A HUGE week for the Nottingham music scene this week. With a bit of something for everyone… oh, and then there’s the FSN FINAL!
GIG ONE
The Golden Fleece is having a bit of a renovation, and to celebrate, they’re putting gigs on all weekend, from Thursday to Sunday!
If you’re a fan of heavy riffs and dirty Blues, you’re gonna love Thursdays lineup! NORTH ROAD will be kicking off the night with their “house-rocking” Rock & Roll (try saying that after a few!), which is full of plenty of catchy melodies; and some incredibly slick riffs. CHEAP JAZZ follow with their unique blend of Math Rock, and Post-Rock, but there’s no Jazz influence to be found! Misleading name or what? Headlining we’ll have THE DAMN HEAVY, who actually do what they say in their name, which is make “damn heavy” Blues with elements of Punk, Garage and Soul. Quite a mix.
Friday is a night more for the Indie fans, but don’t worry, there’s still a fair bit of Blues knocking about! LUNADOGS will kick off the night with their raucous Indie sounds, and believe me, by the end of their set, you’re gonna have one of their riffs stuck in your head! NO DISCO follow with their edgy Pop-Rock sounds; which sound so refined, you’ll think you’re listening to a studio recording! Rounding off the night will be ROYSTON DUXFORD, who bring their unique take on Country-Blues and Rock & Roll; which is sure to get you stomping a foot or two!
Saturday sees a bit of Hip-Hop and a bit of Jazz. Kicking off the night we’ll have JIALLO, a Jazzy five-piece, who make some incredible Jazz-Fusion. They often bring out surprise guest vocalists too, but you’ll just have to wait and see if they’re going to this time! Hip-Hop collective ILL CITIZEN will be bringing plenty of good vibes to the stage; consisting of some great MC’s, they always bring slick beats and thought-provoking bars. Rounding off the night we have 1ST BLOOD, another Hip-Hop collective who bring together some of the best productions, and best MC’s that we’ve heard in Notts. Their new album “Live Like Legends” came out just last month, so they’ve got plenty of new tunes to amaze you with.
Finally, Sunday sees a right mixture of genres. The Indie-Rock swagger of ALBION will kick things off; with catchy riffs galore, these boys know how to write an Indie banger! Next up we’ll have the beautiful sounds of ROBYN HUGHES-JONES; she made it into the Semi-Finals of FSN, but just got pipped to the post; however, everyone who has heard “J’adore” absolutely falls in love with her stunning vocals, so make sure to check her out! Following we have the dark melodic Rock sounds of RED FIRE ANTS; sounding like a local 3 Doors Down, these boys have some huge choruses under their belt! Finally, we have the “dreamlike” Acoustic sounds of THE GOLDEN TROUBADOURS. We saw these guys last at The Hargreaves Project, and they blew us away with their huge “credible Westlife”-esque sounds. You’ve got to see them to know what we’re talking about!
Doors: 8:30PM
Price: Free
GIG TWO
Next up, this Saturday we have The Kimberley Jam which is a charity event, full of loads of local artists; and it’s all about raising money for The Ryan Lee Trust. As you may gather, it’s taking place in loads of venues over Kimberley. The lineups haven’t all been revealed at time of writing, so we’re gonna let you in on what we know; for more up to date information, keep an eye on the FB page HERE.
So, who will you have the pleasure of hearing? Well…
The beautiful “Blue Soul” sounds of GLORIA’S DAUGHTER; the high energy Kings Of Leon esque Acoustic sounds of SILAS MAX; as well as the blissful Folk sounds of the angelic voiced LEAH SINEAD. MATT ROBINSON will be bringing his twangy retro Rock & Roll sounds to the proceedings; whereas LEETABIX will be astounding the crowd with his incredible beatboxing skills. HOT MONEY will tear up the stage with their Hard Rock sounds, BLUE VULTURE will get you up and dancing with their “Joyful Indie-Rock”, and EULER will have you chanting along to their huge Indie anthems!
The brilliantly named DREADED MONKEY will have you moshing along to their catchy Alternative tunes, TAZER will be smashing it with their Black Keys-esque Rock & Roll, and THE LONG INTROS will tickle your funny bone with their Comedy-Pop. BEN HAYNES will also be bringing his soulful Acoustic sounds.
There are loads more artist performing; however, considering we only cover musicians from the great country of Nottinghamshire, who perform their own original material here at Nusic, we have had to miss a few out.
Doors: 3PM
Price: Free
GIG THREE
Finally; we have the Future Sound of Nottingham final at Rock City on Sunday. Six artists. The most famous stage in the city. But we can only have one winner… I’ll stop doing my Dermot O’Leary impression now.
Yes, it’s finally here. You’re probably familiar with it; but I’ll fill you in on the basics anyways. After the judges round, and the public round; we are down to our six finalists, who are all playing Rock City’s main stage, to battle it out for the title of the Future Sound of Nottingham 2014; and to open Splendour Festival to 20,000 people. Not a bad crowd, ey?
So, how will it work? Well, the vote is a 50% split between our professional industry judges (whom you can either hear about on the latest podcast, or read more about HERE), and the public vote. Who’s fighting for your cheers? Well…
THE FINALISTS
FIELD STUDIES went straight through to the final after round one, as they received the highest vote from the judges. Their Ambient-Rock won all the judges over, and their refined atmospheric sounds have won plenty of you lot over too.
OSCAR SPEED won the public vote with his slick Soul-Pop sounds; and we’re sure he’ll have you shaking what your mama gave you at the final. “In The Night” is one of the catchiest tunes we’ve heard in years, and truly sounds unlike anything we’ve heard come from Notts.
JOSH WHEATLEY’s soft and sweet Acoustic sounds are sure to leave you stunned at the final; and how’s this for a bit of a reverse tactic; will probably leave you wanting to give him a hug. This man’s a bloody hugging machine!
THE RASCELS should come with a warning. A “this melody will be in your heads for weeks” warning (maybe with a snappier title). Seriously; these boys make pop-rock that lifts up your spirits, makes you dance; and if they play “My Summertime” we’re pretty sure you’ll be getting the air guitar out too!
CROSA ROSA should also come with a warning. A “yep, there will be moshing” warning. The mums and dads may want to move to the side as these boys come on, cause their grungy Rock is bound to have a few heads banging. Man, I wish I still had long hair.
JOY MUMFORD will be rounding things off with her stunning Soul-Folk. Joy makes truly beautiful songs that are full of catchy melodies; and show off the lovely tone to her voice as well. As cheesy as it sounds, her song “Attention” really did capture our attention, and hasn’t let go since!
All rules and details can be found HERE. We’ll see you there!
Doors: 6:30PM
Price: Free
Yours in Love of New Music,
Sam Nahirny/Josh Yates x
P.S THE SWIINES are playing Rock City’s basement on Sat, with support from THE CHASE, FIELD STUDIES and RICHARD JENKINS. It’s gonna be an ace gig, and would have been in the Top Three this week; but the boys have gone and sold it out! So, to those who have a ticket, enjoy!
