Friday 17th July 2015
Another Day Down
at The Firebug
Tonight: Eden Avenue, Flip Like Wilson and Another Day Down.
The Firebug was our chosen destination tonight. The line-up offered three local bands that were of interest for different reasons. As a venue, The Firebug has a good reputation in the city. It is rare to go to a gig there that is not an outstanding event, our experience. The downstairs bar is the favoured gathering place for many of the city’s band members. The upstairs music hall, one of the city’s larger capacity rooms, has a sound system which many people have said is good and its own bar. The walls are adorned with photos of the acts that have played there over the years. There is a smoking area with seating and covered areas.
Eden Avenue
The five members of this alternative rock band with metal influences put on a resounding good set tonight. Rebecca Maurice (Lead Vocals), Kieran Langley (Drums), Conor Linnett ( Guitar), Will Hayter (Guitar) and Charlie Broughton (Bass) are a group of local musicians who have become well established.
After many years of gracing the boards of our local stages, this band still knows how to perform; their stage craft was impressive and their songs were full of thrilling sounds. It was remarkable performance from a band that can still command admiration from a crowd.
Flip Like Wilson
As FLW is the subject of a recent feature article, I will not say much more about them at this point. The band has a music video of their song Naughty Boy on YouTube, which came out in January and a new single and album is due out shortly. They filled the hall with the compulsive beats of hard rock, driven by double bass drumming and head-banging beats. The strong voice of Joe Greenough added imposing drama and presence to the songs.
Their set varied in pace and intensity, always a good sign, and consistently pleasing throughout. The FLW page on Facebook gives their genre as Pop Punk, which is the genre I always associate with them; but (on the basis of tonight’s performance) I would suggest they might revise that given that what I heard was altogether harder and more forceful. Even so, I overheard someone liken to McBusted. They have not played for some time before tonight; this was evidenced by the long, long time they spent setting up.
You could see their anxiety on their faces as they busied themselves with their equipment. They did however attract a large crowd to the front, a sign that they still attract a sizeable following. FLW’s set was rich in thrusting beats and total commitment and they delivered it with plenty of energetic moves and synchronised jumps. Compelling melodies, delicious breaks and catchy hooks brought cheering and screaming from the crowd at the end. McBusted: eat your heart out.
Another Day Down
Tonight show was a celebration of Another Day Down’s EP Launch. The title track Poison can be viewed on YouTube.
The slender youth on the vocal mic – Rob Sweeny – packed a powerful punch, constantly moving around the stage and shredding the air with screaming vocals. With him, the guitarists were threading extraordinary harmonies into the mix.
The sounds coming from the stage fizzed with scintillating guitar parts and the songs drove forward at a relentless pace. Here is a band that does not hold back on energy and commitment; a band that does not bat in half measures. They performed many of their songs, both old and new, including Last Goodbye , The Tide, Nightmare, Prove Myself , Fogotten One, PTV, Dead To Me and Poison.
Watch out for our review of Poison, a five-track CD which is now available from the band.
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