High Voltage

Friday – Night & Day Cafe

With an array of venues hosting a multitude of bands over several days, MAPS Festival-goers were spoilt for choice.  That said, Friday at Night & Day saw a late influx of punters come through door, probably to see Doll & The Kicks. Until then, the venue was sparse - an all to familiar sight in Manchester at the moment.

Luckily, The Black Knights don’t feed off an audience, instead they are driven by visceral hatred and the spunk of stripped down blues. The duo thrives on an antagonistic attitude, which manifests on stage in the form of yelling at one another and drumsticks being used as weapons. This makes for uncomfortable viewing a lot of the time, yet somehow remains captivating. Gary has a unholy voice and coupled with a foreboding sound coming from a beaten guitar amp, the whole marriage is truly volatile. Tom also plays his part is this cautionary tale; his metronomic brutality is measured, allowing people to shudder with every whip-like crack of his snare. Sadly, these guys are not getting the recognition they deserve but with performances like this, surely it’s only a matter of time before someone picks them up, if they dare.

Where’s Strutter is a clever name for a band who quite literally strut, all wide-legged and penis first. This Manc quartet are as you would expect any strutting Manc quartet to be. Bolshie and sporting that faux arrogance, the indie dance rockers are perfect for the beers swilling masses of small town industrial Britain. Alas, Night & Day is not full of this type of clientele, in fact, there is no clientele aside form a couple of hardcore stutters. To be fair, there are a couple of redeeming elements, one of them being lead guitarist, Danny the other being the knack of writing catchy tunes. That said, the whole package is slightly uninspiring and, well, just normal really. They’ll not give a fuck though, son.

The Witches are another native band who exist under the radar, either that or they are unfortunate enough to create an unfashionable sound. Fashion sense aside, these four freaks are energetic, eccentric and ethereal and have a truly unique sound which is welcomed by a growing audience. Imagine if Bob Dylan got into exorcism and starting setting things on fire with a burning voodoo doll then wrote a couple of punk albums about the whole mess. If your mind will stretch to this, then you’re halfway to understanding what The Witches are. And, if you don’t have such a vivid imagination, then just go watch them.

Finally, as the festival reaches its peak at the half full Night & Day Cafe, Doll & The Kicks take to the stage. Brighton’s finest are full of beans and are the musical equivalent of  beans. Like beans, they are not new, most people will like them but they rarely leave people hankering for more. Essentially, they are staple radio fodder, perfectly acceptable and listenable but they are just one bean in a whole tin of similar beans. The female fronted four-piece fuse punk with indie dance and slot a catchy vocal hook over the top. Numbers like ‘You Turn Up’ showcase the best bits of Doll & The Kicks and lure many idol viewers at Night & Day into some subconscious foot-tapping. However, this probably won’t be enough to see them go supersonic. If you like beans though, they might be worth checking out.

Saturday – Night & Day Cafe

Wife That Knife are from the same ilk as many emerging Manchester acts – Airship, Dutch Uncles, Everything Everything, Young British Artists. Pitching yourself in a pool of such talented musicians leaves the door open for unfavourable comparisons, if the said band falls short of their peers. Luckily, With That Knife can more than hold their own against such stiff competition. Their songs are spiky and urgent and unlike many bands who employ a similar sound, they’re not afraid to stomp down on a distortion pedal, in fact, they’re pretty brutal at times. This rock/indie pop hybrid works really well and has clearly garnered them a decent local following. There are some minor cons, mainly in the ‘saminess’ of With That Knife’s material, which rarely strays from a formula that they’re obviously comfortable with. Give this band time to develop though, and we could be seeing a front runner in the Manchester scene in coming months.

Taking the foot off the pedal slightly, Catfish & The Bottlemen displayed an immaculate ability to craft great pop numbers, aided by some blissful vocal harmonies and a couple of great hooks. ‘Paraffin’ is by far their best number and as a stand alone song could easily make an appearance in the charts. That said, a few of their other numbers lacked a bit of substance and failed to match the quality of ‘Paraffin’. But, if they can write one corker, they can surely write another and with the musical adeptness to perform such a song, Catfish & The Bottlemen may just start commanding a bit more interest in the future.

With the festival in full swing and the crowd swelling, Orphan Boy bring the second evening at Night & Day to a close. Battling through a couple of technical glitches, the trio deliver a set comprising of melancholic wistful tales of working class Britain and social gripes on top of a mid-tempo punk soundtrack. ‘Harbour Lights’ is an obvious homage to their Grimsby roots and explores life on the Humberside coast, one that, through experience, I know to be grim. Very, very grim. This song however, somehow manages to romanticise an existence in this part of the world, testament to the whimsical song writing of band. ‘Remember’ is another stand out song, swooping from a minimal and pulsating bass/drum combination to a bold and euphoric chorus. Orphan Boy are true to the ethos of punk and there’s a real connection with much of their sentiments. Life is often shit, especially when you live in Grimsby. But rather than whine about it Orphan Boy would probably endorse the tried and tested method of drinking with equally demoralised individuals, singing along to lyrics that you can relate to and eventually staggering on to the Night & Day stage with not a stitch on to deliver a slurred proclamation that, “this band, work so fucking hard you’ve got no idea – BEST BAND IN THE WORLD!”

TAGS: The Black Knights, Where's Strutter, The Witches, Doll & The Kicks, With That Knife, Catfish And The Bottlemen, Orphan Boy

Words by: Simon S Wright