This is an archived post from our old website. Please excuse us if it looks a bit off, we are working through old posts and making sure they look tip top!
Staxtonbury 2015 opened on Friday 3rd July with a range of cover and original bands for all tastes. Our contributing reviewers and photographers were out in force to document the evening.
With three stages to cover plus the jamming tent, there was plenty going on for any type of music fan. Don’t forget to keep your eye out for the Saturday and Sunday reviews!
Sophie Norris by Tessa Hughes
Fuzz Junkies by Kirsty Hannam
Sub Gents by Kirsty Hannam
First Principle by Luke Webster
Two Tones by Luke Webster
The Wood Wars by Luke Webster
Dogfinger Steve by Luke Webster
Pandemonium by Katherine Dunn-Mines
The Bongomaniacs
Quick Shift
Sophie Norris – Acoustic Stage (reviewed by Tessa Hughes)
Scarborough based singer-songwriter Sophie is always a pleasure to see perform.
Accompanied by her second guitarist Jordan, she delivered a set of excellently executed covers including a smartly arranged version of ‘Believe’ by Cher which many would likely prefer to the original!
Also in the mix was original number ‘Crash and Burn’, a strong, well written and fast-paced number full of passion and feeling. Sophie rounded out her set with a bold cover of ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’, which was very refreshing to hear taken on by a woman.
This was followed by another original – ‘Questions’ – a strong and stirring ballad which she recently showcased in an appearance on BBC Radio 3.
Fuzz Junkies – Marquee Stage (reviewed by Kirsty Hannam)
Fuzz Junkies are a trio who are indeed decidedly fuzzy of face and hair, a young band who play with the confidence and maturity of more seasoned performers; they play covers of well known ‘classic’ songs ranging from Hendrix to Blur.
In fact Blur’s ‘Song 2’ was nearly the cause of a major disaster when lead singer and guitar player Stefan’s amp blew up (no one can accuse them of not giving it their all after that!) – however the song was ably continued by Ryan on drums and Elliot on bass which worked surprisingly well!
Although the set was cut short they played (amongst others) excellent versions of ‘Voodoo Chile’ and a reggae style break in ‘Hey Joe’ worked really well, as did a slightly funked up version of ‘Another Brick In The Wall’ which gave a new vibe to a classic.
Fuzz Junkies have a hard yet funky sound, all three members exhibit genuine talent and stage presence with a relaxed vibe, and it’s nice to see a band who genuinely enjoy what they are doing – if this is what they’re doing after a relatively short amount of time together I certainly look forward to seeing them in the future, which hopefully will include some original songs I feel will be worth the wait!
Sub Gents – Marquee Stage (reviewed by Kirsty Hannam)
I have to confess I am a fan of the Sub Gents and therefore may be a little biased, but deservedly so; they have worked tirelessly on their sound and have steadily become a well-established band not just on the local scene but also further afield playing high profile gigs at the Adelphi (Hull) and the Voodoo Rooms (Edinburgh), as well as gaining air play on the BBC as part of their ‘Introducing’ campaign.
The Sub Gents were playing in the Marquee tent to a large and fairly mixed crowd. Kicking off with ‘Random Example’ the Gents no holds-barred style and hard yet melodic sound was evident from the get go; the bands own taste is apparent in their style of song writing, hard-core with a twist of punk, rock and dare I say a bit of new wave?
Unfortunately, the set (as with a few others over the weekend) was cut short but the band still managed to get 10 songs in, most notably ‘Headstone’ dedicated to lead vocalist and guitarist Fletcher Stewart’s native Tennessee, as well as one of my favourites ‘Business and Pleasure’ and ‘Inhuman Condition’ to close a professional set that had a ‘big gig’ feel even in a marquee in rural North Yorkshire!
The Sub Gents have a nonchalant cool as well as vocal and musical talent all round, sadly if you missed this gig you may have to wait a while for the next one as their bass player is off to China for 6 months. However on his return I highly recommend getting yourself to see them before they become even more established and it’s the cost of a Download not a Staxtonbury ticket to see them!
First Principle – Marquee Stage (reviewed by Luke Webster)
First Principle are a three-piece indie rock band hailing from Bridlington, and as the first act on my list to see at this year’s Staxtonbury, my hopes were high that their performance would be a decent start to the evening.
They didn’t disappoint, opening with a spot-on cover of Muse’s ‘Hysteria’, followed smoothly by an original composition called ‘Chasing Me’ which, with it’s spiky riff and propulsive drumwork, reminded me of the type of catchy ditty Arctic Monkeys used to write.
Speaking of which, First Principle also played a very convincing cover of that band’s ‘I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor’, as well as one of ‘Message In A Bottle’ by The Police replete with some excellent drum fills, and a quality version of ‘All Along The Watchtower’.
For me, generally speaking, the original songs were the highlights of the set, mixing technically impressive solos with solid riffs and a real sense of what makes a good melody. I’m definitely looking forward to hearing more of First Principle’s own material in future – they can only get even better.
Two Tones – Acoustic Stage (reviewed by Luke Webster)
Sometimes simple is better, as Scarborough-based Two Tones showed when they took to the stage armed with nothing more than an acoustic guitar and two strong female voices.
They combined straightforward but twangy guitar riffs with gorgeous harmonies to create original takes on pop classics such as ‘Walking on Sunshine’, ‘Teenage Dirtbag’, and even Blur’s ‘Parklife’.
My personal favourite, however, was their version of The Doors’ ‘Light My Fire’ – the stripped back musical accompaniment added an interesting and somewhat chilling angle to the already fatalistic lyrics.
Towards the end of the set, Two Tones were joined on-stage by well-known local musician Rob Simpson for some slightly more rock-orientated material such as ‘Highway To Hell’ and Bon Jovi’s ever-famous ‘Dead Or Alive’.
All in all it was a highly convincing set, and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for any future performances from this duo.
The Wood Wars – Marquee Stage (reviewed by Luke Webster)
Following my research beforehand, I was under the impression that The Wood Wars were simply a covers band, and despite my trepidation about such groups, I’m glad I went to see them anyway – it turns out they play a mixture of both covers and originals, and I must say the way they put their set list together was very impressive.
With a winning combination of guitars, drums and mandolins, they performed a solid set of catchy, twangy folk-rock which the ever-increasing audience really seemed to enjoy.
Their selection of covers was enjoyable enough, as they put their own spin on Mumford & Sons’ ‘Litte Lion Man’, Coldplay’s ‘Viva La Vida’, and ‘Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?’ by Arctic Monkeys, but all in all I preferred their original material.
‘Escape’ was a speedy little number full of jerky, almost art-punk rhythms, building from a steady start to a frenetic and edgy chorus, while ‘I’ll Be Gone’ moved seamlessly from a soft and melancholy opening into a more agitated, foot-stomping beat that made me think of the Feelies or early Pixies – I’d definitely be interested in hearing more in this vein in future.
Dogfinger Steve – Acoustic Stage (reviewed by Luke Webster)
By the time I got to the Acoustic Stage, the tent was already fairly full with people drinking and chatting and watching the still empty stage.
After a few minor technical hiccups, Dogfinger Steve began performing on one of his cigar box guitars, and it became apparent that the increasingly nippy weather outside wasn’t the only reason the tent was so populated.
Mixing solid toe-tapping blues riffs with earthy vocals and some quality slide guitar, he rattled through a set of songs that sounded like they could’ve been written anytime since the ’30s (in the best possible way).
Topically, the songs included fast-paced paeans to beer and wine alongside the lowdown swamp-stomp of ‘Crab Bucket Blues’ (which I would’ve very much enjoyed even if it wasn’t lyrically inspired by Terry Pratchett – that was just a bonus).
He also performed a cover of The Presidents of the United States of America’s ‘Peaches’, which could’ve seemed a slightly unusual choice, but instead fit neatly in alongside his originals.
Sadly due to the technical issues at the start of his set, I didn’t get to hear quite as much of Dogfinger Steve’s music as I may have liked, but next chance I get, I’ll be sure to go enjoy more of his insistently catchy blues-rock sounds.
Pandemonium – Main Stage (reviewed by Katherine Dunn-Mines)
Pandemonium played their set of rock covers with great aplomb, setting a good vibe for the arriving festival goers in the teatime main stage slot.
A trio of talented players, their set list included a variety of classic and recent tracks designed to ignite the party atmosphere.
Chu Ma Shu – Main Stage (reviewed by Katherine Dunn-Mines)
Following them were Chu Ma Shu, clearly a firm favourite with many. As well as an energetic version of ‘Uptown Funk’, their trademark Queen medley delighted the audience.
The band know how to build up the energy onstage and demonstrated their talent as a great ensemble.
The Bongomaniacs – In Pictures (photos by James Drawneek)
Quick Shift – In Pictures (photos by James Drawneek)
