Where: Stoke-on-Trent
Venue: The Sugarmill
Independent Venue Week managed their repertoire of artists well the other night
(29/01/13) as various local, and further afield artists performed to a near-full
audience at The Sugarmill in Stoke-on-Trent. It was never about catching a
glimpse of your favourite local artist - though some audience members did
retreat after just one hour. The artists lucky enough to take the stage at The
Sugarmill were well prepared and catered to their respective fanbase, while
remembering the music on offer varied slightly from a one-genre dimension. It
was a night of messages and influence from one artist to another, from artist
to audience, and audience to artist - support your local music venues, support
your local music.
Delamere prepared for their set with a fierce soundcheck, which sounded absolutely
fantastic from the side balcony. You could tell just from the soundcheck what
Delamere are all about, and where they want to take their sound. The quartet
played material from their past releases as a younger, less technical outfit,
to their present more innovative sound orchestrated with their new single
through Scruff of The Neck Records. Their set ranged from a few older, less
rhythmic recordings, to an array of math rock/pop songs influenced by the
identity of indie rock's past.
Songs like "Do You Want Me?" and "Heart" set the tone of
their performance, but it was "Colour Me In" which seemed to have the
greatest effect on the IVW goers. It showed that Delamere warrants respect from
fellow artists and critics alike, for their ability to spot the potential not
just lyrically, but what’s written in the songs textures. For instance, it's
all well and good having a talented guitarist, but it means jack squat as 1/4
of a band if your creative partners can't match it. Delamere control their
sound well and utilise skills both with guitar effects and percussion - because
they're multi-instrumentalists beneath the cover of their character.
The only criticism towards Delamere on the night involves their lack of
audience participation. Some artists find it difficult to 'talk' or just
communicate with an audience, and I personally think Delamere could have done
with a few plugs, and perhaps a little bit more encouragement for the night
ahead. That being said, Delamere were thankful for the support audience members
were showing, as we all know how difficult it can be to be the opening act at a
small venue. Besides, Delamere's music and ideology does in fact ride on an
emotional connection, rather than a physical 'let’s go mental' / 'hands in the
air' aesthetic.
Moral Panics managed to clear the room after their set was over, surprised?
I don't think anyone expected anything less. They clearly know how to attract
an audience, how to participate, and even cater to that audience on a personal
level. Their friendships with audience members helped, but it was their quick
wit and indie rock band charm that made Moral Panics an instant crowd pleaser.
Their live set ranged from the simplicity of basic barre chords, to the
technical skill and complexity of the lead guitar. They played positively
throughout, though did lack depth when it came to varying from the norm. On
occasion it seemed as if they suffer from multiple personality disorder, because they
were criss-crossing from math rock to indie rock. It never really sounds like a
defining sound, or a complete mix of the both - they had one hand under the
cold water and one under the warm.
Moral Panics do have the potential to widen their audience massively, and Independent
Venue Week is a great testimonial to local artists like Moral Panics, who want
to achieve something far greater than the Staffordshire circuit. Along with
Delamere, Moral Panics use the bottom end of a lead guitar to play math rock styled
music, while keeping melodies and rhythms suited for rock lovers - Foals esque,
but with less to bring to the table. Moral Panics have Foals written on their
influences, and you don't need to ask them if this statement is true. But
that's not so bad, the early Foals recordings relied heavily on unusual time
signatures and structures not heard so popularly in the UK before. The
excitement and straight up difference of math rock over other genres is its
ability for limitless creations - backed by decent song-writers, and you're
pretty much owning your niche.
~Eddie Gibson