December 3, 2005
So we find ourselves out in Nottingham’s nether-region of Netherfield but this is in fact a fairly welcome sight as not only are we here to witness some very good bands but the Inn The Bank is in fact a very very nice little pub with a upstairs room that is both cosy yet roomy enough for the bands to have plenty of space to play.
Tonight all 3 bands are playing acoustic/unplugged sets and to start off we have Buckshot Soup. Using some very catchy and funky double bass and mixing it with a country style acoustic and some smooth slide guitars, Buckshot Soup have a very catchy blues grass country feel to them. With the vocals being very clear and melodic yet keeping a powerful growl it has plenty of feeling and their style is certainly upbeat and uplifting. This band are very tight and also have a style that is very different from any other bands we have seen around and even if you think country music is cheesy, you would surely get down to this mix of funky, double bass ho-down blues and melodic country rock. With some excellent covers done in their own style (including Queen’s Fat Bottom Girls) this band provided a lively and upbeat start to the evening.
Up second are 7th Secret, who have travelled from out of town (I think it was Aylesbury) to provide us with a healthy burst of female fronted Indie-rock.The guitars and bass interlock really well and create some very nice melodies with the soft and effective drumming that kicks up at perfect times, they can mix soft melodic sounds with heavier moments. The vocalist has a excellent voice and pulls off covers of Skunk Anansie and The Cranberries with ease. It would be nice to see some more of their own material, as there was no doubt that this band had some great technique and a nice mix of sound. They also added some male vocals on some songs which worked very well in contrast to the females lead vocal.They finished a tight and impressive set with a really interesting and original piano version of The Police’s Message In A Bottle, which certainly proved that this band had plenty of imagination and talent.
Finally we finish with Nottingham’s own heavy grunge rockers Manichae, who tonight are playing a acoustic set. Now, we have witnessed the quality of Manichae before and as a full electric outfit they normally crash in with emotional, driving rock in the Sound Garden/Alice in Chains sort of mould.Tonight though we are in for a different side of this band. With the two acoustic guitars mixing and contrasting well with their soft chords and emotional picking and lead riffs, tonight Manichae have a more bluesy edge to their rock with some grunge influence coming through more as well. The acoustic bass sounds really nice and with the bassist and guitarist adding some really great harmonies Manichae’s sound has more of a Staind or Pearl Jam edge to it. With the guitars and bass creating a web of soft and melodic sounds, it gives the vocalist a chance to really show how powerful his voice is and what a good range he has. Ever time we see Manichae it is clear that they have a quality lead vocal but with the vocals taking a more central role and with more backing than normal, the vocals stand out as Manichae’s real strength. The only thing that might put people off Manichae is that a lot of the songs are down beat, but with such emotional powerful songs, I personally really enjoy their style. It was really great seeing the softer side to Manichae and I think they could easily add a more acoustic feel to their full set at times to give them more dynamic and play on the excellent vocal talent more, all in all a great gig and an excellent finale to the night. Reviewed by Gaz
Written By Gaz
