Little Mammoth + Spill 16 +
Teenage Casket
Co. + Dirt Box Disco +
Gypsy Pistoleros
The Maze
03.05.14
This review is the ‘edited highlights’ of
the first day of the annual two day festival hosted by Noize Level Critical
Radio Show (NLC) in aid of RACP UK (Rock Against Child
Pornography). With around two dozen bands playing over the weekend of the 3rd
and 4th of May at the Maze on Mansfield Nottingham
it’s a positive feast of the best underground bands around at the moment. This
year The Manofmetal only attended day one so here’s my highlights of the first
half of that first day of the festival.
I got there in time to see a band I’ve been
hearing lots of good things about recently, Little Mammoth are a brand
new female fronted four piece band from the Nottingham area. Lead singer Holly Bolus
is an old acquaintance of mine; I say old she’s still only in her early twenties,
previously I’ve seen her sing in the very heavy metal band Keltic Jihad and the
progressive hard rock band Inner Eden. Well her new group Little Mammoth who
formed only last year couldn’t be more different from those early forays into
the live music scene, playing a blues rock style of music akin to what bands
like Rival Sons are doing so well with these days and having more than one foot
onboard the dirigible that is Led Zeppelin, Little Mammoth are the perfect
outfit for Holly to showcase here singing and song writing. The three guys
behind her are Mark Davies (lead guitar) Alex Leggett (bass guitar) and Sam
Renshaw (drums) together they make a tight unit, not surprising as they were
all former members of The Vulcans and are the perfect accompaniment for Holly’s
‘Joplinesque’ vocal abilities. With a full album set for release later this
year things are moving fast for this elfin elephantine ensemble and judging by
the four tracks that are available on their reverbnation page it’s gonna be a
debut album to savour.
It’s a quick turnaround here at the maze
and next up are Spill Sixteen or Spill 16 if you prefer. Last
year the Yorkshire based band had some line-up issues which verged on the
farcical in fact casting my gaze around this venue today I spy many other
Yorkshire muso’s who’ve been at one time or other members of different bands
playing this festival, all very confusing, I don’t envy the person who gets to
compile that particular rock family tree. Personnel issues aside it’s good to
see Spill 16 back and playing live again, they take inspiration from everyone
from Bad Company to Shinedown according to their facbook blurb, they do have an
eclectic sound, front man Stevie is in possession of a powerfully soulful voice
and along with his fellow cohorts of JJ (guitar) Mewsy (guitar) Indy (bass) and
Jon? (drums) I can’t say for sure it’s Jon on drums but that’s the name I’m
sticking to. With line-up debacles hopefully a thing of the past I trust these
guys will keep going as they have many great songs and are always entertaining;
it’s good they’re back. If you want to read my review of Spill 16’s debut album
check out my Discworld blog: http://discworlddog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/spill-sixteen-let-it-all-hang-out.html
The heat and humidity inside today’s venue
is to say the least uncomfortable so during the changeover periods it’s advisable
to exit the building and goldfish like, gulp down copious amounts of fresh air.
When everyone is suitably re-oxygenated it’s time to get our selves back into
the fray to catch the next act, a band I’ve eulogized over many times before, Teenage
Casket Company. Always giving a good show, these days TCC are riding high
on the back of their new album, ‘Still Standing’ once again returning to the
top of their game, pleasing both old and new fans alike. The constitutional
parts of TCC are Rob Wylde (lead vocals/guitar) Dave Kerr (lead guitar) Rob
Lane (bass) and Mike ‘Spike’ Hollinshead (drums) all of the above have many
strings to their collective bows but today they’re 100% Casket cases playing a
short but rousing set of vintage numbers alongside more contemporary songs. As
ever with these guys they leave me wanting more especially today as all the
bands are playing around half hour sets, basically between six and eight songs.
If you want to read more about TCC from yours truly check out a couple of my
previous blogs: http://gd2014reviews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/casket-case-gig-review.html
The last band before the forty minute ‘tea
break’ or kebab break (I had a meat pie) is the incomparable Dirt Box Disco
the neo-punk masters of mirth are an unusual choice to play this festival but
welcome none the less. I saw them a mere two weeks ago in Derby where they
played in front of over one hundred fanatical Dirt Box fans who danced, jumped,
pogoed, and sang along with all their songs, today however it was a bit
different. I think the NLC crowd didn’t know what to make of Dirt Box Disco but
what is there to make of a bunch of guys in fancy dress who play catchy rock
anthems that you’re bound to sing along to. Anthems like ‘Burning’ ‘I Just Want
to Be a Girl’ and ‘My Life is Shit’ are infectious and if you don’t like this
stuff then you’re a po-faced bore, this is what rock and roll is all about. DBD
tend to only play punk gigs but in my opinion they should branch out and start
doing rock gigs too, even if today’s crowd reaction doesn’t support that
theory. The Dirt Box boys were a man down today which didn’t help their cause
and rolling up from a late night playing a Welsh festival was also another
factor against them but they put in a short and memorable set, a taster of what
they’re really capable of.
To round off the first part of my NLC festival
review is a band that could to all intense and purpose headline the whole
event.
The Gypsy Pistoleros rode into town
like a bunch of desperados on the run from the law, packing six shooters they
burst through the saloon doors… Hold on thar cowboy!!! Sorry guys that’s the
opening draught of my next western novel, getting back to reality this is how
Gypsy Pistoleros describe themselves…
“The mongrel offspring of fiery gritty
gutter glam, the Gypsy Pistoleros’ were born roamin’ somewhere between Barcelona Birmingham America
These days the Pistoleros posse are Iggy
Pistolero (lead guitar/backing vocals) Jeff Pistolero (drums/backing vocals)
Kenny K Doll (bass/backing vocals) and newcomer and former Wrathchild front man
Gaz Harris (lead vocals). Playing a fast paced eight song set the Pistoleros
are glam n’ sleaze n’ attitude all rolled into one with song titles like ‘Sex,
Drugs and Rock & Roll’, ‘Go to Hell’ and ‘Psycho Bitch’ the boys put on a
show packed with every aspect of insurrection, their two fingered saluted
stance to society may sound like a cliché but it’s an entertaining one none the
less. My favourite song of the set was ‘Hear the Thunder’ a number which seems
to have more about it than some of the others. Their new single ‘Dirty Side of
Midnight’ saw the guys joined on stage by Hell on High Heelz, a duo of ‘rock
n’ pole’ dancers who for today have foregone their metal shafts for more of a
down to earth cavort with the Pistoleros. These beguiling sirens returned to
the stage for the finale a rocked up version of ‘Livin La Vida Loco’ which not
only drove the crowd loco but also brings the curtain down on part one of my
review, part two will follow after a short intermission, watch out for my next
blog posting… TBC.
For further info on the bands in this
review contact:
Gypsy Pistoleros: http://www.gypsypistoleros.co.uk/
Dirt Box Disco: http://www.dirtboxdisco.co.uk/
Teenage Casket Co.: http://www.teenagecasketcompany.co.uk/
Spill 16: http://www.spillsixteen.com/
Little Mammoth: https://www.facebook.com/LittleMammothUK/info
Hell on High Heelz: http://hellonhighheelz.wix.com/hellonhighheelz
GD Manofmetal.
Above: Hell on High Heelz with GD Manofmetal @ Wildside Nottingham
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