Sonic Boom Six - Manchester Sound Control

You've gotta love a home-grown band. Especially when they're ska.

I still don't understand why so many people don't like ska; it's so happy! And yet I know quite a few people who hate it with a passion. Never ceases to amaze me...

Anyway, Manchester's Sound Control is always a great venue, a dingy attic who's floor might just cave in if the circle pit gets a little bit too rowdy, and Sonic Boom Six rocked the stage on Monday in true Manc style.

I've said this before, but there just aren't enough female vocalists around in the rock world, and SB6 provides one of the most talented I've seen. Laila's voice can be both agressive and soothing, depending on the song, and although most would expect that there isn't much variation in ska, SB6 prove that ska music can be touching in one moment and hilarious in another. And there's not enough apprieciation of that kind of thing these days...

Much love (and promises to keep up with blogging soon).
CC.

Back on the horse...

I finally got around to returning to two of the loves of my life this week.

Firstly - gigs. Less than Jake played on Tuesday at Manchester Academy and they were awesome. Everytime I go to a ska gig I realise how much I've missed it - there's something about that happy kind of moshing which makes you feel so alive... or maybe it's just dizzyness! Anyway, despite not playing my fave song "Overrated", Less than Jake stormed the stage with an uber impressive show, complete with a drinking competition between an Aussie and a British guy who looked like Jesus. Jesus won.

Supporting my ska heroes were Zebrahead, a fab band who remind me on Sonic Boom Six in some ways. However, the talking point of their set was around the random guy who stood at the front corner of the stage with a supply of beer, looking like he wanted to kill everyone in the audience. His job seemed to be that of occasionally feeding the band members with said beer. Add to that a pizza sign which rested on the marshal cab behind him, and you have the makings of a rather unique stage set up. Very weird. But fun, I might add.

My second return to form was seen in my first ballet class in just over a year. I'm so glad I'm back doing it, and strangely the pain in my thighs I felt as we were doing our warm up reminded of just how glad I was to be back at dance class. It's a good pain that.

But now that I'm back on these horses, I need to find the time to simulatneously jump onto another new one, and delve into the research and work that my mentor has asked me to do... I think I might have a spare 5 minutes sometime next week!

Much love.
CC.

The Sam Haine

Earth Vegan Cafe in Manchester, being closely associated with the Buddist community, was the perfect venue for an intimate and very chilled out gig with Sam Haine and his band.

I've seen these guys once before, at the Rock and Respite show, and it's clear that they give their all in their performances. The emotion which they inject into their live gigs allows for a very raw performance. A quality which, in my opinion, is becoming far too rare in the music business these says. The highlight of their show has to be the song "Great Expectations", whose lyrics always completely floor you, no matter how many times you hear them.

A touching and technically brilliant show, despite being interrupted by some guy who thought it was appropriate to talk loudly on his phone and knock over his chair in the middle of one of their best songs... some people... *rolls eyes*

I truly reccomend these guys to everyone. Check out:
www.twitter.com/thesamhaine
www.myspace.com/thesamhaine

Much musical love.
CC.

Rock and Respite

I've just got back from the "Rock and Respite" festival at Manchester's Sound Control. The event was put on in aid of Francis House, which aims to give terminally ill children a better quality of life. A fantastic cause, and a fantastic gig put on in aid of it.

I love events like this. I've said before that I don't go to enough festivals, so I guess this was me starting as I mean to go on. The line-up was phenomenal. As The Suns stamped the balls of their toe picker shoes in unison, even a discarded penny managed to get in on the action, bouncing it's way onto the set.

Highlighs included Kid British's punk/reggae/rap which showed everyone how proud they were of being northern, cleverly including a song about getting lost in London, which definitely warmed the cockles of my heart!

As always, The Jesse Rose Trip were simply amazing. Their funky riffs juxtaposed with Jesse Rose's Soulful voice make for unique listening. You heard it here first - this girl is going to be huge!

Bummed that I missed my faves, Sonic Boom Six, because the last train home is ridiculously early. Man, I need to learn how to drive...

Jesse Rose Trip Photos:




Much love.
CC.