Elbow are a band who’ve been together for around 18 years and despite a Mercury Music Prize nomination for their debut album back in 2001 and a number of easily recognisable songs such as Powder Blue, Fallen Angel and Newborn, until recently they never seemed to have had that much commercial success. That all seems to have changed since the release of the single ‘One Day Like This’ earlier this year and after the band deservedly won the 2008 Mercury Music Prize for their fourth studio album ‘The Seldom Seen Kid’.

The gig started with support from singer/songwriter Jesca Hoop and fans of Elbow were treated to an early appearance as first a member of Elbow’s string section joined Jesca on stage to accompany her sing one of her songs before Elbow’s front man Guy Garvey appeared to duet with the singer.

Then it was the turn of Elbow who appeared onstage to ‘Starlings’ the opening track from their latest album complete with flourish of trumpets, (played by various members of the band), which were interjected into the intro and accompanied by blinding bright lights.

In between each song the unassuming and charismatic Guy Garvey took time to talk and interact with the audience and this, along with the seated arrangement of The Sage, made it feel more like a personal audience with Elbow rather than just a concert.

Elbow’s performance couldn’t be faulted at any point throughout the concert and the venue was perfect for the inventive and ingenious sounds the band created. The sound in The Sage was exceptional, (with Guy even saying it was probably the best venue they had played with regards to sound quality).

‘Grounds for Divorce’ the stompy debut single from their latest album proved a favourite with the audience and shows that Elbow feel just as comfortable integrating something a little bit heavier as when performing they’re more gentle flowing songs such as ‘Mirrorball’.

Guy Garvey’s vocals were so powerful yet gentle and were outstanding all night, (despite declaring “I hope it sounds alright, I’ve got a bit of a cold”), often displaying his extraordinary range which was especially evident on the band’s performance of ‘Newborn’.

A beautiful arrangement of ‘Weather to Fly’ preceded an amazing and emotive performance of the single ‘One Day Like This’ which had everyone accompanying Elbow with the chorus, it provided a euphonic end to a wonderful night and the perfect way to end the main set. Andy Brice

Shoreditch on a Friday night is usually out of control – by the early hours the pavements are strewn with flyers of already forgotten nights and smeared with the vodka and make-up of the beautiful and damned that stalk the ‘ditch.

Bring a load of Icelandic folk in for an 8-venue boutique festival like this and the place isn’t any messier, but it a LOT more crowded. And they’re all so TALL and all so good looking...anyhow, there were some bands on so I suppose we’d better tell you some stuff about some of them.

Read on...

The Fistful of Fandango ‘festival ‘, now in its second year, runs over five September nights in London with nights themed around styles of music, so if you like the headliner, there’s a fair chance you’ll like most other things on the bill. That’s a good thing, as is the 30-45 minute set given to each band and the lovely friendly crowd it (and the 229 venue by Great Portland Street) attracts.

Last year’s line up saw Pete and the Pirates and British Sea Power amongst others, both of whom have gone on to greater acclaim, so this year the NORTH PHASE decided to grab a fistful of fun and a plastic pint glass and roll up to two Fandango nights to report back with this intelligence

Read on...

If you’re young and like to dance and like to dance to the commercial side of the last twenty years of  indie, alternative and electro sounds then PUSH at Astoria 2 in Charing Cross Road is an odds on reliable bet for a good Saturday night out in London. What’s more, if you’re a student and have an NUS card its £6 entry all night with whiskey and coke £2 a go. If you’re not, the drinks are the same price but the entry may be pricier. What’s more, you get a band for your money as well.

The NORTH PHASE, feeling its age as those around it in the queue compared A level results, went on Saturday for the avowedly good reason of seeing The Audio Bullys do a 45 minute live set as a four piece band – vocal, bass, drums and decks.
I am generally very well disposed towards the Audio Bullys. They burst onto our radar in 2003 with the monstrous We Don’t Care in 2003 and then suffering the fall of the mighty with their second album even though it contained the huge hit Shot You Down, so was interesting to see what they were going to be like in 2008, with a new live band for gigs, a new single – Gimme That Punk just out and an album Sunday Night Fever on the way.

Well they certainly haven’t lost their well known confidence and swagger, Simon, the singer, treating this club venue as if it was a festival stage (you may have seen them at Digital, or one of the many other festivals they’ve done over the summer), strolling around with a can or Red Stripe, somewhat in the manner of an energised Ian Brown. Other than Simon, the presentation of the band is spare, with no frills or pretensions (my slim hopes that they’d perform with the Residents style Bomb-heads of the record sleeves remain unfulfilled).  This was a gig about sound not look.

In fact, the overwhelming impression of this performance was to remind us that although the Bullys have enjoyed chart success they are most definitely making music and performing from an underground DJing and MCing culture that has become popular, rather than them designing and diluting themselves to the popular taste. That said, I did feel that some of the pure electro sounds of the songs were diluted by their new live band format, which at times muddied some tracks and fought in the mix with the trademark anthemic chants and stamping bass lines. There’s no sign of a retreat from the chants or the bass in the material from the new album - in fact the opposite – so I’m tempted to say that the songs will have more immediate musical force as recordings:  But this is only a minor quarrel – it’d always good to see a band try new things and my worries may have been the fault of the sound mix rather than the band – sometimes the lyrics were getting very lost in the sound - a shame because the lyrics are nearly always so good.
The Audio Bullys certainly got the place rocking – everyone was dancing and the packed audience loved it. It was good to see that the newer material was received as well (honourable mentions to Flickery Vision and Gimme that Punk here) as the old but of course, the classics went down the best –  especially a completely barnstorming version of Shot You Down (sans Nancy Sinatra hologram  DVD or anything else) that closed the set.

This gig, in the Barfly's Holborn offshoot – a little underground sweatbox that could accommodate at most 100 very thin people, was the last in a day's events to mark the release of KID CARPET's 2nd album Casio Royale, (Sunday Best). There were I think about 100 very thin people in the audience – some obviously friends of the Bristol boy, others fans he's picked up from his first album Ideas and Oh Dears and his previous live shows, and yet others probably, given the venue's reputation, there on the off chance of seeing something good. Well whoever they were they definitely saw something interesting, that was also good in parts – and it definitely wasn't bad. If you're in any way sympathetic to the kind of music he's making - to the KID CARPET project whatever that may be - then going see him live will be a good and enjoyable thing to do. If you're not, it would probably profoundly annoying.

What more can be said about Alison Goldfrapp? She possesses a wonderful talent and an innate playfulness that is beguiling.

Their new album, Seventh Tree, caught a lot of people by surprise, being, as it is, a departure from previous work. It brings in elements of physcedelia and folk music and mixes them with a large dose of whimsy, which is a particularly English trait. The results are quite beautiful. The album transports you to a place where everything is rosy and your troubles are forgotten for a while.

The same can be said for tonight’s performance, which transported me to the same place. Songs from the new album were featured heavily but tracks from the previous three albums are included, and fit in seamlessly, making a coherent and hugely enjoyable body of work. Songs such as Happiness and Caravan Girl, from Seventh Tree, sound wonderful live, and despite her protestations, Goldfrapp’s voice was uplifting. These songs sound joyous. Tracks like July and A+E sound almost delicate and were played beautifully, sounding as though you had the CD on in the house.

Mixed in with tracks such as Ohh La La, Train and Strict Machine, the gig was a hugely enjoyable night, and the crowd showed their enthusiasm by getting out of their seats and dancing away.

Support on the night came from the Fryars, who are a threesome featuring two sets of keyboards and drums. Their sound had an 80’s feel, like so much new music today, but is bought right up to date. The singer has a distinctive voice and I can imagine them going down well with the younger audiences.

Although they never really went away, The Charlatans are back and are sounding as good as they ever did. A few years back when I was still living in the North West, I was part of a small group of mates who went through a phase of going to what seemed like as many Charlatans gigs as we could get to! Unfortunately over the past couple of years I hadn’t been able to follow the band as closely so when an opportunity to review them came up, (especially playing a more intimate venue than the arena style venues they were playing last time I saw them), it was a gig that I really didn’t want to miss.

As I waited for the band to come on stage I couldn’t help but notice that the audience wasn’t quite as young as it once was. Although there was a good mix of ages, it was pretty clear that some of the crowd had probably been following the band ever since they formed almost twenty years ago and Tim Burgess’ performance will have brought back many a happy memory. Whilst the rest of the members seem to be aging gracefully into an obviously well experienced, time served band, Tim Burgess seems to have got younger and taken a trip back to the early 90’s. His current image is complete with a dodgy basin haircut whilst his stage performance is reminiscent of the early Charlatans rather than that of the restrained ‘Wonderland’ era Charlatans seen in more recent years.The start of the set includes a mix of new and old songs alike and, as would be expected from a band that have been together and gigging for so long, the performance was spot on - the only disappointment being a problem with sound which seemed most evident during ‘Blackened Blue Eyes’, (which even Tim Burgess seemed unhappy about at one point - hitting the mic stand onto the stage although this could quite easily been part of his performance). Unfortunately the sound problems continued throughout a couple of songs although they were only minor and the responsibility rested solely on the sound engineer and nothing could be taken away from the band’s performance - especially Burgess’ vocals which slipped flawlessly in and out of his falsetto style as and when required.A few songs in and it was time to hit the audience with a classic.

Up to now there had been tapping feet and nodding heads but as soon as the audience heard the unmistakable intro to ‘One To Another’ it went from an audience stood appreciating a band to an audience being consumed by the music of one! Instantly there was a cheer and clapping before almost everyone started jumping up and down - it was obvious that this is what people had been waiting for and no matter how good the rest of the Charlatans material is the classics are classics! When you think about how many times the band must have played the songs during their time together there is a worry that they may have got tired of them, (some bands even ‘retire’ songs as they say they are so sick of them), and that the performance maybe flat - however the Charlatans were anything but and performed with the energy as if this was the first time they’d ever played the track and they wanted everyone to enjoy it! ‘One To Another’ was then followed by ‘Here Comes A Soul Saver’ and ‘Love Is The Key’ before returning to a couple of more subdued songs.One thing that you could not fail to miss throughout the show was Tim Burgess’ interaction with the crowd, he looked comfortable on stage and happy to be there, regularly crouching down and talking to people at the front and pointing and smiling at faces in the crowd during songs. At one point he was even pulled of the stage whilst shaking hands with the audience although it was clear that this was done in an appreciative manner rather than that of a malicious one and he was greeted by a cheer on return to the stage and a wry smile from the rest of the band before launching into another unmistakable Charlatans hit.

As for the new material?... I’m not sure that they’ll be setting the charts alight (but then again who cares about the charts anymore!?). One of their new tracks ‘Oh! Vanity’ was extremely catchy and opened with a 'Stone Roses' style drumbeat & bass line shortly followed by keys, guitar and Tim Burgess vocals. It all made sure that everyone knows that The Charlatans are back. Andy Brice

We're drawn to festivals for two reasons: Either it's a ritual habit where we go with a fluid gang of friends year after year for the craic of the event, or we go to one festival in particular because of its line-up. So, for the music lovers amongst us, who actually care about hearing and seeing music rather than merely being a festival where live bands are but one of the attractions, festival line-ups are inevitably places where the glistening pearls of our must-see gigs are sandwiched between wraps of unknown and unloved acts, where time passes slowly as we struggle to enjoy sounds we would not choose to listen to if we had the choice, where we would prefer to silence to this noise. Read more...

This May, Gaymers cider is proud to present a series of must see, money-can’t-buy music performances by some of the UK’s hottest acts. four bands packed full of English character, Gaymers Grassroots Gigswill see The Futureheads,‎ Young Knives, ‎Reverend And The Makers and Mystery Jets to their hometown roots and perform exclusive sets to small crowds at intimate venues, back where all the magic began. Read more...

The second North East Funk and Soul revue was held this year at Northumbria University, following on from its considerable success last year at The Sage. The revue is hosted by the Funk Network UK, which is the brainchild of Richard Owen, who created the network with a view to bringing together those in tune with the genre, to help each other out and get some gigs together.

This year’s event featured four live bands, headlined by the fabulous Monty Casino. First on the bill though were The 27 Club, who have recently signed to Regen Records and bring a mix of styles, such as rock and hip-hop, to add to the funk base, to create their sound. Their lyrics have a political edge, which is good news in a world full of bland pop ‘stars’.

Next up were the always-enjoyable The Spheres. Frontman Hewy has a wonderful soul voice, which was showcased by a great version of Let’s Get It On, ably supported by great musicians. The Spheres are a Sunderland band, signed to BUNKER UK records, and have been performing across the region and beyond for a while now, bring their soulful tunes to the masses.

From there we moved on to the more jazz infused soul of Nick Pride and The Pimptones. I believe it is impossible not to move your feet, or other parts of your body, to this band, who delivered a great set and were sharp suited, creating a good image. Some of their tunes feature the bass saxophone, which sounded fantastic live. The band are signed to Stropic Records and have been busy gigging and building themselves up a good fan base.

The headliners, and highlight, were the wonderful Monty Casino. Every time I have seen this band I haven’t been disappointed and they have recently supported Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings at The Sage. Monty Casino are a Sunderland based band but have been earning plaudits across the country, and it’s easy to hear why. They played a fantastic set, including a cover of Love Spreads by The Stone Roses, which is a perfect example of how they blend old school funk and soul with contemporary rock. They are fronted by the enchanting Jess Roberts, who is a talented singer and songwriter and feature great musicians. They really are worth going to see and promise their debut single, White Walls, and album, will be released soon.

The 27 Club play the Green Festival on Sunday 8th June at Leazes Park, Newcastle and the Newcastle Green Gathering on 31st August. You can check them out at www.myspace.com/the27clubmusic

The Spheres play, amongst others, The White Room, Sunderland on Friday 16th May, Bernaccia in Newcastle on Monday 26th May and The Roker Hotel in Sunderland on Sunday 3rd August and you can check them out at www.myspace.com/spheresband

Nick Pride and The Pimptones play The Star and Shadow in Newcastle on Saturday 10th May and the Newcastle Green gathering on Sunday 31st August and you can check them out at www.myspace.com/nickprideandthepimptones

Monty Casino play The End Bar in Newcastle on Sunday 25th May and The Newcastle Green Gathering on Sunday 31st August. You can hear their debut single White Walls at www.myspace.com/montycasinomusic

The Dap-Kings came to prominence recently when it became widely known that they played on Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black album and Mark Ronson’s Version

Since forming around 2001, they have toured extensively and have built a reputation as a must-see band. They proved that tonight, although they did suffer from sound and technical problems. Nevertheless, they still showed how that reputation was earned, what a wonderful singer Sharon Jones is, and what a great band the Dap-Kings are.

As a young woman, Sharon Jones was heavily influenced by James Brown and began singing in church, before progressing to session singing and fronting funk/soul bands, before the Dap-Kings were formed. The group collectively say they have been influenced by the likes of Marva Whitney and Wilson Pickett.

On stage they have 3 horns, drums, percussion, guitar and bass and they really are a tight unit, seamlessly moving from one song to another and jamming effortlessly when required. They played songs from their new album, 100 Days, 100 Nights, including Answer Me and Nobody’s Baby, and songs from their previous albums, including My Man Is A Mean Man and the fabulous How Do I Let A Good Man Down.

Support came from great local band Monty Casino, who are promising a debut album soon. They once again proved why they are such a good live draw, and are building a great reputation themselves. They really are a good band and what is more surprising is that they only formed at the beginning of last year. They feature the wonderful front woman Jess Roberts and a great rhythm section.

Tonight was the last UK date for the Dap-Kings as they are heading across America to play numerous festivals, so unfortunately, we will have to wait a while before we see them again in this country.

Monty Casino, however, headline the North East Funk and Soul Revue on Sunday 4th May at Northumbria University. The albums Dap Dippin’, Naturally and 100 Days, 100 Nights by Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings are available on Daptones Records and via www.daptonerecords.com. AC

It has been a good few years since the Eels have graced the North East with their presence and in the Sage, they have picked a perfect venue for their ‘Evening With’ tour.

The tone of the night was marked from the get go, when – in a spark of genius –
the support act was revealed to be a complete showing of the recent BBC4 documentary on 'E' and his late physicist father Hugh Everett III.  Rather than disappoint, this strategy worked as a perfect warm up to the evening’s events – showcasing snippets of the Eels’ back catalogue while giving a personal incite to a lot of the songs that were to follow.

Keeping things fresh, the tour sported only E and his current band mate ‘The Chet’, sharing duties on guitar, bass, piano, keyboard, drums and other assorted instruments.  This guaranteed new interpretations of old favourites – something the audience got in spades.  Halfway through a rollicking version of ‘Flyswatter’, for example, E got up from his piano and seamlessly took over the drums from Chet, who in turn took over the piano.  Two minutes later, they swapped back again – never breaking the flow of the song.  It’s this kind of playful approach (to their often dark material) that gives the Eels their charm.  E himself was on top form.  Far from the awkward recluse he is often painted as, he was witty, commanding and self-deprecating.  Linking the songs were random skits and tongue-in-cheek readings (courtesy of Chet) from E’s recent autobiography.  Along with the opening film, these gave the night a carefree, improvised feel that won over their audience. 

The night kicked off with the up and coming The Ting Tings. The Ting Tings are Jules de Martino (drums) and Katie White (guitars and vocals) and you may well have heard their single That’s Not My Name, which they finished with tonight. That single, along with the rest of their set was guitar driven, melodic, poppy and catchy. They plan to release their debut album later in the year and would be well worth catching if they play any festivals this year, which I hope they do.

Next up were Does It Offend You Yeah who are a band that mix guitars and dance beats and are steadily building themselves a great reputation. Their music draws on some late 80’s and early 90’s dance influences and they deliver live. I can see them playing the other stage at Glastonbury complete with light show and adoring crowd. Their live show was similar to a Chemical Brothers gig, which is high praise.

Following them were Joe Lean and The Jing Jang Jong, who are the band on everybody’s lips at the moment. And for good reason too. Their music is guitar driven, melodic, and very catchy, and they deliver live. For me, they were the band of the night. Their star is in the ascent and they look set to be big this year. They play straight ahead guitar pop in a similar vein to the Libertines, the Maccabees and Echo and the Bunnymen. I have no doubt they will be playing their own headlining tour in the very near future and their debut album is planned for early summer.

The headliners for the tour are The Cribs, who played a great set to an adoring crowd. The Jarman brothers tore through their set with gusto, playing tracks from across their three albums, including live favourite Men’s Needs. Their performance, for me, was only marred a little by the vocals, which are a little weak in my opinion, but I can understand why they are popular because they play a great set. No doubt, if they are due to play any festivals this year, they will move up the bill and attract large numbers.

'Ok! The eager anticipation of this night was summed up by the first person I opened my mouth to... Franz Ferdinand base player Bob Harding. With a shake on the hand and a quickfire question of "When's the next album due?" the question was left unanswered with a snigger as a subsitute. From that point on I knew this was gonna be a good gig.

'Seasick' Steve Wold completed a trio of Newcastle based gigs at the Newcastle Academy after previous acclaimed shows at The Cluny and The Sage.  As the Mississippi Bluesman hit the stage with drummer Dan Magnusson in tow, it was hard to avoid hearing sections of the crowd already singing the blues over how jam-packed the venue had become. Never the less Steve and Dan managed to avert the negative rumblings with the detonation of some frenzied stomping blues.

Say Anything are a six piece who hail from sunny Los Angeles, who formed in 2001. Since then they have been releasing EP’s, albums and touring as much as possible. The band will soon be releasing their new album ‘Defense Of The Genre’, which is a double disc affair, shortly in the UK. Say Anything have been touring this isle supporting ‘HelloGoodbye’. Tonight I caught them in the slightly less sunny Newcastle Academy.

The bands sound veers between ‘The Smiths’ and ‘Emo’ bands such as ‘Fall Out Boy’. When they lean to the poppier side, they have elements of ‘The Smiths’ guitar melodies (although on the night these were barely audible as the sound mix was quite poor) and they also had a heavier side (again, the drums drowned out the guitars in the mix). Their poppier side, I felt, was less formulaic than their heavier leanings.

The audience was very young and trendy, although they were fairly unresponsive, despite the best efforts of the frontman Max Bemis, who used the stage well and did his best to engage them between songs. Perhaps the crowd were only there for the main act. However, Say Anything have the potential to headline gigs themselves and I am sure this wont be too long in coming. Keep one eye open and look out for them in the future.

Punk veterans the UK Subs put on a secret gig as a warm up for their Middlesbrough Town Hall show the following evening. By 1980 the UK Subs were, with exception of ‘Stiff Little Fingers’ the flag bearers of British Punk Rock.
This gig was billed as the original line up, the first time together for twenty-seven years. At first I was in two minds to the credibility of this story, as there have been so many members of the Subs over the years. However this was the real deal and they didn't fail to deliver, an hour or so of what can only be described as Pure Punk Rock. Nicky Garrett - Guitar, Paul Slack - 'Lead' Bass, Pete Davies - Drums and the ever present, oldest but fittest punk on the block Charlie Harper on Vocals.
Tonight we were treated to the first two years of their recording career 1978 - 1980, all the stand out tracks from their albums ‘Another Kind of Blues’ and ‘Brand New Age’ plus the singles and B-sides and they played the songs with vigor and passion, perfectly paced and true to the original records. ‘The Tuns’ was only half full, but the band had the crowd feeding out of their hands. Superb sing-alongs like ‘Warhead’, ‘Kicks’, ‘Tomorrows Girls’, ‘Stranglehold’ and the awesome crowd pleaser ‘Emotional Blackmail’ left the audience beaming.

In his dark suit and hat, Van Morrison was an imposing figure – every bit the southern American bluesman he has often been compared to.  And unlike other legends of his era, Van Morrison’s voice hasn’t faded at all over the years.  It might have been a little looser in a concert environment, but it was easily as powerful as when he was fronting ‘Them’. At times guttural and growling, at others hitting high notes you would never have expected from someone in their sixties.

He could not be described as a great showman, but who does Van The Man need to impress?  There was no addressing of the audience, no witty asides.  The band didn’t even seem to pause from breath between tracks.  However, less chatter meant more songs and with a back catalogue as extensive as his, it could only be a good thing.  On stage, he worked somewhat akin to a strict music teacher at an important recital, turning his back during instrumental sections to bark and mumble instructions to his orchestra.  And what an orchestra!  On tour, his band is just as much the star of the show as he is.  Every instrument you could imagine was brought out for its moment in the spotlight – guitars (acoustic, electric, bass and slide), piano, keyboard, two sets of drums, bongos, trumpet, violin and Van’s own saxophone and harmonica.  The slide guitar work in particular was awe-inspiring.

Pendulum have fast become one of the biggest names on the drum and bass circuit. Since the release of their 1st album, Hold Your Colour, in 2005 the Australian threesome have never looked back and are currently on a sell out tour around the UK to promote their eagerly awaited second album. I had heard great things about the Pendulum live sets, especially from friends who have been present at their legendary fabric sessions in London, so I was hoping not to be disappointed tonight…

The sell out crowd at Newcastle’s Carling academy was a diverse mix ranging from, 15 year old Nu Rave wanabes to hardened dance fiends with a few indie kids thrown in for good measure. Apart from a few over zealous security staff taking offence to one of the few (banned) glow sticks which made it into the building the 4hr set went off without a hitch. The sights and sounds of the Pendulum live show can only be described as rockin’ a true feast for the senses.

The perfectly mixed tunes and banging bass lines had the crowed hyped up early on but it was a mix of the prodigy’s Smack your bitch up which seemed to ignite the masses into a dance frenzy, shortly followed by some of pendulums own classics like Slam and Tarantula and the new single ‘Granite’ making for an electric atmosphere and an all round great night.

Based on what the band proved tonight they deserve their place with the electronica elite and I would thoroughly recommend the new album which is due for release early next year, however to get the full ‘pendulum effect’ see them live, the beats will stay with me for weeks! JU

Pink Martini make music that transports you to different parts of the world. Although they hail from America, each band member has studied music from across the genres, so they blend classical, jazz, Cuban, Brazilian, Mexican and French, using horns, strings, percussion and the fabulous vocals of China Forbes. One minute you’re in a French jazz club, the next you’re marching through Russia’s Red Square, the next you’re in a Mexican movie, from there you’re taken to a Brazilian Mardi Gras and then you’re whisked away to a romantic dinner in Naples.

The band have released three albums, Sympathique, Hang On Little Tomato and Hey Eugene and have won plaudits, prizes and an ever growing following across the world. They have even performed concerts with philharmonic orchestras across the globe.

Tonight’s concert at The Sage was wonderful. Filling the stage, hearts, minds and the atmosphere with piano, guitars, strings, horns and drummers and percussionists. They delivered a fabulous set, including some of their best known numbers, such as Hey Eugene, Hang On Little Tomato, Sympatique, Lilly, Dosvedanya Mio Bombino and Clementine. The players were faultless throughout, delivering classical style strings, mariachi horns, Spanish style guitars and Latin beats and rhythms with considerable talent and panache.

China Forbes is an elegant and stylish vocalist and has a voice you fall in love with. She sings in different languages, including Japanese, Portuguese, French, Italian and English, and builds an instant rapport with the crowd, using humour and explaining what the songs are about. Her voices rises and falls to add atmosphere and emotion and takes the audience with her.

Back when the Sex Pistols reformed in 1996 for their ‘Filthy Lucre Tour’, Oasis manager and Creation Records Boss, Alan McGhee took out a full page advert in the NME to tell the whole industry that he had witnessed gods among men, and he was spot on. I was at the Finsbury Park show with 30,000 other Pistols fans and they didn’t disappoint. The band proved beyond any doubt they really were the rock icons their fans believed them to be. After a brief comeback tour in 2002 which was a messy drunken affair best forgotten, 2007’s five sold out shows at Brixton Academy marked the 30th anniversary of their only true album as a band ‘Never Mind The Bollocks here’s the Sex Pistols’ fueling great expectations from the start.

I was there on the second night of the five shows. As the lights dimmed and the hall resounded to the nostalgic tones of Vera Lynns' 'There will always be and England' the rear stage doors burst open and the four Pistols walked onstage like something from ‘Stars in their Eyes’. They opened with the fantastic ‘Pretty Vacant’ which lost its impact by Johnny singing the opening lines in the wrong place at which point Guitarist Steve Jones and bassist Glen Matlock looked totally bemused, it took the quick witted drummer Paul Cook to pull everything back on track.
I would regard myself as a staunch Pistols fan but from here on in the band seemed to just go the through the motions and looked bored at times especially during the 6 minute plodder and Stooges cover ‘No Fun’ which they could have easily replaced with two great numbers of their own ‘Satellite’ and ‘I Wanna Be Me’, which were both missing from this set.

The stage setup lacked the great backdrops as we had witnessed in the past and the four band members now in their fifties certainly didn’t dress for the occasion. The former pioneers of Punk style selected to wear trainers and jeans, Glen Matlock looked more like a member of level 42 in his leather waistcoat and blond tipped centre parting. The show was rescued in parts by Rottens’ ever increasing sarcasm, hilarious digs at record companies, the government and his weight problem describing it as the best of British. A large flag with ‘God Save The Queen’ stamped on dropped down behind then band halfway through the show and slightly lifted the tedium. Soon after a blistering version of their debut single ‘Anarchy in the UK’ which they have re-recorded for the computer game ‘Guitar Hero III’ had the 5,000 strong crowd in ecstasy. They left the stage after 50 minutes only to return for a couple of encores with little if any dramatic end to what I can only describe as a lack luster performance.

At £42.50 a ticket I personally expected a lot more from a band who are still seen as the pioneers of the last great British youth culture. As ex-manager Malcolm McLaren once said, “it’s time to put the dying horse out of its misery”, but somehow I still feel it’s not the last we have seen of the Sex Pistols. Just as the title of one of their ‘best of’ albums suggests the Pistols latest tour is ‘Floggin’ A Dead Horse’ and truly appears to be ‘Cash from Chaos’. IJ

Sporting NHS spectacles, classy vintage charity shop suits and haircuts more fitting of retired World War Two Pilots, the Young Knives never fail to make the effort to stand out from the pack of skinny jeaned street indies. 

The small cramped King Tuts venue seemed the ideal choice for the Oxford trio to test out the new material of second album, out March next year, and what an impact it had.  From the beginning new material such as "Dyed In The Wool" and "Lightswitch" got an uncanny reaction, instead of the usual murmur of… "play a song we know!!!!"  It wasn't long before the cheeky, quirky yet very classy tunes of "Loughborough Suicide" and "Weekends" smashed out from the speakers and got one reviewer throwing his notepad and pen into the mosh of sweaty teens crushing one another to pieces...love it!!!!!  With base player House Of Lords using deep and earthy beats to break into latest single "Terra Firma” the crowd were lifting the roof off with shouts and screams of FAKE RABBIT REAL SNAKE, TERRA FIRMA TERRA FIRMA!!!!

The militant trio hopped off for the all-famous encore and then simply hopped back on with a cleaner look, nice. The show was brought to a close with future single "Up all Night" although the same name as past Razorlight hit it thankfully is nowhere near as shit. Instead a hit truly deserving of another Mercury Prize Nomination.  The Lads then rapped this manic Monday evening up with "Shes Attracted Too" and all you can really say on that is, bloody phenomenal!! Night Night Glasgow and Night Night Young Knives.... now where did I leave that pad???
CM - TNP's man in Glasgow

It was a glorious day for an outdoor music festival. The location was Times Square (no not New York) Newcastle and the occasion was to raise money for a well-deserved charity by listening to some top-notch local bands.  Simple, no?  You would think so. On the lead up to the gig I couldn’t go anywhere without seeing a flyer or poster advertising the event let alone people asking me in the pub if I was going.  So you can imagine my surprise when I got there and found only 20 or so people to join in the fun.  I was sure it would fill up during the course of the day but at the peak there must have been about 50 people.  What more could the youth of the North East want?  A free outdoor music festival opposite 3 or so pubs, where you and your mates can enjoy an afternoon of local music. Sorry, GREAT, local music. Read on...

The famous Glasgow King Tuts venue was once again sold out to hosts, Maps.  With Northampton based frontman James Chapman and his bedsit-melancholy style beats blasting out, the 300 capacity crowd were transformed into hyperdrive dancers with constant foot tapping and head bopping!  With Maps mopey miserabilist murmurs and deliciously dreamy drone rock, there were no doubts to why the debut album "We can create" has been nominated for the prestigious Mercury prize award. 

Crowd favourites such as "Lost my Soul" and "You don't Know" were welcomed unmistakably by chants, screams and the occasional crowd surfer!!! 
The 10-song set was finally brought to a close with hit single "To the Sky" which perfectly summed up tonight’s performance.  Maps have a unique and individual style leaving no doubt that this band are well and truly the past, present and future of dreamy soul pop rock! CM - TNP's man in Glasgow

Tonight the basement of Newcastle Uni was rammed full of glow sticks, oversized baseball caps, luminous clothes and 1980’s trends and guess what? it wasn’t an 80’s class reunion, it was a Hadouken! gig. Not familiar with the name? Well, Hadouken’s musical style can be described as Grim, Indie, New Rave, Dance, Punk and Rap. Impressive yes? Over the last year the fledging band has been building up a creditable rep. As well as impressing the writers at NME they have secured a record deal with Atlantic records and are soon to release a mix tape on November 12 and it will only be available in the USB format.

As the roadies set the stage up you could feel the excitement and anticipation forming in the audience. Looking around the venue it was apparent Hadouken! had secured a loyal fan base, every other person was wearing a band t-shirt complete with mandatory skinny jeans.

As the lights dimmed to near darkness the stage was lit up by two large LED screens and prominent H! sign. Soon after the band took the stage and instantaneously the crowd went berserk. However not as berserk as when the first beat rocked the speakers and the strobes started to flicker. Po-go dancing, mosh pitting and crowd surfing, you name it every way of gig expression was acceptable.
Lead singer James Smith worked the crowd with his energetic and confident performance as the band provided the fast paced, high octane ‘new rave’ music. All of which reminded me of the Prodigy’s gigs during their ‘Fat of the Land’ tour. Tonight H! had been restricted to playing a smaller venue however the performance had a raw epic feel to it, hinting that Hadouken! are destined for bigger venues and greater success. Definitely a group to keep tabs on in 2008.

Tracks played on the night included ‘That Boy That Girl’, ‘Liquid Lives’, ‘Leap of Faith’ and crowd favourite ‘Love Sweat and Beer’. Hadouken! are returning to the North east to play Middlesbrough’s Empire on November 2nd 2007.
Review by Spud Money

I witnessed my first ever Rush gig last Friday at the Metroradio Arena and although I wouldn’t call myself a true fan, I do like quite a few of their tracks from the older albums.  However, I personally found nearly three hours of solid Rush a little tedious, but not so their die-hard fans who turned up in droves (mostly male), to worship their favorite 3 man Canadian band.

Limelight from the Moving Pictures album opened up the first set, and was followed up with an astonishing 9 of the 13 tracks from the new CD, Snakes And Arrows that was a brave move in my opinion. Of course interspersed throughout the full performance were tracks from earlier albums, but when talking to some real Rush fanatics after the gig, it was felt by them that there should have been more.

It has to be said however, that Rush was definitely in the mood to dazzle.  Between the pyro in Witch Hunt and the lasers in Dreamline, they managed to marry the excellent visuals with the virtuosic playing superbly. The show is not without humour either, a row of rotisserie chicken ovens were set up behind Geddy with the chickens being basted by a guy dressed like a chef, and the gang from South Park shown on screens behind the band lead us into the track Tom Sawyer from the Moving Pictures album which was quite comical.

Finally, what Rush show would be complete without the drum solo, and Neil Peart proves once again why he is the world’s most worshipped drummer.  The crowd actually got louder when the solo started, and it was genuinely entertaining, when he employed triggered and electronic percussion as well as his main acoustic kit.  It ended with him swinging over a big band triggered sample of “Cotton Tail” which Neil originally performed with the Buddy Rich Band.

It felt like a secret society. No body dared speak of the word “Transmission”. Could we be that lucky to have Maximo Park and the Stereophonic's playing on our front door steps? Well we all know now that it was all true. Thursday night welcomed Channel 4’s ‘Transmission with T-Mobile’ to the National Glass Centre bringing a string of bands and celebs with it. Unfortunately the lady we had to thank for this could not attend due to her impending childbirth. Lauren Laverne had the ingenious idea for the last show of the third series to be filmed in her hometown. And she couldn’t have picked a better setting....Read on readers...right here

Planning a weekend away in London? Well, you can do a lot worse than getting yourself to BE @ the Bloomsbury Ballroom. It is a regular club night in the Art Deco Ballroom in Victoria House in Bloomsbury Square.The club features live bands, DJ’s and performance artists, and on the night The North Phase attended, burlesque dancers were performing.

After the bands in the main ballroom, a DJ played a mixture of indie-dance and in the other room, the DJ played mainly dance, including some old school tunes. The drinks are £3 each, which means you won’t break the bank and around the venue there are number of places to enjoy a pre-entry meal or drink.
The crowd are a young, trendy, stylish lot, dressed up or intentionally down, some in costumes (which is common in London) but all looking good.
The bands we caught on the night we attended were Radar and Pete and the Pirates.

Pete and the Pirates
This 5-piece band, 2 guitars, bass, drums, vocals, don’t sound like they dress: All in t-shirts, although attractive, they dress like your average group of musical lads jamming in a garage. They sing a better class of song however, songs which all have a definite melodic line, a hook and chorus and which are, to a t, well-constructed and iPod friendly. A middle-age life of song-writing surely awaits if pop stardom should somehow pass them by. But I don’t think it will, if the good songs and downright exciting performance we witnessed was anything to go by. In terms of sound, these are guitar anthems tinged with slightly fey echoes, so the Icicle Works came to my mind as their ultimate forebears but there’s a long genealogy between them and the Pirates sound, which in a 30 minute gig was recognisably their own. “You’re in love with the wrong man baby” is something we’ve all thought at various times in our lives, but Pete and the Pirates encase that thought in a song, which displays just the right mix of anger masking sadness. And in this sense of them being in control of the music and the music making sense is true of all the set, which is consistently of a different order of quality to other gigging and recording bands. What’s more, despite the t-shirt image, the lead singer displays some very good tambourine and clapping action (but my friend thought it a bit camp – but that’s no bad thing in a pop group).
They’re getting noticed this lot and not for nothing. If you’re going to see the Young Knives at the Cluny on the 4th November then go early to catch them. It’ll be doubly worth it.

Radar
Radar are a 4 piece band from London who use the classic 4 piece instruments and stand on a stage in the classic 4 piece way. Their sound is ska with hints of the lighter side of 70's dub. These are genres they obviously love, it's in their arrangements, their rhythms and way they use their instruments sonically and visually, but most tellingly it's clear in the lead singer's chessboard guitar strap.
That said. Radar are more than a tribute band to a generic sound and there's always their own spin on every tune to ensure they never sink into pastiche.

It's clear from watching them they that they obviously love their own music too. However, this enthusiasm does not translate into putting on a show. On this evidence Radar don't always involve the crowd in their own enthusiasm so that they put on any kind of show-rather they are blokes playing songs at a crowd (something that obviously distances them from the musical similarities they have to early Madness). This is not to say that they didn't play to an enthusiastic crowd 'cos they did, and they even managed to feed off the crowd to get a tad more aggressive as the set progressed, but rather that the enthusiasm they direct at the music they make and the music they love for the most part distracted, rather than augmented, the show that we were experiencing.

All in all the word I'd use is competent: on the plus side the singer dedicated a song to his mum; on the minus side, if singles are what they are, or are going to be about, no songs really stood out from the set. Maybe realigning the radar to incorporate different music collections intro their songwriting might see a breakthrough.

BE @ Bloomsbury Ballroom, Victoria House, Bloomsbury Square, London. Nearest Tube:Holborn. AC and Matthew Rowe

When front woman Jess Roberts casually mentions that Monty Casino have been together since January, you can’t help but be shocked. The group have the confidence and style of a band with 20 years more experience. And this is only the beginning of series of pleasant surprises from the Sunderland-based outfit. The aforementioned Miss Roberts looks every bit the hot rock chick, yet boasts a voice so powerful you would expect to find it coming out of a seasoned soul diva. The rest of the band (apart from a suited Dave Wylde on sax and flute) have the plaid-and-jeans appearance of your average indie rock group, but play some of the funkiest music this side of a Quentin Tarantino soundtrack. Appearances, to excuse the cliché, can certainly be misleading.

In the dark and moody Hall 2 of the Sage, Monty Casino provide a perfect warm up to the (ahem) funktastic Amp Fiddler. A small crowd quickly grows into a filled room as the fantastic sound draws in even the most cynical punter from the bar outside. Each track has the instantly-engaging ring of every 70s cop show theme you’ve loved as a kid, yet the substance and passion to raise it above mere funk tribute. The base is dirty, the guitar plucked to perfection. They even boast the best use of non-ironic jazz flute since Josh Rouse’s 1972.

To the average music fan who is currently writing this band off as not their cup of tea, may I just stop you and point out that prior to seeing them perform, I would have said exactly the same thing. One gig later and I am seeing things differently. Besides some early Stevie Wonder and the odd movie soundtrack, I am very much a novice in the ways of funk. Monty Casino (and the superb Amp Fiddler) provide a perfect introduction to all newcomers. I suggest you check them out now before they break it big and everyone claims to have liked them first. Andy Waugh

"Let's ballad!" quips Richard Hawley before launching into a long set
that covered almost every song from his last two albums, the Mercury
nominated "Coles Corner" and his recent follow up, "Lady's Bridge". Both
album titles are insider references to Sheffield landmarks and many of
his songs allude to events in the history of his home city. Hawley's reproduction of the album sound production is perfect and the incredible acoustics of The Sage combined with a warm reception from a catholic set of fans turned this gig into something very special.

The atmosphere was aided further by Hawley's bluff yet charming delivery of very funny stand-up comedy between songs. "Some acts have a plant in the audience, I get a fucking vegetable" was his response to a heckler.
The songs themselves are beautifully crafted and evoke panoply of stars from the 1950s. Comparisons to Elvis and to Johnny Cash are not misplaced and it is easy to spot influences as varied as Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison. There were many highlights in the set and two of my own were "Coles Corner", the title track of the eponymous album, and "Tonight the Streets Are Ours", a single from Lady's Bridge. Other than a couple of rockabilly numbers the songs are indeed all ballads but Hawley still managed to create changes of mood and pace that captured a hugely appreciative audience. For the inevitable encore, virtuoso harmonica player Clive Mellor joined the band on stage for Hank Williams’s “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”.

Just a word about Kate Walsh who was one of the two support acts (Jim Gibson, the other act was forgettable). Walsh has a voice to rival that of Norah Jones with a set of very strong songs and is just mesmerising on stage. Catch her when she returns to the North East this month for a gig at The Cluny on the 22nd. CW

This was a homecoming gig of sorts for Olga and the boys, their first in the North East for over 20 years, which subsequently sold out. Supported by Punk legend and former 'Adverts' frontman TV Smith who warmed the crowd up with an angst ridden set of acoustic numbers and old 'Adverts' classics. The atmosphere was electric, building up to the Toy Dolls and what an entrance they made with the bassist and drummer taking the stage first to a deafening applause, firing the crowd into a frenzy as Olga himself made his entrance leaping across it like a greyhound chasing a
rabbit. The songs came thick and fast, with props to match, from the early classics like 'She goes to Fino's', 'Tommy Cowie's Car', 'I've got Asthma' and the humorous 'Fiery Jack' with Olga dressed as the Devil, through a back catalogue of over a dozen albums and the mega hit, crowd sing-a-long 'Nellie the Elephant'.

The Dolls are one of the tightest bands I have witnessed live and showed musicianship second to none. Olga is truly a guitar genius which he demonstrated in his take on 'Toccata in D minor', while laughing and running on the spot. They had the crowd feeding out of their hands and left the stage to rapturous applause. They returned with Olga playing another classical piece with his guitar behind his head, note perfect, eat your heart out Jimmy Hendrix! They were joined on stage by TV Smith for an encore to play the Punk classic 'One Chord Wonders' and finished the show with one last number closing to what I can only describe as pure entertainment. The Toy Dolls are on tour across the country, so catch them if you can. This was billed as "Our Last Tour? but I get the feeling the North East hasn't seen the last of the Toy Dolls. They are a band that Sunderland should be proud of and I recommend them to anyone whatever their musical tastes. I must also mention that the venue itself is also fantastic and all credit to the organiser John Connor who never fails to come up with the goods. More info click here Ian 'Silverback' Jackson