Hallan
Hallan had some great new songs, and I just hope that they get that record deal sorted soon.
Sunday night at the Adrian Flux Waterfront provided something of a dilemma for the casual attendee at the King Street venue – should they purchase a ticket for Portsmouth based post-punk quartet Hallan, who are playing upstairs in the Studio, or should they remain downstairs and hear what ex Black Midi lead man Geordie Greep has to offer. Will loyalty sway them toward Hallan, who had previously impressed Norwich audiences on their two visits to Norwich Arts Centre – first supporting Pom Poko in 2022, and then headlining a show in December 2023; or will curiosity draw them towards Geordie Greep?
I've opted for the Pompey boys, led by vocalist Conor Clements, who are working teachers in their ‘real‘ lives, and are seizing the opportunity to squeeze a nine-date tour into the Easter school holidays. They begin their headlining set with two brand new songs, 'Golgotha' and 'Iscariot', each of which takes their late-80's inspired sound into new dimensions, with some thumping bass playing from Joshua Tweedale, impressive guitar work from the bandaged hand of Josh Ransley (he broke a finger a couple of weeks back), and some cracking Talking Heads influenced drumming from Adam Mills. It transpires that Hallan have an entire album's worth of material recorded and ready to go, but are currently without a record deal, which seems like a real shame. Any labels out there looking for a new band to sign? More new tracks, including 'The Great White Silence', 'Left Hand Shakes' and 'Sagan', and 'The Great White Silence' all sound good. However, none are, as yet, available to stream. Which means that it is down to the earlier singles, songs like 'Modern England', 'Sick Übergeben', and the stomping 'Money Talks' to provide a reassuring familiarity drawn from the band's back catalogue of singles.
Lincolnshire's Archy & The Astronauts provide the main support, a punchy rock and funk infused trio whose setlist includes four tracks from their last EP, as well as the new single 'Sea of People'. And opening support was provided by the excellently-named local indie outfit Soft Top Saab, whose latest single 'Blinded By Comfort' closed their set, and was preceded by the excellent 'Bombay Bad Boy'.
We are all done and dusted by 10.30pm, and I leave the venue still not sure whether I would have preferred to have been downstairs with Geordie Greep or not. But Hallan had some great new songs, and I just hope that they get that record deal sorted soon.
