Mondays, am I right? Arguably the worst day of the week; it’s back to reality, back to getting up at an ungodly hour, walking to work in the freezing cold and to add insult to injury, it’s still dark outside. Who invented that? But, good news, here’s how to make your Mondays a little more bearable: go to a gig! It’s arguably the best way to shake off the weekend blues.
This week on Turn That Frown Upside Down: False Advertising at Head of Steam.
Every good gig starts with a class line-up and, if you’ve ever been to one organised by Pillar Artists and Truth Hurts Management, you’ll know that they’re pretty much always spot-on. Unsurprisingly, this one was no different.
Kicking off the night were Uncle Dudeman. The four-piece from Middlesbrough make very solid garage rock. Infectious, strong, flawless. But what most stood out to me were the instrumental parts; they have some serious skills. Usually, I’m not one to get excited about a guitar solo, having no musical talent whatsoever they go straight over my head, but I have to admit, I would see them again just for that.
Next up: Creature. Now, I came to this gig completely unprepared, I was loosely aware of the headline act but absolutely clueless as to what to expect from the support. So, when I spotted front man Sam sporting a Cradle of Filth sweater that read “supreme vampyric evil” I was more than a little intimidated. I think my exact thoughts were “Christ on a bike, shit’s about to get real, isn’t it?” And what can I say, shit got real. Real heavy. From the very first chords it was clear Creature don’t mess around. They’re Alt-Rock to the max. Grungy, punky, edgy. Everything you could possibly want from a Grunge Rock band; everything I would usually stay away from because I am a fragile little soul. But I was absolutely blown away and not just because I stood a little too close to the speakers.
Creature more than delivered. They filled the room with a cloud of thrashing guitars and thunderous drums and what I could make out from the vocals, I absolutely loved. After they played recently released track ‘I like you’, one cheeky member of the audience called out: “I like you too, Creature”. Well, I second that!
And then, finally, the main act. The stunning finale: False Advertising. I don’t want to make this about gender but women really do it better. While our male support struggled to make their voices stand out from the noise of instruments, from the very first second, Jen’s clear sharp vocals soared through the room, filling the small venue with her impressive timbre.
False advertising are fast-paced, highly energetic Grunge with a roar equally as powerful as Creature before them but, with what seems like Grunge Pop influences, they are a little more accessible to indie folk like me. Most impressively, they switch instruments during their set, and I’m not talking ‘hey let me change up my guitar’. No, Jen and Chris were swapping between drums and lead vocals/guitar. From watching the audience, their music is best enjoyed in three ways: you can vibe with the drum beats, lose yourself in their expertly crafted melodies or sing along at the top of your lungs. Oh and of course, the mosh pit which, surprisingly, came out with only a few songs to spare. Seems like everyone was really just happy simply listening to a band that is no doubt going to evolve into something special.
To me, this entire night was a reminder why live music is and forever will be superior to Spotify, there are dimensions that recording equipment simply cannot pick up, you cannot capture the energy, the excitement, the rush of adrenaline that paints each performance a slightly different colour and exactly that is what makes music so magical.
Written by Laura Freyaldenhoven.
musicforthemisfits.com 