Reviews
From the very first bars to the close of their set they were shirts off, tats out, pouring sweat, throwing down riffs, screaming into the mics, thrashing about on stage, popping bass licks, pounding drums and generally delivering what is these days a pretty rare thing - a totally raucous and furious live show. What was most impressive though, was that they were still extremely tight throughout.
They left absolutely nothing in the tank, and in my book that kind of passion and energy is worth it’s weight in gold - going all the way back to the Beatles in Hamburg being told to ‘MACH SCHAU’ every night (to literally ‘make it a show!’) and learning that just playing the notes like on the record is simply not good enough. Getting the music right is the *expected* standard, but passion and performance is what people buy tickets for on a cold Friday or Saturday night. And that is why DIY shows like ours are so awesome in my book, because our bands bring that kind of fire almost every time.
Supporting Local Arts and Performance
"Phon, kings of screaming rock in Worcester. When this trio performs live, you can expect the volume, and the heat to rise, and T-shirts on stage inevitably end up coming off. As always they did not disappoint, treating us to familar tracks and new. Opening with Broken Bong, the lads then threw in personal favourite Fade, that showcases singer Ollies extreme vocal range, from softer verses, to screaming parts of the chorus. The bands most well known track, Julia Roberts made an appearance on the set list, with the intoxicating opening riff setting this heavy track up nicely. As Ollie melodically screams, Jack backwards steps off stage completely lost in the moment, and Rich on drums concentrating on hitting every note with perfection, it’s clear to see why these boys have a strong local following"
PHON
"Another local band were celebrating the release of their debut EP ‘Cat Zen Jamma’ by playing their first festival. The guys from Worcester say that they draw influence from the hypnotic riffage of stoner rock, but gave us constant whirling energy, overdriven guitar and big drum and driving bass notes to create an uncompromising grungy wall of sound. They powered through original noise soaked material plus an excellent version of Cream’s ‘Sunshine of your Love’. Maybe not what you’d expect from a trio whose vocalist was wearing a colourful knee length frock! Ollie told us he hoped its airiness would help in the heat, not sure it did but he certainly looked pretty cool"
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