A pairing of two four-piece bands, Sproose Moose and the Speedholes and Don’t Fret the Poet, was on the cards for Saturday 12th April at Scarborough’s Crescent Bar.
You could be forgiven, initially at least, for any confusion about who is who and what is what in the double-header line up of bands playing at The Crescent back on 12th April. Sproose Moose and the Speedholes and Don’t Fret the Poet are a shuffled deck of the same cards, with some solo aces wild to complete the hand.
Starting things off is Jamie Hayward, perhaps better known musically as Sproose Moose. Opening with a handful of solo songs and their acoustic guitar, including Whatever the Weather, World Without You and Fort Song #47; the emotive range takes us from sudden screams to fun, rolling indie pop, with gentle chat between songs, and the tale of why the normally very animated Sproose is seated tonight – their foot is strapped up due to a moshpit injury obtained at the Brid on the Map gig a week or so previously.
As band members join, the solo offering morphs into Sproose Moose and the Speedholes; where now we have Lee Norgate on bass, Joshua Langton (AKA Lister) on drums, and Fin Hines on electric guitar. The vibe now is snappier, with some intriguing shoegaze style sounds layered in. Plenty of indie jangle and some great drumming – especially as Lister has apparently only joined the line up one week ago! Red Sky in Morning is a stand-out, building well and evoking some sinister tones. Ending this half of the evening is long-time Sproose Moose fan-favourite, Mermaids, with its fun, irreverent lyrics.
As the line-up moves to become Don’t Fret the Poet, the change switches Sproose to the electric guitar, with Fin on the acoustic and leading the vocals. Rhythm section status quo maintained. The style veers into a more 90s indie feel, not so much BritPop but a welcome hint of the more solid stuff; echoes of Stereophonics and Teenage Fanclub. Dog is a fun one, and bass and drums are in good sync as the indie drawl is perfectly applied. The more upbeat vibes here have the injured Sproose trying their hardest not to bounce and dance whilst they play – but generally not succeeding! There is a fantastic cover of Bob Dylan’s All Along the Watchtower, and impressive playing across the board.
After a time, most of the band takes a break and Fin gives us a solo set. Here is yet another style on offer, and Fin has a fantastic voice, without doubt. The guitar takes on some Americana-esque levels; but the most impressive element of all is the poetic lyricism this young artist creates; there are many nods and sounds of approval amongst the audience. This poet certainly doesn’t give listeners any cause to fret.
The band return to back Fin up once again and finish off the evening with a few more songs, including a Stanley Brinks and the Wave Pictures cover, Orange Juice, and with a final Sproose Moose song, somehow the culmination of these intertwining players and moving parts comes round full circle. As Sproose jokes that they are going to get murdered by their mother because they simply can’t stay still and rest that injured foot, they elicit knowing nods and chuckles as they tell us about the sort of recognisable characters behind finale belter, One More Drink. Cards on the table, with the dealing of so many different hands, this was a splendid assortment of styles cohesively riffled together for an enjoyable evening with talented and endearing players.
Links:
Sproose Moose and the Speedholes: Facebook
Don’t Fret the Poet: Facebook : Instagram
Sproose also runs The Seaside Underground, hosting various open mics and events around Bridlington. One of their upcoming special events is Freschard and Stanley Brinks at Drum Shack on 10th June.
Follow The Seaside Underground here: Facebook : Instagram
Fin Hines can be found hosting Folk Night every Wednesday at The Queens, Bridlington, in association with Metalines Studios.
