The second in a short series of articles covering a special event evening as part of Scarborough Film Festival, here Charles Kirby explores the opening set by Orchard at Scarborough Railway Club, which followed the festival screening of Dead Mint: The Grandads Don’t Indicate Story.  Articles covering the screening and the subsequent bands are linked below!

Not quite the Mini Railway but certainly for one night, home to a Mini Milky Way! Well… chocolate bars that is! “If you’ve got a Milky Way Bar you’re officially a Grandad for the night” was the catchphrase as treats were offered at the door by original Grandad’s Don’t Indicate member, Denis Copeland and the band.

It was also a treat to see the club fully lit, I’ve only ever been previously in low light, accompanied by disco fanfare. I believe the space being bright added a warmth and character which complimented the mood of the crowd after viewing Dead Mint in a dark cinema beforehand.  Also I noticed the club’s features and decor more, offering a sense of occasion that lends itself in some ways to the energy of the event and people in attendance – possibly even taking us back to early club days! Most likely a romanticisation on my part, but I spoke to a few of the audience after and they voiced similar appreciations.

If you haven’t been to Scarborough Railway Club before, in terms of layout, the interior is arguably a “classic English social club” typical of those in the 60s/70s, yet with modern facilities and well maintained, available for many functions. Often the choice for themed DJ nights and local bands to play in aid of charity. Oh, and Bingo… of course!

Unfortunately, I’d arrived slightly late getting across to the next venue after the screening, and missed the start of Orchard’s set. Despite this, I know that Yorkshire Coast Gigs have interviewed Joel & Rosie recently so you should be able to read this soon! Also, coverage of some of their previous performances are available online.

Based on the section of the set I did see, Rosie (on drums & backing vocals) showcases a comfortable understanding of rhythm and time signature. Playing some tracks in 3/4 at a count of 6, momentums like this remind me of steam trains and how they roll through their tracks. Perhaps this is my film music education talking*; my brain translates music notation as tone and colour, also mechanism and affect. From my educational experience, what brings us back to Orchard is my memory of being taught that when it comes to drums, in order to play fast and maintain fidelity, the drummer must have a full comprehension of individual parts; this even extends, in part, to the physical body; together with expert coordination, a concept simple to start but hard to master. All this in order to gain a consistent measure of the beat and performance as a whole.  A crafted playing style can provide control of volume via precision and knowledge of velocity, together with tuning and frequency, without losing desired “punch” or “fullness”; I believe Rosie exhibits these qualities in their drumming.

Joel (on guitar & lead vocals) offers a melancholic voice to the punk arena. Interestingly, in research of Orchard’s 2024 studio album Til You Fall Down I found that there seems to be a more folk / ambient, almost filmic force to their tracks; but when performed live, the “Punk” ferocity of the duo can be clearly heard.  In fact, I’d say the only recorded track reminiscent of their live sound is “Universal Spider Reaction” – a short burst of pounding drums and vocals that seem to ramp up throughout. This is by no means a bad thing! Just like with Grandads Don’t Indicate (the band whose history this evening celebrates) and their songs Corner Cafe or Reservoir Dog – it’s my belief that bands shouldn’t be pigeon holed or type-cast by genre. Listening to Orchard’s album helped me gain an even stronger appreciation for their music.

Their track, Carry, is a great example of the point I’m attempting to make about the “Studio vs Live” argument; Freedom is also a stand out piece to be considered.  I don’t know whether any of this is intentional or whether I’m overthinking things! But I will say it adds excellent reason to witness the band live and listen to the album as separate entities.

My favourite track has to be Burning People To Keep Castles Warm. The song is a sample of the more alternative folk approach. It’s inspired by David Jure, a poet from Joel’s hometown. I’m hoping to hear the full story sometime soon. But there’s some potent symbolism in the lyrics and a strong juxtaposition created tonally in the music, as gentle guitar and a simple grunge-like laid back signature accompany quite dark words.

As a poet myself, my reason for this track being a favourite is the recurring lyric “cut his finger on a borrowed pen”; both literal meaning of this phrase and its metaphoric value evoke reams of visual stimulation to my brain.

The last note I would like to share, that brings us back to Grandads Don’t Indicate and the happenstance nature of DIY gigs, is that Joel and Rosie can be found often stopping to have conversation with the audience or each other.  I remember on this night particularly Joel commenting on how they felt old enough to understand certain aspects of life more than young people but also young enough to understand the perspective of young people, as he looked out into the crowd and noticed people of each generation gathered together to enjoy the evening. Please note this isn’t a direct quote from Joel, more an interesting moment and what I took from it.

If you missed part one of this series, on the Dead Mint screening, click here.

Or click for parts three (Grandads Don’t Indicate) and four (Graham Watson)

YCG’s previous features with Orchard can be found here, here and here

Check out Orchard on Bandcamp

Follow Orchard on instagram

Follow Scarborough Film Festival: website : facebook : instagram

 

*Charles has a BA in music technology (production) & MA in music for the moving image (arrangement).