23/04/2022
The inaugural event from Culture Vulture Promotions in support of Ukraine featured a full bill of fresh, raw local talent with all proceeds going to the Disaster Emergency Committee.
The Solarnites were the only band I’d not been able to find on Spotify so I had no idea what to expect. They had an easy to listen to chilled out sound. Their set consisted mainly of originals with a Beatles and Oasis cover thrown in for good measure.
The set started with Danny taking the role of lead vocalist, his voice very typical of the late 2000’s indie style and was very easy on the ear. Mid set they switched it up and Gilles took on lead vocals they also exchanged guitars shortly after. Gilles voice was a lot more unique, some might say not the greatest singer, but that’s what I liked. I thought it worked well in contrast to Danny’s more pitch perfect sound. I would have preferred to see them mix up the vocalist during the set rather than half a set each of lead but that’s my only complaint. Great way to kick off the event.
First off I have to say Love Songs for Losers looked nothing like the image I conjured up in my mind while listening to them recorded. Singer Jon looked 100% rockstar and his stage presence screamed that too.
Smooth soulful vocals over a dirty sludgy bass line with an upbeat feel was like nectar for the ears. I can’t make up my mind about their overall sound. Sometimes it reminded me of Britpop bands such as Menswe@r or Catatonia if they were fronted by a man but at others they sounded very American influenced with a Red Hot Chilli Peppers groove. That’s why the band is so enjoyable both recorded and live because you don’t know what to expect next. They’re a unique mash up of genres picking the best bits of a variety of styles and smooshing them into their own unique blend of rock.
Some fancy over the head guitar playing, a rocked up Billie Eilish cover and proper rockstar poses were nice added extras to what was an excellent set!
One man and his acoustic guitar with a whole stage to fill but Billy managed this easily with his cheeky chappy personality, big smile and fab acoustic summer vibes. Also to note I’ve never seen anyone play a guitar so high up before, I’m sure it can’t be easy!
Billy’s voice is unique, smooth but at the same time raw, I found myself drawing comparison to an acoustic Libertines. I’m not always a fan of acoustic music, especially when it’s not something I know but I found myself engrossed in Billy’s set throughout. The whole thing was brought to life by his interaction with the crowd.
Lots of infectious choruses and my personal favourite Intoxicate which is a perfect sunny weather song and one I know will be making its way onto a playlist or two.
This was definitely the most eventful set of the event!
Musically Manners and Profanity have a classic southern rock sound drawing likenesses to Bryan Adams or Black Stone Cherry. They offer raspy vocals and an established sound. I particularly appreciated the tambourine interlude! It’s just all round feel good, upbeat rock.
The set included a very Nofollk song Dooby Da with its memorable ” dooby da da da” chorus along with Give Me Your Love which resulted in one of the organisers stripping fully naked during the part about your “birthday suit” rather him than me but it definitely injected some humour into the crowd!
Whilst talking to Bass player Doug after the set I discovered this was their first live show after only 5 rehearsals so to sound as polished as they did is very impressive!
80’s esque power rock with emotionally charged vocals and thought provoking lyrics.
The stage for Coronation Kings was a cacophony of instruments including a keyboard along with a Cajon and snare drum. I have to admit for the whole set I found myself captivated by the Dummer who switched from box drum, to leg slaps, to snare drum and even threw in some percussion eggs at one point. It was musically pleasing but for me it was more about how captivating it was to watch.
The acoustic set included songs with personal meaning, for example Gentlemen Soldier which included and except from a letter written by the singer’s grandfather to his grandmother during WWII as well as Yesterday Man which took a rather poignant look at how the older generation don’t always think about the damage they’ve done to the planet.
Overall Coronation Kings took the pace down and notch and provided some pensive, powerful acoustic rock with a side helping of indie.
I need to be honest I don’t know how to review Malana, essentially he’s a DJ/Producer and the set consisted of a Macbook, some knob twiddling and a bit of electric guitar.
It’s hard to review what I don’t understand, I’m not sure if the songs coming out of the Mac were songs Malana had written and got someone to guest vocal on or if they were someone else’s songs he was mixing.
It sounded pleasant enough although I don’t have anything to compare it to. I felt it lost the room a little but there were a few who, as Malana put it, had a little “skank.”
Malana himself seemed flippin’ lovely, really grateful and appreciative which I always like in a musician.
Don’t for a second mistake this as a bad review, more an ignorant one but also one that wonders if Malana maybe wasn’t the right fit for a guitar based line up. I think he’d have gone down a storm at Lava/Ignite (I’m showing my age now!) or a Saturday night
Am I allowed to pick a favourite? Probably not but I can’t help it! I love The Tenters, they’re just up my street. Infectious indie that gets stuck in your head.
Lots of jangly guitars and anyone who reads my reviews knows how found I am of them coupled with toe tapping melodies. The band only have two songs on Spotify Good Will (a reference to the Good Will Hunting film which was totally wasted on me as I’ve not seen it), that sounds uncannily like The Thrills and Alexander. Both of which sounded even better live than recorded and also gave me the opportunity for a little sing along to the choruses.
The short ballard-ish Tonight was a really charming addition to the set.
The Tenters are feel good indie rock that doesn’t try to be anything it’s not. With hints of Razorlight and Jack Penate, these melodic 4 pieces have definitely found themselves a new fan; they just need to hurry up and get more stuff on Spotify!
The Renadeans were clearly a firm fan favourite, it became obvious there were people who had been at the event most of the day waiting for this band as they suddenly sprung to life, singing and dancing along to every word!
If I were to describe The Renadeans style I’d say it’s rowdy, frantic Garage Rock with a bluesy edge. Like the White Stripes but on Speed! The sound also borrowed from the underground indie/Britpop scene. I found myself comparing them to little known, long forgotten band Mainstream with chanty infectious choruses.
The band had energy and enthusiasm by the lorry load and looked like they were having the best time. There was lots of crowd interaction and fun guitar solos. I’m also amazed that the singer managed to chew gum through the entire set!
Unfortunately the event was running a little late and owing to the restraints of living in rural Norfolk and not driving I had to leave to catch the last bus meaning I missed No Story Goes. I was very disappointed about this as I was excited to hear their blend of high energy metalcore/pop punk. I’ll be sure to catch them next time they play Norwich.
Overall this was a great inaugural event from Culture Vulture. People milling in and out the whole way through. All the artists played to a decent size crowd. It was a great way to discover new local talent while supporting a great cause!
The full gallery can be found HERE
