Some Bands - November

In the last few weeks I got to see Sigmund Void, The Dead Hamster Society, Gerard Bell-Fife, and the G.L.A.R.C label tour, all live in Bradford. Sigmund Void and the The Dead Hamster Society were at Nightrain on an otherwise dark, miserable, wet, Thursday night. The Dead Hamster Society blasted through a set that covered most of the tracks on their recent EP ‘Arnt You Dead Yet’. Jetpcks is still my favourite track. Sigmund Void have the best titled album I’ve heard for a while in 20 MILLION YEAR OLD GIANT PREDATORY NIGHTMARE WORM , but I hadn’t yet seen them live. They have an energy and an attitude that’s infectious. The songs are generally short, sharp and on point. The microphone is a vehicle for the lyrics, but also an additional instrument at times. The lead singer stalks and swaggers around the stage - good stuff.

In contrast, Gerard Bell-Fife brought his laid back songs to a gathering at The Assembly the other night. Beautifully crafted songs, with a low key delivery, to an appreciative audience. I couldn’t stay to the end, so I put his “It’s Over” album on the headphones on the way home.

Fuse hosted the G.L.A.R.C label tour, with sets from Sholto Dobie, Dahlia, and Able Noise. Sholto Dobie played a single piece of music that incorporated a bunch of stuff that I couldn’t quite work out. There was definitely a Hurdy Gurdy throughout, but also a bit of static radio, some loops, a field recording (i think) and a bunch of other stuff - part of the joy is in not knowing exactly how the sounds and atmosphere are created. Dahlia brought the beats, and turned up the volume, with computer, controller, mixer and rhythms. It’s a big ask to get the locals to dance, but there was definitely some head nodding and foot tapping going on. Able Noise are an experimental baritone guitar and drum duo, based between The Hague, the Netherlands and Athens, Greece. They created interwoven atmospheric pieces with wandering beats and tones. Hard to explain, check out the recordings. A really good night, three really interesting artists, performing really well.

All of the above was over about a three week period and cost me a fiver in tickets. Not bad at all.