No Trays Or Foxes @ The Parish Huddersfield, 17-03-14

“Things to say down a microphone, eh?” says frontman Liam Sullivan to the largely disinterested crowd of about 30 – if that – people before him, in a desperate attempt to engage the crowd. No Trays Or Foxes are six songs into an eight song set, and still there is little interaction from the audience. The Parish Huddersfield is an intimate venue; physically, there is nothing to separate the band from the crowd and so their reluctance to involve themselves with the hometown four-piece becomes increasingly obvious – as does the band’s wariness of the crowd.

No Trays Or Foxes don’t belong in this venue, but this is something that works in their favour. An acoustic/electronic band that describe themselves as creating “sounds that intertwine sections of light and dark,” they breathe life into a virtually non-existent genre. Their sound is iridescent and atmospheric – melancholy, yet powerful enough to fill an arena. Playing an ill-suited venue that is effectively a desolate old barn with boarded up windows completely enhances this sound; all four members play as though they are playing a sold out show at London’s O2 arena, rather than a dimly-lit outbuilding with cobwebs hanging from the rafters.

Opening track ‘All There Is’ begins with singer Sullivan strumming his guitar as delicately as though playing a piano, gradually beginning to sing in coarse vocals that contrast with a steady rhythm of sounds provided by electric guitar, bass and synth. The song is striking and fills the room, with music that wouldn’t sound out of place on a film score. It sets the basis for a promising show, although this is knocked slightly when the singer has to communicate with the sound man to get their levels right, which serves as a reminder that the band still have a way to go. 

Disregarding this slight hitch, No Trays Or Foxes glide through the rest of their set, delivering a wide range of songs that emphasise the wide array of talents that each member brings to the table. They soar through songs featuring beats so irregular they become regular, others whereby the synth sounds like a psychedelic descent straight into Wonderland before reverting completely into thrashing guitars and riffs that are reminiscent of bands like Foo Fighters and Biffy Clyro.

As they progress through the set, one thing becomes obvious – No Trays Or Foxes are masters of their art. Their ability to combine the most unlikely of partnerships becomes uncanny, whether it’s making the soft strums of acoustic guitar compliment the innate heaviness of the bass, or playing electric guitar with a drawl that emanates a sense of dread against heartfelt, soulful vocals. Their songs manage to be simplistic at the most complex end of the spectrum. They sound familiar, yet unlike anything ever heard before. It’s something that shouldn’t really be possible, but No Trays Or Foxes have taken this and run with it, and it works in a way that it really shouldn’t be able to.

By the time the band reach their final song ‘Spiralling,’ the once distant audience are now mere steps away from the stage.  Even after No Trays Or Foxes have left the stage, the soaring, echoing and at times chilling effect of their music takes hold, surviving in the ears and minds of the now captivated audience.

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Kids In Glass Houses: Fibbers gig review

I first saw Kids In Glass Houses on 6/02/10, a couple of days after 'Matters At All,' the second single to come from their second album 'Dirt,' was released. They were supporting Lostprophets at Hull City Hall and I distinctly remember how good they were live; after a truly terrible opening from first support band Hexes it's perhaps no wonder that I remember it so well, but to engage and capture the less-than-impressed audience the way that KIGH did is no easy feat, yet they managed it effortlessly. I've been a firm fan ever since and so you can imagine that I jumped at the chance to see them again, over 3 years later, this time headlining a show in York.

Much like the first time I saw them, the supporting bands were polar opposites. First up were Summer City, who at first seemed pretty good, though I had to question my initial judgement when they engaged with the crowd gathered before them. Their on-stage personalities are similar to that of a certain YouTube "vlogger" worshipped by millions of fangirls worldwide, and not in a good sense - I was regrettably left trying to control my laughter rather than being able to listen to their music, which really wasn't too bad. It's just a shame that their songs are undermined and let-down by their cringey on-stage mannerisms. On a high note however, Summer City do have guts; they made an extremely brave choice to cover Carly Rae Jepsen's 'Call Me Maybe,' which they pulled off as well as any band covering one of the most annoying songs in the world could do.

 

Following Summer City were Verses, a rock band hailing from Brighton. I can't even begin to describe how glad I am that Verses were chosen to support KIGH because they are truly an amazing band! And after buying their CD 'Come To Life' at the show, I can confirm that they're one of the few bands that sound just as good live as they do on their CDs. Even if I really like a support band at a gig, it's not very often that I'll go and check them out after the show, but Verses are quickly becoming one of my favourite bands to listen to at the moment. I genuinely can't recommend them enough, and I really hope that they grow even bigger.

 

Though Verses did have some fans in the crowd, the majority were obviously waiting on Kids In Glass Houses making an appearance. After the show was rescheduled from May 30th to July 29th, the excitement was even more so, so when KIGH first came on, opening with 'Artbreaker I' and rocketing straight into 'Youngblood (Let It Out),' the atmosphere was incredible. The setlist spanned songs from 'Smart Casual,' 'Dirt' and the upcoming album (due to be released September 30th and can be pre-ordered here) 'Peace,' although there was a notable lack of songs from third album 'In Gold Blood.' I feel as though the setlist could have been a little stronger, and admittedly I was a bit disappointed at the lack of songs such as 'Hunt The Haunted' and 'Black Crush,' but this was made up for by a performance of 'Drive;' the first single to come from the new album, I've been hooked on it ever since its release. 'Drive' is undoubtedly one of the best songs I've heard live by any band, and I think it's going to become a firm fixture in the setlist of future KIGH shows. It unites the crowd; not one body in that room wasn't dancing and singing along at the top of their lungs. Kids In Glass Houses seem to be fluent in writing songs that unite their fans, a talent shown by 'Saturday' and the song they closed with, 'Matters At All.' Their set, albeit less than an hour long, just confirmed my beliefs that Kids In Glass Houses are one of the strongest best live bands I've ever seen and I really hope I get to see them several more times throughout my life.

LostAlone: The Cockpit gig review

LostAlone have been one of my favourite bands for a while now and, for me, they’re one of those bands that can do no wrong. I find it’s usually the giants of the music scene that have a sound that’s completely their own, but LostAlone are one of those rare bands that, even on a small scale, have mastered an incredibly unique signature sound that’s fully theirs. I struggle to think of one song, demo, anything that I dislike even a little bit. After seeing them twice as an opening band, once supporting InMe and another supporting Tonight Alive, I finally got to go along to a headline show at The Cockpit in Leeds, on 20-02-13.

LostAlone Christmas Show 2012

LostAlone have announced their annual hometown Christmas show, featuring some very special guests.

 

LostAlone will headline their 2012 Christmas show on 21/12/12 in their hometown of Derby alongside some of the UK’s best bands – it’s basically my dream line-up. In support of LostAlone will be Fearless Vampire Killers, Follow You Home (another two of my favourite bands) and Crushing Blows, also featuring a DJ set from Matt Stocks, resident DJ of Kerrang! Radio. This show really is going to completely phenomenal, and it’s definitely one of the best, if slightly unconventional, ways to celebrate Christmas 2012.

And if that’s not enough, after the show LostAlone hold a karaoke party, featuring singer/guitarist Steven Battelle singing ‘big diva anthems,’ as I found out after seeing the band supporting Tonight Alive in Leeds. Basically, the Christmas show is going to be all kinds of awesome. And how amazing is the poster promoting the gig!?

Tickets for what will potentially be one of the best shows you will ever go to in your entire life are a mere £10, and can be bought from www.thevictoriainnderby.co.uk/lostalone, or over the phone by calling (01332) 204873. I'm genuinely devastated that I won't be able to go, so people need to buy tickets and have a great time for me.