Saturday 26th March 2016, the quiet town of Stockton was awoken with a mass of music lovers invading the town. That's right it's that annual treat that goes by the name of Stockton Calling. It yet again pulled off an amazing all day festival that truly showcased some of the outstanding local talent that the North East has to offer. Here is my review of the festival, part one of two.
Towzer To kick start my Stockton Calling, I ventured over to one of, if not my favourite music venue the North East has to offer never mind just Stockton - KU Bar. I walked in the room maybe a few early birds, but boy was I wrong. With the conversation in the room buzzing, bodies filled the room and I found myself trying to find a good spot to stand and see the band.
Once I had a good spot and a beer in hand, I was waiting with excitement and anticipation for a band that I've not seen before, Towzer. For a band that only recently came together in January of this year, they certainly outdid the expectations I had for the band.
They bring a fresh feel to the music they produce. It is certainly something different from other bands that are around at the moment. It's a throwback from the 60's/70's sound meeting the 21st century indie sound that has created so much success for so many bands.
What a way to start my Stockton Calling.
If you want to hear what Towzer sound like, head over to their sound click the link below - http://www.soundcloud.com/towzerband
Figmennt @ Musiclounge
My next stop on this music train was Musiclounge, where Idle Promotions had taken over for the day.Now Figmennt are another band that I was seeing for the first time, due to one reason or another, I seemed to never get my timing right when wanting to see these guys, but now was the perfect time. The hype they have created over the last year or so is certainly one that I couldn't ignore and finally I found the chance to go see them. I had to rush from KU over to the music lounge to make sure I caught as much of their set as possible, luckily I got there just before they started. Thankgod. It was a good job I rushed as the room got packed out very quickly.
This post/rock four piece showcased their talent and the crowd responded in the only way they knew how to when a good band were performing, masses of applause accompanied by a room full of cheers. The stand out track was certainly 'She' with the band singing and the crowd joining in with lead singer Joe. It was a solid set by the boys and it certainly lived up to all the hype I had heard of this band.
To hear Figmennt's single 'She' click the link below -
https://figmenntband.bandcamp.com/releases
Joe Ramsey @ The Vault
We ventured into The Vault, Stockton's hidden bar. We found ourselves getting very up close and personal with other people in the crowd while waiting for Joe Ramsey and his band. With the room filling up very quickly, it was only a matter of time before the old 'one in, one out' rule was put in place.If you were one of the lucky ones like myself to get the pleasure of watching and listening to Joe and the band perform, you'll fully understand when I say, they were phenomenal. The crowd were positive and supportive throughout whilst Joe played, I soon realised that The Vault was the perfect stage for Joe and the band to show off their talent.
I am putting this out there - this set was the highlight of my Stockton Calling. It provided an extremely positive feeling as I enjoyed myself singing along with many others, and you could tell all of joe's band and Joe himself we're loving performing for this crowd.
To keep up to date with Joe's music check out the link's below -
Facebook - www.facebook.com/joeramseymusic
Soundcloud - www.soundcloud.com/joeramseymusic
Youtube - www.youtube.com/user/joeramseymusic
Mouses @ KU Bar
The punk-rock duo from Billingham are very well known on the local scene and even further afield. It was no surprise that it was a tight squeeze in Ku Bar as we all waited for Mouses to step on stage.
From the get go, the pair set the tempo at a high pace and never let it drop, singer Steven Bardgett bounced around the stage with his energy and drummer Nathan Duff was working that hard, he ended up playing 75% of the set topless, can't blame him either. The energy this pair produce on stage is infectious. I found myself loosening up and unable to take my eyes off the stage.
The highlight was defiantly their song 'Algebra', it has a class drum beat that as I looked around briefly, everyone's head was moving, some people evening jumping up and down at certain points. Mix the drum with Steven's guitar and his vocals and you soon begin to realise why Mouses are so well liked within the local scene, they produce music that isn't close to anything I've heard before.
If you want to hear more from Mouses, click the links below -
Official Website - www.musicglue.com/mouses/
Facebook - www.facebook.com/mousestheband
Coquin Migale @ The Green Room
The alternative four piece produced a sound that certainly can fill out bigger rooms, but with it being the band's first appearance at both Stockton itself and Stockton Calling, I can understand why they were on a smaller stage than some people would have thought. Never the less the band put on a stellar performance and no doubt in a few years they will work their way up to bigger stages.
I wanted to see this band for so long, after hearing their material and new single "Grindie" which by the way was unbelievable to listen to live. It was a band that surely will grow and grow and go on to moving up the stages and also expanding their fan base. It certainly is only the beginning for this band.
Want to know more about Coquin Migale, head over to the links below -
Facebook - www.facebook.com/CoquinMigale
Twitter - @CoquinMigale
GooglePlus - +CoquinMigale
Youtube - www.youtube.com/user/CoquinMigale
