Norwich Rock Festival Day THREE -FALSE HEADS, CHICANES, COLLARS & SUDS
Mark Stimpson
Full photo gallery HERE
It is day 3 of Rock Fest and I must confess to feeling a bit jaded, to the extent that I almost didn’t make it down for the first two acts. See, I’ve seen SUDS and Collars before. The former I liked without loving and the latter I just did not get. I make the effort however and boy am I glad I did.
When second song Changing - the second of three newies on the trot - reminds me of Dinosaur Jet’s cover of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven”, it is a sign that I got SUDS wrong before. Tonight, I am definitely in love with the driving, jangly songs that make up the rest of the set. SUDS recall indie’s C86 heyday in a way that pleases me immensely and, having just signed to Big Scary Monsters – home also to Norwich’s finest Other Half - things are looking very good for the band indeed.
Until tonight, I thought the most interesting thing about COLLARS was that Kane plays guitar whilst sat down whilst also playing drums and cymbals with his feet. Having seen them in BSE Rock City twice, I just did not get the songs. Again, I got things wrong because tonight the shambolic-in-a-good-way punky indie pop makes sense. And with lyrics like a very rare, very old dog called Martin, what’s not to like?
CHICANES take the intensity levels up with their fiery, rapid alt.metal. It is nothing I haven’t heard a fair few times before but, with a singing bass-player who has something of Phil Lynott about him, Chicanes do this with a degree of soul and feeling that is often absent from this style of music. Blow me down the crowd are into it and adding an inflatable rubber duck to proceedings borders on genius.
There’s something about FALSE HEADS that reminds me of the Britrock movement that grew up alongside but in the shadows of Britpop. The intriguing sound is like a heavier Feeder or Honeycrack gone art-noise, the live show borders on the incendiary and it is a fine way to sign off from three nights of sometimes cutting edge, always entertaining rock music.
To quote Sea Power, do you like rock music? If so, I’ll see you at Voodoo’s this time next year for Norwich Rock Fest 2024.
