Bounding onto the stage with a manner of energy, Bipolar Sunshine asks us to take one step closer. Disturbing the post-headliner, nervous distance from the stage, the crowd take an obliging nudge forward. Despite only having released a collection of EP’s, Bipolar Sunshine’s works have been enough to form a whooping and cheering fan-base, at a sold out show. Tonight, an atmosphere of fuzzy warmth swarms XOYO’s basement, as sounds of catching, soulful, indie-pop, bounces through the air. The stages back-drop, is curiously decorated with a black and white, noir, Clark Gabel film.
‘London, we up for a good time?’, rallies Bipolar Sunshine, as feel-good vibrancy spreads with opening track, ‘Drowning Butterflies’. Due to its beginnings deep and heavy bass, live, the song is reminiscent of 1950s ska. But a funky pulsating beat, and soft expressive vocals, add a sprinkle of soul. Though on record, guitar tinkles graciously as ornamental backing, in performance, it is as groovy and striking as the likes of Nile Rodgers, on 2013’s Daft Punk hit, ‘Get Lucky’.
‘Trouble’, beholds a mischievous enjoyment. Bipolar Sunshine sings with a cheeky tone, that infectiously makes you want to sing along with, ‘Cos I know your trouble and I like it!’ With a cheerful and memorable hooks, Bipolar Sunshine could be compared to the likes of chart-pop’s Bruno Mars. However, with a talented live band, and a creative flair, he proves to be of greater calibre.
‘I’m glad that you are all feeling the same vibe that we are today,’ beams the singer, ‘are you happy people?’ Yet he needn’t ask, assmiles spreads like an infection, in hearing Bipolar Sunshine’s jovial live approach. Bipolar Sunshine is playful with his audience, even throwing out a few tragically ironic, jokes out there, to kill time in a tune up; ‘What did the apple say to the pear? Nothing.’
A new track ‘Deck Chairs On The Moon’ is revealed to follow a continuing uplifting theme, the contented track sounds as if it could be released as the perfect soundtrack to the coming summer. The crowd is asked to collaborate, on contagiously sweet repeated, ‘oooh ahhs’. A sense of lively community arises amongst the sea of voices, which continues into sing-a-longs on ‘Where Did The Love Go.’
The serious mood to the opening of ‘Fire’, creates a chilling and tense ambience. Soothing bass and guitar tinker on the verses, beneath Bipolar Sunshine’s spurs of tender-rap which cut the air. The endings rounds of ‘And I feel your fire!’, erupts with emotive power.
Leaving tonight’s gig on a touching sentiment, is ‘Love More Worry Less.’ Bipolar Sunshine’s most commercially successful song, (having received tonnes of airplay on the likes of XFM,) sees fans commune together in a glorious unison on its chorus’. Soulful song, hearty hums and building deep guitar, rise the emotively dark mood of previous ‘Fire,’ to heights of happiness. And we file out with a sense of lifted spirits.
Listen to Bipolar Sunshine and have your spirits lifted yourself:
Bank Holiday Monday saw hundred’s flock to Bolton Town Center for an array of live music, below The MOVER lists some of its favorite acts of the day…
Over 1,000 wristbands were sold for the event, raising a whopping amount for charity. And also raising the alarm, that Bolton has some astounding music to offer.
As part of Greater-Manchester, Bolton is often over-looked for its music scene, by its near city of Manchester. However, through the hard-working team behind Bolton’s B-festival, and the collection of talent which was placed on the bill, Bolton puts itself on the map, as its own music hub.
April Keen
16 year-old singer-songwriter, April Keen, hails from the sea-side town of Blackpool. With a voice, as sweet as a souvenir stick of rock, she embraces Blind Tigers stage with a backing band.
Beginning with a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Go Your Own Way’, April Keen startles The MOVER. Fleetwood Mac are not covered here with the unbearable, warbling of an over-excited fan, at a 70s karaoke night. But instead, Keen adopts a soft tone, of cute and serene, delicacy. Her vocals wistfully climb with beauty, making the powerful rock track her own. ‘Go Your Own Way’, sees a refreshing, tranquil approach, which breezes through Blind Tiger this B-Fest afternoon.
April Keen’s own original tracks, are of similar great impression. ‘Old Voices’, taken from her debut and recently released EP ‘Solace’, is of dreamy expression. ‘Lay down your weapons, show me your gun, put up your hands and show me I’ve won,’ she sings soulfully. Though her voice is of beauty, her lyrics and tone, behold harrowing emotion. With skilful guitar playing to match her voice, April Keen proves impressive talent.
Check out ‘Old Voices’ for yourself, [The Church Acoustic Sessions]…
Naked Stereo
Christina Shipley and Paul Mik, of Naked Stereo, regard themselves as a two-person, three-piece band. The pair declare so, as Mik (A.K.A Paul Holt), switches from acoustic to electric guitar, bass drum and high hat, whilst Shipley performs vocals. On this evening of B-fest, the couples talents live up to their claims, with a funky range, of acoustically covered chart numbers and loved oldies.
Pop-man, Sam Smith’s number one hit, ‘Money On My Mind,’ sees a sweet and soothing take. With an acoustic guitar, and the creative use of foot pedals, Mik makes the track innovative. Vocalist, Shipley’s voice drifts and floats, with both elegance and uplifting energy.
Tina Turner’s 70s smasher, ‘Rolling On The River,’ is brought into 2014 with a sweeping liveliness. Whilst Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition,’ is given a modern spark of soul and funk, demonstrating some incredible guitar work from Paul Mik.
Have a listen to the likes of Naked Stereo for yourself below [Show Reel]…
Our Fold
Rocking indie-rock four piece, Our Fold saw Blind Tiger fill out by 6:15pm, as a much loved home-town band. Hailing from Bolton’s Westhoughton, they bring a buzzing energy and a colossal performance. At B-fest this evening, they are without their drummer, Sam Evans. Although his, driving force is missed, the band is not lacking in their usual exhilarating sound. Even as an acoustic set up, an electrifying atmosphere peruses their listening crowd.
Guitarist and lead vocals Damien Riley astounds with the lengths of his voice. With an edgy tone, he pushes the bands resonance. ‘Why you looking so surprised, you’re lying to your mother’s eyes?!’ accuses Riley, with rasping intonation on ‘Victim Of Lies’. Dan McLaren and Gaz Drury, add to a perfect trio of guitar noise, that yields and rises with a fantastic sultry mood.
Get your ears around Our Fold’s acoustic sound on ‘Victim Of Lies’ [Live In M1 Session]…
Jordan Allen
For today’s B-festival celebrations, singer-songwriter Jordan Allen took to the stage of the Post Office, (C2), for an array of covers. But an evening set at Downtown, saw him declare, ‘These tunes are all mine,’ with a certain pride. And quite rightly so. The MOVER recently reviewed Allen’s EP Launch at Blind Tiger [check it out at: Jordan Allen Gig Review], and once again his live set did not disappoint.
Playing once more with an alluring Northern twang, a certain angst, and ferocious guitar strumming, he propelled through several original tracks. From his recent release, and thunderous ‘Remembered’, to the chilling and cooling ‘Devil Won’t Cry’, his innovative talents made his hometown crowd proud.
Listen to the forefront of his recent EP ‘Remembered’ below…
Jade Assembly
Another of Bolton’s finest indie-rock bands, take Blind Tigers stage for the evening of B-fest. The Jade Assembly, perform a variety of high-speed and high energy tracks. The groups large following, known as ‘#TheJadeArmy’, swarm Blind Tigers dance floor with vengeance, movement and fun.
‘Our Town’, which declares the band as ‘Bolton boys until we die’, as lead John Foster sings with implication, opened their slot with a storm. With stadium worthy sound, B-fest was shook up with a home-town anthem. Foster leads his chaotic spectators in the building ‘Time For A Change’, which features haunting climbing guitar. Upon the track’s chorus, Blind Tiger erupted in a roar-along of ‘So come on!’
Combined, Foster’s empowering presence on the crowd, electrifying guitar from Gareth Smedley, booming drums from Andy Watson, and powerful bass from Danny Hayes, summed up the abundance of glorious noise, that Bolton Town Center can make.
Danny Quinn opens with a refreshing acoustic turn, on Alex Clare’s chart climber: ‘Too Close’. With a quirky air of soul, Quinn shoots a spark of fun into Blind Tiger, kicking off an awesome night of live music.
With welcoming Northern vibrancy, he orders us to ‘Get to the bar, and get drunk!’ Quinn spirals into a sweet, soft and serenading version of Lorde’s hit ‘Royals’. With upbeat guitar chords, and contrastingly to the original; wistful male vocals, Quinn certainly creates a different kind of fuss.
‘Messed Up Bad,’ is a burst of innovation amongst his covers. He recalls the all too well known tale of a drunken student. With soft, yet fast and upbeat vocals and cheery guitar playing, he interjects giggle-worthy humour; ‘Jager bombs & sambucca shots, cos’ your best mates mum looked really hot…’
Check out Danny Quinn’s home video of ‘Messed Up Bad’ :
Ryan Jarvis
Ryan Jarvis braces Bolton’s music hub next, with an attitude of confidence. Un-shy, he breaks straight into original tracks.
With a manner of playful bitterness, Jarvis introduces ‘Shine For Me,’ ‘This next songs a love song, don’t believe it, it’s all bollocks. I never should have wrote it, but yeah…’ Despite his detached sentiment towards the track, he delicately sings with sweet sorrow on the subject of fighting young love. ‘Do you fancy taking on the world hand in hand?’ he expresses blissfully. As if love once existed, he immerses himself in performance.
Covering All The Luck In The World’s ‘Never’, the singer-songwriter adds his own Jarvis twist. The sweet indie-ballad is kept delicate and soothing, yet an edgy touch of Jarvis’ Northern vocals make it innovative. He adds angst with lyrical alterations, and a Mancunian character. He colloquially sings, ‘not a lesson learned but a top memory.’ Touching his head with a sentiment of emotion, he snarls an added ‘its definitley not you,’ giving the track a new tone of cool sourness.
Blind Tiger is presented with one of Jarvis’ most poetically deep tracks, with ‘By The Water’. We are told it is about ‘Growing up, being a big brother or sister…’ The track is slow and cooling, with moving and driving guitar. It beholds the sentiment of maturing into an example, despite the fearful leap forward from childhood. Blissful and sentimental lyrics describe an apprehensive coming-of-age, ‘Just make that jump brave boy but don’t make your mummy cry… be your sisters saving grace and be your brothers guiding light.’ Jarvis demonstrates his whimsical ability to tell a poignant story.
A final treat from Jarvis is his up-coming single, ‘Moving Far Too Fast,’ to be released with a full band. Even solo, the reveal of the track is stirring. He explains inspiration for the song, came from 42’s night club in Manchester. Upbeat, foot tapping guitar, drives forward like the speed of a blurry drunken night out. Jarvis sings with the troubled tone, illustrating intoxicated torment, ‘Four missed calls and an empty glass. I can’t hear what you’re saying, won’t you just text me back!’ The new single it seems, embodies the drive, fun, and troubles of a rising Mancunian youngster, creating a relatable listen for Northern youth. The MOVER can’t wait to hear it fuelled further, with a full band.
Check out Ryan Jarvis’ live session of ‘Moving Far Too Fast’ for Hive Radio Manchetser:
The Nankeens
Not just another mediocre and mellow indie band, The Nankeens surprise with an array of noise, which brings Blind Tiger into bustling Saturday night life. A full band has the dance floor filled, as a carnage of sound fills tonight’s punters ears.
A sensitive and moody, ‘Whispers Down The Phone,’ is of a melancholy tone. However, electrifying guitar from Adam Tatersall [lead guitar] and Mark Barlow [bass], creates an elevating and rocking sound. Crisp drumming from Simon Darby, at the heart of the track illuminates The Nankeens edgy beat. ‘Oh-oh-oh well do I really wanna know? Oh-oh-oh I didn’t really think so,’ sings [guitar and vocals] Adam Darby with a catching sardonic spirit ,that makes you want to sing-along.
‘Breaking Bad’ is of seductive rock. Singer, Darby asks ‘where do we go from here?’ with a thunderous and deep resonance, before the track cascades into an ear-grabbing and sudden ending, that had us in anticipation for the next track. And blasting from song to song with an unstoppable energy, The Nankeens set is a pleasing whirlwind.
A stand out track tonight, ‘I’m Not Playing,’ is left swirling around our heads. It’s repetition of rounds of poignantly sung, ‘I keep sayin’, I’m not playin”, over the energetic band, is contagious.
See the official video to The Nankeens ‘Whispers Down The Phone’ :
Jordan Allen
Tonight’s headliner, (for his EP Launch of Remembered,) Jordan Allen takes the stage, for one of his most important gigs to date. His set reflects his excitement , hard-work, passion and endurance for his latest release. In his smart clobber and specs Jordan Allen looks a little like a modern day Buddy Holly, but with the vengeance he puts into his prominent guitar playing, he brings rock and roll up to the chaotic speed of 2014.
Allen opens with ‘Holding Fast,’ propelling into his first track with the exhilarating haste and adventure of a joy ride in a car. He strikes his guitar with a furious and fast hand, forming a choppy, upbeat and arresting sound. With his lyrics, ‘You’re not the first and you won’t be the last. So keep my head and I’m holding fast!’, he almost spits his words with an alluring Northern twang. His first track tells the tale of a boy meeting a girl in over-excited haste, resulting in an unfortunate ending, ‘All I wanted was a little bit more, than a night throwing up on your bathroom floor!’ With fun, speed, and a touch of Bolton-boy angst, he makes clear to Blind Tiger, his ability to elaborate a tale with energetic music.
With ‘Trouble’ the hasty skilled strumming continues. Jordan Allen rattles his lyrics as fast as George Formby’s ‘When I’m Cleaning Windows’, but he brings an old, cheery, humorous speed, into a contemporary style of raring angst, sarcasm and wit. ‘Because he’s trouble and you know that he is, he’s had four or five wives and fifteen kids, cos’ he’s trouble,’ he poignantly pops, commenting on the useless dolite heartbreaker, with an enraged haste.
The cheeky chappy, has quite a following at his home town gig tonight, and he plays to his crowd. ‘That rock and roll eh…?’ he jeers, mocking Alex Turner’s recent Brit Awards acceptance speech. He tells us with humorous personality, of his EP which, ‘You can buy from my mum, who apparently looks fit tonight…’
Playing an older track ‘Tough Luck,’ Allen shows no messing, angsty and ready for it, sweat drips from him with effort, as he taps his leg with fervour for his music. Dancing begins to take place on Blind Tigers floors, from not just Allen’s friends who may recognise the track, but also happy unknowing punters. He boisterously sings of guys on mopeds to bus lanes, shops, cops and kids throwing tantrums. His energetic performance infectiously invokes fun amongst the crowd.
On ‘Too Tight’, Jordan Allen’s lyrics resemble the cockiness of indie-rap man Jamie T. But with a Boltonion twist his, angered and derisive words, ridicule his subject with a homely Northen tone, in Bolton’s Blind Tiger. He mocks those obsessed music muses, with a narrow mind, ‘Clinging to your copy of NME, with your head too far up your arse, that you just can’t see…’ With humour Allen’s sentiments are made wittingly clear.
A broken string is the only flaw in tonight’s set, which is easily fixed by borrowing another guitar. ‘Remembered’ the forefront of his new EP is thunderous on record, solo it’s stripped back but still beholds a fearsome enthusiasm. ‘I wanna be remembered, I wanna be seen, not just another coulda, would shoulda been,’ sings Jordan Allen, not with an attitude not too big for his boots, but with admirable determination. And perhaps Allen’s music making could put Bolton on the map for music, making the town remembered, for more than just naff Peter Kay jokes about garlic bread and cheesecake.
Be sure to check out his latest EP for yourself [available on iTunes], along with the animated official video to ‘Remembered’ :
The MOVER 