So here we are at one of our favourite venues, Junktion 7, to check out two different musical experiences in one! Upstairs we have a Broxtowe College music showcase and downstairs we have Junktion 7's regular Tuesday night Open Mic.
Open Mic
Junktion 7 is such a odd little place in many ways, the downstairs has a cosy, slightly trendy, art student feel that is very much what you get from the Open Mic here. The upstairs is dark and dirty with the walls plastered in posters and flyers, a proper rock venue!
The Open mic has a good crowd, made up of a mix of people but with a healthy student contingent. There is some room for experimentation and with some bongos and keyboards added to the more obvious guitarist/singer/songwriters, it has a welcoming and open minded feel.
The acts tonight included people we have seen before at Open Mic sessions round Nottingham like James Random and then some faces we hadn't yet had the pleasure of encounting. The mix of styles was very nice and with every performer getting a free drink, both the organisers and crowd seem very easy going and appreciative.
It was pretty busy tonight and this is always nice to see, as some open mic nights don't seem to get in much of a crowd, but Junktion 7 has a fine reputation and on tonight's showing this is certainly an excellent chance for any performers looking to play some of their own material or have fun playing some covers to come down and join in!
Broxtowe College Showcase
As the laid back sounds of the Open Mic continued downstairs we moved upstairs to check out the best Browxtowe College has on offer at the moment. With a fine reputation and Nottingham bands such as Wagstaffe and Weeble having been involved as students on the courses, you always seem to find a few great up and coming acts at these events.
As we enter the upstairs room we catch the end of Contours In Motion, this female fronted rock band have a nice sound and mix indie rock with a more kicking 'Pretenders' sort of style to create really moving and catchy songs. The vocalist certainly has a good melodic voice and with deep distorted guitars and driving bass they looked a very good band.
We wondered between the open mic downstairs and the goings on upstairs for a while, seeing some funky bongo playing and folk rock in the main bar and then witnessing some cool flowing freestyle MC's and nice harmonies from an all-girl RnB group upstairs. This was turning into a good night and after moving between the two rooms some more we finally settled upstairs to watch the final two bands of the night.
First we had Solis, who we had seen before a few times and to be honest had never been amazed by in the past. Tonight though Solis seemed to have grown in both confidence and performance with a much tighter set than previous gigs and with some real conviction and passion from the lead vocalist, they had a great energy and good movement to their songs.
Solis mix growls, screams and dark grunts of 'Disturbed-esque' metal with more random and complex structures. In the past, it had seemed a little disjointed but tonight it was a lot tighter and some songs sounded really great. The drums were still a little off the pace at times, but Solis showed much more potential and with a little more work could certainly become one interesting experimental and energetic metal band.
Finishing the show upstairs we had Lo-fi Jack who we had heard some very good things about. Kicking straight in with an upbeat indie grunge feel their songs mixed some good dynamics and tempo changes and with both the guitarist and bassist providing vocals, it had a constant groove and flow.
The basslines had quite a blues feel at times and with a more dirty garage guitar and crashing punky drums it was hard to pin point what exact genre Lo-fi Jack's music is. The songs were all pretty catchy and with some darker moments that reminded me of SIlverchair mixed with indie punk in the style of Idlewild, it was kept energetic and upbeat.
It was a good end to the night and left the crowd on a high as we wandered back downstairs for one last glance at the Open Mic before heading off home.
