voice helped to accentuate their 'Rock Blues' vibe. The band were solid, and showed their experience at playing together, but they lacked that special something that would make you go, wow! What an experience! And their new song felt a little flat compared to the rest of their set with the vocals not hitting the right notes, still, it could be they haven't had this song in their play list for very long and just need to iron it out a little.

Red Fire Dawn set ablaze the air next, with their 3 piece band without...a...singer? I've heard many instrumentals of my favourite songs by favourite artists in the past, but I've never thought to hear new pieces by a band I didn't know play entirely an instrumental live set. But I kept my optimism that they would be good after the hyped introduction they got, and was I to be disappointed? No way dude! Each piece was well constructed and reminiscent of Pink Floyd meets Santana meets Jimmy Hendrix, with clear cut notes mixed in with experimental rifts. I have to say, the drummer was amazing, dealing with god knows how many changes in tempo and beats, and because you didn't have any vocals to concentrate on, you got to taste the fuller flavour of the music itself. As a whole, the band could probably do with being a little more animated to engage the crowd, and possibly make that tricky guitar solo look like a breeze with some added stylized flare. Let's see how they get on in the future.

They're looking for a singer at the moment and will audition anyone interested, so get in touch with them if you think you could front their band.

After several minutes still reflecting on the cool resonate sounds of Red Fire Dawn, I was blasted apart by Colt.44, leaving a clear sizeable chunk of my brain matter behind me. With loud classic grunge rock rifts it was easy to get into their music. What set Colt.44 apart wasn't just their sounds, it was their stage presence. You knew they were there, they knew you were they, and they wanted to engage with you and get you to join in. Their lyrics were punchy, their rifts were simple with great little solos, and the band were psyched up and their personalities really showed through. I'd highly recommend seeing this band, even if you have to venture many miles further than your local.

 

To top if off, the experienced metal band Zocalo took to the stage, with my expectations now raised after the last act, I was still to be amazed yet again. With classic head banging metal tunes blasting out over the scene, it wasn't long until the crowd planted their feet and waved those necks of theirs. I even found my head joining in with the camera attached to my eye. Zocalo are a 5 piece band fronted by a female vocalist, and last year they managed to play at the acclaimed Blood Stock fest, and it wasn't hard to see why they were accepted. For anyone with a metal appetite, go check them out!

With my ears ringing 3 kinds of tunes, and the music long gone to sleep, I headed off reflecting on an enjoyable night out, and well worth the 70 odd mile round trip. If I had to pick one band though that most impressed me tonight, it was the high calibered Colt.44.

For more information on events at the Vic & Bull, or ones like it, follow 'Unified Sounds' and 'Rock Matrix' on facebook.

IRIS at The Attic in UKC (23rd Feb 2011)

IRIS are now a seasoned rock group who regularly headline in various venues across Kent, and hope to in the future cross over to performing at other counties and local festivals. I think they'll make it, eventually. It all about playing at the right time for someone to hear you that can do something about it though! But if you do see they are playing near you, go check them out. I bet you any money their new single "Drain The Ocean" will stay with you as you leave the venue at the end of the night.

Unfortunately for them at this gig, the sound technician was a student sound technician, so it took a good 20 minutes to set up the sound properly without murdering everyone's eardrums with feedback. The excuse was there was a technical fault with some of the equipment (which sounded fine for the non heavy groups playing before them).

As the group were getting ready, so was I... I had my favourite lens on and tested the lighting, which was good... the front lights lit the band up so I thought I'd get some excellent detail shots with some low ISO settings...  you can image my dismay when the lights pointing at the band were turned off, and the lights that point directly at the crowds face came on in full swing. Quite possibly a bad idea as it means every few seconds you squint against the harsh rays of light that emit directly at you. It also meant that I was only getting dark images or bleached out photos... even with RAW post processing the best I could do was bring out a little detail and turn it black and white or eliminate the colour for some compensation. But the detail just wasn't there.

I did manage to try out the Canon 60D's HD recording feature... which I have to say... is brilliant... the only downside was the sound... with only standard mono sound recording inbuilt into the camera, mixed with speakers that managed to mingle low and high frequency sounds into a single monotonous chaos, it sounded god damn awful. Guess I'll have to try again with these guys now they have a new basist. Just fortunate I took some photos before all the lights desensatised my vision.

If you're interested in us photographing live gigs that you have coming up, feel free to take a look at my website.