Tag Archives: reviews

The Waeve at Sheffield Leadmill

Calling all musical surfers – catch The Waeve while you can.

This magical collaboration between Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall is burgeoning in ways even they probably didn’t imagine were possible when it first started during lockdown.

At a rammed Leadmill, The Waeve were simply stunning. No other band does what they do, constructing ever-shifting mini-epics that can tug at the heart strings one minute before juddering into a colossal roar.

Not for them the familiar strait-jacket of verse-chorus-verse-chorus-middle-eight-instrumental-outro. The Waeve burst with inventiveness, each song capable of sounding like several different songs expertly welded together.

If anyone was in any doubt before, here is proof that Coxon is a genuine 24-carat musical genius. And yet he wears his greatness lightly, his disarming presence on stage a thrilling counter-balance to the ear-popping sounds he produces from guitar, saxophone and harmonica. At times, Coxon fumbles with his glasses, apologising that he can’t see his guitar properly, and grimaces hilariously when he begins playing mandolin on Song For Eliza May before deciding to stop because it needs re-tuning.

Flawed genius is the very best kind. Humanity oozes out of every pore of The Waeve.

And Coxon is far from being the focal point of the band, despite the global profile he has earned from his work with Blur and his solo career. Rose is thrust centre stage, switching between playing mesmerising keyboard melodies from a seated position and then jumping up for some frenzied tambourine interludes.

Drummer Tom White, also part of the underrated Electric Soft Parade, does some heavy lifting. He delivered the backing vocals on some of the songs that, having heard the album versions, I’d expected to be delivered by Coxon.

But that’s a big part of the appeal of The Waeve, this multi-headed musical beast that’s so hard to pin down.

Coxon clearly has great fun exchanging back and forth sallies of sax with Charlotte Glasson on the other side of the stage. At one point, she plays two saxophones at the same, like she’s in a jazz version of Spinal Tap.

This current tour is all too short – only 5 dates. Let’s hope The Waeve can play more UK venues later in the year – this is a live show that deserves to be seen by as many people as possible.

Simon Ashberry

A PowerSolo live show is like no other gig you’ve ever seen.

At times it feels more like you’ve stumbled on a situationist comedy performance at the Edinburgh Fringe, with music breaking out only sporadically.

Eccentric frontman Kim Kix is mingling happily with the audience just before they’re about to go on stage.

The band gurn and clown around hilariously, quaffing from bottles of hot sauce and staging so many false endings that it’s hard to know when one song has finished and the next one has started.

But boy, can these guys play. Eschewing the bass player you might expect for this type of three-piece, they conjure a supercharged rockabilly maelstrom from just two guitars and Mike Sullivan’s jackhammer drumming.

Charlie Shapiro can also play some mean guitar – which is just as well, seeing as Kim frequently slings his own over his back to indulge in yet more audience banter. At one point ,Kim comes down into the crowd but then feigns that he can’t drag himself back onto the stage. “Grab his leg someone and help him up!” urges Charlie, enjoying the fun.

PowerSolo are an extraordinary experience – it’s just a shame that the Brudenell community room wasn’t packed to the rafters for one of the most insane Monday evenings you’re ever like to have.

Simon Ashberry

Terrorvision – live review

Terrorvision at St George’s Hall, Bradford

Friday 3 November, 2023
After three decades, Terrorvision are still very much in the pink.
Literally so as they played a triumphant homecoming show at St George’s Hall in Bradford, their first at the venue for more than a quarter of a century.
Dressed resplendently in various items of pinkish hue, the lads (and lass) gave a performance that was infused with more energy than anyone decently had a right to expect.
Although this was billed as a 30th anniversary show, Terrorvision are a band who have been blasting out their unique blend of rock ‘n’ roll and Yorkshire folk wisdom in different guises for even longer than that – since 1987 in fact..
And yet their infectious enthusiasm remains utterly undimmed. Tony bounced around as vigorously ever and Leigh struck some classic splayed-leg bassist poses.
Of course their biggest hits all sounded massive, like proper H.I.T.S – the soaring choruses of Oblivion and Perseverance, the relentless drive of My House.
But it was some of their ‘lesser-heard bangers’ that maybe impressed even more. The band had given their fans the chance to vote for which LHBs would go into the set list – and the fans chose well.
Tracks like the rollicking twangathon Fists of Fury hinted at the pop potential lurking between Terrorvision’s gruff rock exterior while earlier material like the earthy Problem Solved revealed an altogether darker, punkier underbelly.
And when Tony sang: “Stop the bus, I live here”, it was with real feeling. This felt like a true return to their roots – welcome back.

Simon Ashberry

LIVE REVIEW: The First Ones at Saltaire

The First Ones at Roberts Park, Saltaire
Saturday 1 July, 2023

The reality of playing outdoors in the British summer hit home for Doug, Dan and Will at the Bradford Dragon Boat Festival.

But the Emley-based trio took things in their stride despite everything the elements threw at them during their performance.

One point a huge gust of wind almost threatened to blow the roof of the stage and guitarist Doug was doused with rain.

But one of things that’s so impressive about the First Ones is the way they deal with adversity in a live setting. Wet fretboards hold no terrors for Doug, who just gets on with delivering their distinctive brand of spiky pop rock.

Such self-confidence belies their tender years – these boys are frighteningly young! At Roberts Park, they won the admiration of a weather-beaten crowd for a set that mixed crowd-pleasing covers by the likes of the Stones Roses (“He’s certainly got a better voice than Ian Brown” observed one onlooker) and the Arctic Monkeys with their own compositions.

Opening track Red Ridge is a deceptively insistent grower while their most recent release Parallel Universe really gives Dan on bass and Will on drums a chance to let rip as much as Doug.

Not just the First Ones – but ones to watch for sure.

Simon Ashberry