I arrived at the Soundhouse some time after 9pm to find the place jumping and two thirds full - no mean feat for such a spacious venue, even if this is part of the Bolton Music and Drink Festival celebrations. No, honest (they’ll celebrate anything round here!). You can hear the music booming out of this cavernous old mill from right down the road and there are plenty of people about, the big draw being a DJ set from Top 10 successes THE FUTUREHEADS. Once inside, there’s a sea of hands in the air as the audience is worked up into a frenzy, their clap-along giddiness finally melting into sustained applause as they showed their appreciation for what sounded like a big-hitting performance from local rookies THE GEOFFS.
They were swiftly followed by hotly-tipped favourites YOU REMIND ME OF RASPUTIN, who kept up the blistering pace with their pulsating indie sound. Part-flavoured with U.S. grunge and twisted by twin sampler/mp3 warp-outs, there was no mistaking their rock n’ roll intent, yet intrigue levels remained high throughout, as those analogue/digital bits kept them sounding every bit as eccentric as their name would suggest.
Hitting top gear in no time, the boys showcased their own take on guitar pop with a performance that was every inch as driven as the beat. Their set was diverse, yet each song held a magnetic appeal. From the casio-refracted power pop of ‘Dinosaur’, which kicked off their impressive set, they gave us ‘Sonic Level 3’, underscored with lightning cymbal 1/16ths, the bass booming as the reverb and the rush of energy shook the speaker cabinets. There was also a truly quirky song dedicated to their Ninja heroes that counterbalanced their more heartfelt material beautifully.
‘Speak Up was all power-chord craziness and meteorological abandon. Megaphone-assisted twin harmonies steered the emotional current of this heart-on sleeve epic, and the end results were impressive. You Remind Me of Rasputin come highly recommended by this writer and are well worth catching in action.
The same goes for THE GENES, who welcomed their families and friends towards the stage before injecting a little Salford swagger into proceedings. Stunning bass playing and a cymbal-happy percussion ethic kept it all together as they jammed out a rolling introduction. It was a change of pace, less frenetic but no less engaging.
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Singer Ian Shoreman has a powerful voice, and their 100% sincerity made for a solid set, with songs like ‘Road To Nowhere’ and ‘My Way’ shaping up to be wide melodic rock n’ rollers. I love the way they let gain/distortion hang over the pauses before the middle eights kick in. ‘Do It Again’ featured corrosive lead guitar and another banging bassline, yet more vocal power and a luscious melody.
‘Coming Down’ saw Shoreman immerse himself in the music, whilst the lead guitarist had to be cajoled by the drummer into adding his part (“Cooo-o-o-mmme-e-e On-n-n-n-n!!”). Unconcerned, their likeable bass player sparked up a cigarette, and off they went again.
OUR FOLD were the main attraction onstage this evening – and apart from their singer making a bit of an arse of himself with a mouthy display of arrogance, their set went off well too. Their terrace-chanty pop did not need the terrace chants in between songs on top, but their rattling set went down a storm with the bouncing crowd.
‘Victim Of Lies’ was a highlight of their moody set, it’s odd percussion adding a little charm. As things go, their sound is pretty mainstream, as was proved when they got Charlie Moss, who’d opened the proceedings, to come back and guest for lead vocals on another tune Mucho mutual love and respect later, and it was all over. As a sampler of the next wave of talent to come seeping out of the North West, these acts could be amongst the ones to watch.
www.myspace.com/ourfold
www.myspace.com/thegenes
www.myspace.com/youremindmeofrasputin
www.myspace.com/thegeoffs
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