Having started from humble beginnings as a mini two venue festival six years ago, Southsea Fest has since gained a firm place on the musical calendar growing into a huge 13 venue affair whilst remaining very much a festival by the people, for the people.
This year the organisers of the not for profit event managed to book an impressive line-up consisting of over 140 acts, so with that in mind I was torn between supporting local bands I get to see on a regular basis with those from further afield that I knew little about – as well as finding time to catch others that are already starting to be recognised on the wider circuit.
As I’m sure you fellow music lovers will agree, the opportunity to experience twelve hours of live performances along one stretch of road two minutes away from your flat is a hard life, but as the saying goes, someone’s got to do it…
So before the clock had struck twelve I picked up my wristband from the lovely folks at the Wine Vaults and it was off to the Social Club to catch my first act of the day and festival openers You’re Smiling Now But We’ll All Turn Into Demons, one of many local talents that played the festival and a band who never fail to disappoint with their heavy doom ridden riffs.
This may have been early doors for some people but the Demons had gained a dedicated crowd for their fantastic set complete with obligatory barrage of noise, before it was soon time to move downstairs and check out recent showcase finalists Jesse Wylde and the Stallions perform a set Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds or Tom Waits would have been proud of resulting in both the Social Club stages getting the day off to a damn fine start.
Without a moment to lose it was time for Kill Kasper at the Wedgewood Rooms, a contrast in musical genres to the previous venue as the indie-rockers filled the Wedge with a solid performance which lead the way nicely into fellow local band Kassassin Street.
Both these bands work well on the same stage, although whereby Kill Kasper wear their heart on their sleeve with more straightforward rock n roll swagger, Kassassin Street mix it up with their baggy indie sounds being contemplated with psychedelic influences making them an early contender for band of the day – or possibly a late contender if you saw them perform again later in the evening.
Amongst many great things about the festival is the diversity in the music on offer and the fact you can be at you can be in a small bar one minute (such as the Atrium or 5th Hants) and an Edwardian Theatre the next, with the Kings Theatre being home from home for cabaret act Joe Black and our next stop on the Albert Road journey.
Taking his place behind a grand piano, Joe Black played a tongue in cheek tribute to Britney Spears, a somewhat unnerving version of “You are my Sunshine” and songs of a more risqué nature penned by Black himself, so if you’re easily amused and not easily offended check out some of his own work to help get an idea of the man behind the makeup.
When condenser microphones attached to mops and £5 Ikea tables for a drum kit were mentioned in the same breathe as London based Kimberly Anne my expectations for the Kings Theatre’s next performer were high, but it was soon apparent that Kimberly was to show no signs of the alternative side and played safe with her pleasant acoustic numbers.
This meant a quick exit and back to the Social Club for the quality Protein Window, a slow and stoner like three piece whose vocals are delivered in the style of a demonic preacher in between drawn out riffs from a guitar that ended being launched from the stage for its trouble.
With a brief gap in our personal schedule there was a chance to call into another pub and catch a couple of tunes from Pivotal, not long enough to pass comment other than they were a well-rehearsed outfit and LJR’s certainly had their sound levels turned up.
For lovers of all things loud the Loft was the place to be, with Crowned Hearts Promotions putting on several hard core acts including The Divorcee who for a band who’s gigs seem to get more and more chaotic are incredibly tight, despite bodies flying in every direction they somehow keep it together and gave their singer an unforgettable send off for his last performance fronting the band.
So where to go from there, we couldn’t give our ears a rest at the acoustic Magic Bean café stage to see Floella Grace as the venue was bursting at the seams so it was pot luck and off to Alyesbury based As Elephants Are at the Fat Fox… There are a few bands that elephants would fit alongside, and that’s the thing as although great at the guitar led indie scene they were all a bit beige, indie-by-numbers yet good to see people checking out new music.
There may have been some faffing about before Temple Songs, but it was worth it as the group from Manchester filled the room and their sweeping sounds no doubt gained new fans along the way.
In essence many of the bands at this years’ festival are based round the traditional build-up of guitar, bass, drums and vocals but it’s about how you use them and Kings Theatre headliners Veronica Falls stand out from the crowd with their jangly guitars whilst making use of both male and female vocals to great effect.
Likewise at the Wine Vaults Jaws too put their own take on the indie rock scene with vocals drawled over surf guitars, and with stage owners Pie and Vinyl always touting up and coming bands the fact they were running behind schedule didn’t seem to worry anyone, it just meant discovering a great band you maybe weren’t intending to see (the aforementioned Jaws) and sacrificing the end of someone you did (in my case Traams).
It was a conscious decision though to leave the Traams performance early as Drenge were due on down the road and the brothers from Derbyshire didn’t disappoint. Blues infused riffs and hard hitting drums, having recently toured America with fellow duo Deap Vally it’s no wonder these two are making a name for themselves appearing on Jools Holland in the same week.
With a quick dip back into the Wine Vaults to check out another hot tip, Cheetahs, the days’ antics were slowly wrapping up with one more act to see in full – Future of the Left were probably the most established band of the festival promoting their fourth full length album “How to Stop Your Brain in an Accident”.
The Wedgewood Rooms had a positive vibe about the place as the post-hardcore outfit came out to perform their upbeat punk rock, and with Future of the Left having a bit of a groove to their songs this helped create the party atmosphere and a fitting end to the days festival.
And so that completes my Southsea Fest for 2013… which just leaves me to say to any of you that I saw play, hung out with or just happened to be in the same road with, it was an absolute pleasure – so anyone fancy doing it again this time next year? You better believe it.
Yours in music,
Mr Teeth
