The Tilting Sky Takeover @ the Waterfront
Every one of these bands I could go and enjoy live again
Craig Hill has not just tilted the sky tonight. He has it doing cartwheels down King Street with a Saturday 'all rooms' takeover of The Waterfront - no less than eleven bands, each doing a thirty minute set. And it all has to finish by 10pm to give the venue time to prepare for the Meltdown + Rawkus club night that follows.
Hence why I am indoors in the darkened downstairs of the main stage area at the prematurely un-gig-like hour of 5:30pm whilst the rest of Norfolk is still basking in August sunshine, ripping the top off another cold one, and deciding what to flip onto the barbie next.
But I am not alone. There is a reasonable crowd already here, and with an exemplary line-up of local bands on offer, I am well happy with my weekend choice. It has to be said that this feast of a one-day fest is totally dominated with male guitar bands – a quick scan through the lineup reveals nothing unplugged, nothing solo, and only two female musicians. And no keyboards. Well not until well near the end.
Not that variety is going to be an issue, and as if to prove that point the main stage opens with Gentlemen, the Cromer three piece whose blend of bluesy rock has come on leaps and bounds since I last saw them play. Jack (vocals and guitar), Luke (bass) and Kieran (drums) have only been together for a couple of years but are sounding really tight tonight. Loved their own material – songs like Gotta Run as well as their cover of The Black Keys' Little Black Submarine. And they are back at The Waterfront Studio on September 30th for their own EP launch.
Upstairs the duo of Callum Grainger (guitar) and Reuben Cocksedge (drums) are rocking it out as Dog Fight. It is hard to believe that these two were playing a Sonic Youths showcase in the Norwich Arts Centre bar only a few months ago. Don't dismiss these guys as a Drenge /Royal Blood copycat act – they, also have a real blues edge to their material, and Callum, sporting a We Are Scientists' asymmetric haircut is shaping up as a charismatic frontman. Did he mention that they had copies of their album for sale at the merch table? Yes, Callum, I think you did.
A quick run back down the stairs, briefly dazzled by the early evening sunshine streaming in through the windows, and I am back in the dark for Marigolds set on the main stage. It is a perfect evening for their brand of summery indie pop, and I love the interplay between Joe and Davey on guitars. Joe is a charming frontman, but I do feel that if they had written a proper setlist, he would have spent less time asking how they were doing for time. Blame it on the heat. London is a perfect example of what they are about. Oslo still sounds good, even without the guitar pedals.
City Hands are a new name to me, but the four piece of Jason, Paul, Tom and Christian play a beefy blend of guitar rock that owes a little to American pop-punk bands like Blink 182. The dress code is predictably black t-shirt, but the connection with the audience is pure Norwich. Encouraging the audience to come a little closer vocalist Jason implores us to 'move you on down forward'. Love it. There's some good material in there, especially the single One Too Many Wolves.
Montagues & Capulets have been around for a few years now, and they have developed a stylish look and sound that does justice to their classic literary nomenclature. It's all very danceable, with a 60's backbeat going on that reminds of those cinema scenes with American high-school prom bands. There's a new single, Back of Your Neck, proving that Ross and Nathan still have the creative juices flowing. This is their first appearance on the main stage at The Waterfront, but surely won't be their last.
Chapter of Wolves features Ducking Punches' Serg Tavroza on guitar and lead vocals, and together with Ben, Josh and Ash they put together some climactic anthems that have arms waving in the air and fists punching. Serg has a massive presence that reminds of The Stranglers' Hugh Cornwell or the Manic's James Dean Bradfield, yet his voice can also drawl and growl like Lou Reed. They use a smoke machine to create extra atmosphere, but it is not really necessary. These guys have us in the palms of their hands. First Crime is a massive song. Love it.
Everyone from East Anglia will know the legend of the large devil dog Black Shuck. The Darkness wrote a song about it, and now we have Black Shuk the band. Fronted by the lithe figure of Harry Buxton, and with the fan turned on to keep drummer Aaron Browne from overheating, this Norwich band crank up the energy level on the main stage with an inspired set that reminds of Catfish and the Bottlemen. Lots of big riffs, and lots of fun. Laurence Bonning's six string bass gives a huge amount of body to their sound. They certainly stormed it for me, and Bring Back was a standout track from their set.
Tøkyo is a Norwich post-hardcore band with great presentation, a slick logo, but an almost impossible name to type into a computer. Let's just search for 'tokyoband' instead - we'll surely find them. They are almost an enigma, and clearly intent on going places. The vocalist changes from all-out rock to lobbing in snatches of hip-hop and rap metal without even pausing for breath, although his concerns as to whether we are enjoying the set are clearly unfounded. We are. This is emo, hard rock that verges on thrash, and is totally engrossing.
There is a glorious sunset shaping up outside, and the sky is not so much tilting as ablaze with colour as I make the now well-trodden descent from The Studio to the main auditorium ready for Tibetan Night Terrors. I have to say that the tech guys on both stages have done a great job in keeping to the running times, even if it has meant my having to miss either the start or the end of most sets in order to see everyone perform. And, as they make the final adjustments for TNT, it is almost a pleasure to finally see a synthesiser on stage. Whilst the previous eight bands have comprehensively covered almost every genre of guitar-based rock, it has so far been a totally keyboard-free evening. It is also a pleasure to finally welcome Caitlin as this evening's first female performer on stage. Up until now it has been far too testosterone packed for a city with an increasing number of fine girl bands shouting out for attention.
Tibetan Night Terrors are everything and more that I remember. As well as the keyboards we have Marco Giovanni on percussion augmenting Owen Cox on drums. Matthew Gadd is on bass and Ben Wong adds vocals and guitar to produce a wonderfully dynamic tropical soundscape that is warm, joyous and happy – in fact, everything that I imagine a nocturnal trauma in Tibet not to be. No wonder the band call it 'calypso-disco'. Caitlin's keyboards are spot on, grafting on that final dimension unavailable from a guitar-only set-up. The whole euphoric feel is reminiscent of those college bands like Dananananaykroyd, where everyone gives the impression of enjoying the whole process of performance, as well as having some great tunes to play.
And, talking of fun, have you ever seen a band with such a positive and humour-packed approach to their music as Youth Killed It? They are a five-piece from Kings Lynn, formerly known as Under The Influence, and regaling in their tongue-in-cheek reputation as Norfolk's Most Dangerous Boy Band. Revelling in their trademark vintage sportswear, and crammed onto the smaller Studio stage, Dirty Murph and the boys take us on a rollocking thirty minute set that has the good-natured, sharp-witted cynicism of Slaves mixed in with some awesome rock and roll tunes. Song titles like Pop Star, Job Back, (Jean-Claude) Van Man, Soul Trader and Ian Beale (dedicated to anyone feeling horny with nothing left in the tank), simply tells you everything you need to know about these guys. Awesome.
Finally, and most definitely not least, the evening culminates in a headlining performance downstairs by previous Next Big Thing winners, The Thinking Men. Dramatic, powerful, infectious, and probably unique. The combination of Johnny Raspin's stage presence (which lies somewhere between Jim Morrison, Mick Jagger and The League of Gentlemen), Duncan Samwell's rockabilly electric double-bass, Sarah Raspin's seductive keyboards, and all held together with Ronnie Smith's guitar and Matt Rowe's drumming, produces a wonderful feel-good climax to this wonderful evening of local talent. Graveyard Shift and Elephant Man are just two of the wonderful songs that brought this Tilting Sky extravaganza to an end. I've ordered a couple of their EP's, but I really want to see them live again soon.
Every one of these bands I could go and enjoy live again, and I would urge everyone else to look out for each and every one of them as well. Craig Hill may have deliberately focused on our guitar bands, and unfortunately overlooked some of the city's fine female bands, but no-one can deny the sincerity and the passion he has for our local music scene. Without him the sky would certainly be way too flat and straight. Thank you, Craig.
