Breaking Bands Festival 2022 - Friday
- Rock Media UK
- Jun 26, 2022
- 7 min read
Stoke Prior Sports & Social Club
Live review by; DeeDee
Back early this morning and after arranging a couple of interviews I can head over to the marquee, which is sponsored by ’Support The Music Scene’ guys. On the way, I bump into organiser Jay McGuire who is extremely busy, but still finds time to say hello and welcome me to the festival.
are already in progress when I get into the tent. I find friends down the front and take in my first viewing of this Mansfield based trio. The band are bassist Chris ’Stoff’ Daughton, who is joined by Gary Evans on drums and Josh Morgan on mic and guitar. All the songs are from the debut album ‘Where The End Meets The Beginning’ that was released last October and ‘Into The Sun’ with its delicate introduction, opens up the show. It’s dark and troublesome for ‘Where I’ve Been’ but I adore the moodiness of it. ‘Laguna’ has bass and more bass, slipping into a rhythm and with more dramatic vocals, yes ‘Laguna washes over me’. There’s more pace on ’Strong Beer’ and ‘These Tongues’ but when ‘You Hold The Cards’ takes hold, the place is rocking. The title track of the album, is a surprise as it spits out a poignant tale, then they end on ‘Nothing Hits, Like This Thing Hits’ which again features the lower tones. With a load of appearances coming up and having a firm fan base from previous bands, ‘Syncolima’ can’t fail. They are out to impress you and believe me they will.
stand tall on the ERB stage indoors. The three young men from Ipswich, are getting a lot of media attention of late, but not from the heavy rock or metal sites, as these guys are more mainstream. Think, ‘Green Day’ or ‘Foo Fighters’ as influences and you are heading in the right direction. Fresh and lively, they offer melodic tunes and highlights are ‘One In A Million’ and ‘Say It Back’ for me. Too many of the songs have lengthy drum intro’s from Sam Pritchard, which I find a bit repetitive, but that’s the only downside.
Vocalist and guitarist Kailan Last, gets all emotional during ‘Be The One’ and we all love him for it and Wade Curran on rhythm guitar, just pounces around the stage, right up to the finale with ’Stubborn’. Stacks of energy and personality, another band to look out for.
are a band that I saw and interviewed a few years ago. Their hair has grown since then and although Luke Weston still maintains his love of ‘Mod’ music, there’s more groove coming from the three Brummies today. Mostly down to the new EP, that undoubtedly these new singles we hear, the melodic ‘Beatle’ pop of ’Come Back Home’ and the more bluesy ‘I feel Low’ will feature on. Most of the rest is from the 2018 album ‘The Kaftan Society’. Bathed in an apt, blue smokey light, vocalist and guitarist Neil Murdoch, sounds so smooth today. The moody grind of ‘Good Times’ and swirling ‘Rich Girl’ are played with a vast amount of feeling and Luke Weston, alongside on bass and backing vocals, is in total harmony. A perfected ‘Down By The River’ brings them to a close and I applaud them, as do the whole tent. These guys have developed so well over the last year or two, they have a bottomless pit of creativity and I can’t wait for the launch of the new ‘Echoes’ EP. The party is set for September at the O2 Institute in Birmingham and will be the bands biggest show to date.
The departure of vocalist Will Taylor back in May, surprised a lot of us and Stu (Guitar),Tom (Drums) and Luke (Bass) suddenly faced a dilemma. With a string of dates lined up and a debut album hot off the press, a decision had to be made and swiftly. The problem was solved when guitarist Stu Bailey stepped up to the mic and the start of playing as a three piece has now arrived. For us that have followed the band for a while and like me love everything they have produced, our hearts were beating a little faster as they took to the stage today. I held my breath as the opening riff of ‘Mind Reader’ was strummed into the air, I could see my mate Stu was nervous. ‘All Day Long’ followed, a more persistent grinding track, requiring both lower vocals and high screams. At last I could relax, Stu was doing OK, yes it took a while to warm up the larynx, something he will remember next time, but wow once he got into his stride, Mr Bailey gained confidence and bloody nailed it!
A brace from the Conspiracy EP, the intricate ‘Silence’ and after that shuffle of ‘Iron Man’ on ‘Take Me’ the room was loving it. Then we had four more from the ‘Don’t Shoot The Messenger’ album, the first being the warm and sultry vibes of ‘Salvation’. ‘Masquerade’ equally soft and purring, kept the theme rolling and after the increase of noise for ‘Roll Of the Dice’ they left the uplifting thuds of ‘Lost Your Hold’ for the end. Wide applause, cheers and maybe a few tears, went with them when they left the stage. As in the tale on the bands website, the White Raven has returned and found higher ground.
Unfortunately, I only had a short time to watch these five from Birmingham with a female singer. They formed back in 2012 and have two EP’s of worth, ‘Reach’ and ‘No Escape’. Describing themselves as a mix of hardcore and alternative, I found the ‘mix’ more ‘salad bowl’, than I would like. Switching from the harsh growls of doom to high pitched daintiness, intermittently and too often, I just couldn’t get into them. I will have to watch on another occasion, to unravel the Secrets Of Mariana. Having a young girl called Erin, signing the lyrics, at the side of the stage, was impressive though.
Having been around since the mid/late 90’s, this industrial metal band from London have 5 studio albums and a long list of singles in their catalogue. Not only do we hear keyboards and synth, but vocalist Ays Kura also has a Theremin (that thing that uses your waving hands to control ‘electro’ sounds) which is standing in the middle of the stage. There’s a lot going on, it’s too much for the kids, who soon abandon their parents to go outside.
Yes, this is heavy, political and a too ‘H.G Wells’, for most of them to comprehend. I think Nico McBrain’s son Nicholas is on drums, after ‘M’ and ‘Antiphon’ he launches a trio from the 2018 EP ‘All The way Down To A New Regime’ and ‘Primary Fear’ is like an initial aftershock. ‘Raise Hell’ and ‘The Legacy Of The Fox’ are speed metal stunners, that have profuse guitar duelling from Amadeus R and Tony Nash.
A few off the last album as they plummet into ‘The Flight Of The Manta’ and the punishing ‘The Outsider’. We do hear more from ‘Manifesto’ at the end, which I think is one of their best recordings.
Heading outside to the STMS marquee, there’s more devastation in progress as the Glaswegians, Titan Breed take to the floor. Led by Johnny Malice on vocals the ‘Legacy’ EP is the subject of the introductory matter. The title track begins with subtle chords but soon gets into a dark and menacing chug. ‘Destined To Fail’ has even more impressionable slogging and the riffs roll around brilliantly. ‘Declaration Of Hate’, ‘We Walk In Shadows’ and ‘Crushed Under The Crown’ are all remarkable, I enjoyed these.
A three man outfit from London, well make that two men and one incredible athlete! Anyone who has seen ‘Kyrbgrinder’, will know how amazing it is to witness drummer and singer Johanne James. The man defies musical logic, how many drummers do you know who also perform lead vocals? Not many and even fewer who have Johanne’s high level of charisma. ‘Cynical World’ spews out shreds care of Ben Glover and thumb bashing bass lines from Dave Lugay. With the sharp vocals, it’s a different ball game from your usual heavy metal, not short of pulverising, just having more of a sidewards range. ’The Guide’ has a repeating pump and shrillness, but Mr James rounds the edges with his clear tones. Even more so on ‘Don’t Be So Cold’ from the ‘Cold War Technology’ album, which combines an unwavering guitar solo with the stronger lyrics. ‘Defiance’ allows some drum technique to shine and it has a roar about it, I start to think I’ve seen ‘Kyrbgrinder’ before, maybe at The Robin 2 in Bilston, as there aren’t many bands who put the drummer/vocalist at the front. That was a few years ago, but they did make an impact way back then. ‘Not In My Name’ is more rapid and metal rapping at it’s best, then for the finale, our organiser Jay Mcguire joins in on ‘My Heart Bleeds’ it seems they have history, that stems back to 2016! Absolute class, loved them.
Are an local band from the West Midlands, that I interviewed earlier in the day. An hour long set is fuelled with new numbers and ‘Bridge To Betrayal’ is the first of many. I adore how the guys psych themselves up for a performance, particularly frontman Matt Gore, who transforms into a metal warrior, (he’s so sweet offstage!). Two EP’s on the books and possibly a full album on its way, there’s plenty to satisfy the gathering in the main room. ‘Conviction’ off ’Dragonheart’ precedes the cover of Danzig’s ‘Mother’, which is a usual fixture on the list. More new creations ‘Tyrants Demise’ and ‘Face In The Mirror’ let guitarists A.Z and Jamie, destroy some strings and Ash holds the fort on bass. Either side of ‘Hollow Within’ which is a punchy fret swallower, they play two more covers, the Ozzy favourite ‘Bark At The Moon’ the Dio classic ‘Holy Diver’, three covers already, is that allowed? Heck, I suppose it hasn’t done them any harm and we soon hear ‘Omniscience’ a Mighty Wraith staple. Leaving on a high with ‘Outcast’ from the EP of the same name, it’s been a delight.
I leave soon after ‘The Mighty Wraith’ finish, it’s been a long day. Only half way through and already ‘Breaking Bands’ 2022, is proving to be another success. I’ve already been stunned with the new bands I’ve found and those I’ve re-discovered and there’s plenty more to get excited about tomorrow.
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