Photo: Laurence Harvey
It’s rare you get to see seven of the most promising bands in the country play on one evening – so tonight’s showcase of young acts set to take the UK’s festivals by storm feels like the perfect start to what promises to be a huge musical summer.
There’s something thrilling about seeing musicians on the cusp of great things. The hunger, nervous energy and raw talent lead to frenetic performances that are much more likely to blow your socks off than any stadium band on their seventeenth tour of the American mid-west.
Openers Bang Bang Romeo are a perfect example of the explosive power of the new generation. Anastasia Walker’s towering vocals soar over a musical backdrop that borrows equally from 60s mod, Mowtown and northern soul to produce something that still manages to sound relevant and important in today’s musical landscape.
White Room fill the space with a wall of sound reminiscent of a much more functional Brian Jonestown Massacre; all driving basslines and Hammond-esque keys that grab you somewhere between your hips and your heart.
Recent Sony GmbH singings The Wholls have been touted for big things for quite some time now. And they show their commercial chops, as well as an impressive stage presence and live sound, in their slot tonight.
Doncaster’s The Blinders appear heaven-sent on the day that the country gears up for another emotionally-sapping general election. Part furious indignation and part erudite resistance, they manage to shine especially brightly on a bill that is already packed with nascent talent. They produce a beautiful racket with echoes of Nick Cave, Love and The Doors, while prowling the stage like caged tigers desperate to be unleashed on the summer. Something tells me they won’t struggle for support this year.
What a night. The #JackRocks 7, coming to a festival near you soon... pic.twitter.com/e839q0RZKh
— This Feeling (@This_Feeling) April 19, 2017
Broken Witt Rebels are sometimes unfairly pigeonholed merely as Kings of Leon fanatics, but their set tonight shows that there is a lot more to them than a shared affection for the Nashvillian rockers. Led Zepellin and early 1950s rock & roll also get a look-in as they impressively hold the attention of a crowd already on their fifth band of the evening.
The Sundowners have the kind of close harmony dual female vocal attack that can make even the weariest musical traveller sit up and listen. They also have some exceptional songs that will often be labelled as psychedelica (especially due to their connection with label mates The Coral) but deserve their subtleties to be explored in more detail. Another one to watch this summer.
Speaking of rock dynasties, Libertines tour poet Jack Jones leads his Welsh troubadour outfit Trampolene out for the night’s much anticipated finale. If there’s one band that’s likely to follow in the footsteps of Jack Rock’s 2016 runaway success Cabbage it’s these guys. Jones looks every bit the protégé of Pete Doherty – the mix of Rambaud-esque poetic vulnerability and narcissistic hellraising rock god will surely be too much for Britain to resist. And so it’s on to the future for Jack Rocks 7, and for some to greatness. Whatever happens, a raucous summer awaits.
