a whole lotta Bush

What was simply a plan to put on a handful of bands in a pub’s function room swiftly escalated into a packed bill and the daunting task of squeezing nine bands into just one evening as Bushfest'10 took shape.

Started as the brainchild of 9blind’s Mark Seibert in 2008, this year’s third annual Bushfest took on a new life with the involvement of myself and Rock For Change and evolved into an all-encompassing, 6 hour phenomenom.

With 9 bands performing, there really isn’t enough I can say here to really sink my teeth in and dissect the gig properly, but there were enough people there to experience it that I shouldn’t need to go over the whole thing for them.

Even such an early start, with doors opening at 6pm, wasn’t enough to dissuade the eager crowd that had been gathering outside from as early as 5, keen not to miss a single moment of the action.

I began warming up the audience from behind the decks before the evening’s live entertainment was kicked off by a double whammy of new-comers, Twisted Hearts and Hurricane Season, both recent additions to Enfield’s ever growing list of bands and both attracting enough fans that anyone could quite easily forget how early it was, with another 7 bands still to come.

Deeds of the Dying followed swiftly, along with New Conscience, Room 9 and The Anonymous, all setting the bar high and impressing the throng of people that had continued to gather over the course of the evening with an array of sing-a-longs, moshpits, crowd participation and over enthusiastic dancing between them..

Enemy Planet and Kids Uncanny both held up the high standards that had been set before them, the two female fronted bands on the bill had nothing to prove to their male counterparts whatsoever, as both bands are already well enough known by local audiences to pull out a number of fan favourites and keep the evening moving without losing pace.

And as the night was eventually drawing to a close, 9blind's late headline slot was like an epiphany.

Stood by the side of the stage watching a room of devoted fans sing back every word to 9blind and I realised then just how important tonight was.


Bushfest wasn’t just a gig.


It was a celebration of some of Enfield’s most promising talent.


It was a chance for young fans not to worry about being 18 in order to enjoy a Saturday night out.


It was a landmark occasion that many music fans in our ostracised suburb never thought they would get the chance to see.


Because amazingly, for a town without a legitimate music venue, Enfield has cultivated so many exciting bands, and seeing 9 of our local acts playing back to back it became clear that we have created our own scene without a scene, where enjoying the music is more important than any singular musical tribe, and where we have had to strive to do it all ourselves because nothing has been given to us.



We achieved all this without any light at the end of the tunnel, campaigning for a music venue, asserting that younger fans should be able to get into gigs, and not wanting to travel into Camden or even further afield to see a band that came from our home town when we can't even see them locally, it brought us all to this point.

The fact that a small metal band hailing from Edmonton can inspire such devotion among a fervent fanbase and that a small local festival can breathe life into a backroom-cum-venue might mean that Enfieldians long dark days may finally be drawing to a close.

9BlinD - Promises   stream only

credit where it's due:

photography by Laura Harvey
mp3 stream kindly agreed by 9Blind

BushFest is coming!

2 musicians, a gig organiser and a music journalist walk into a bar.

this isn't a start of a joke, this was the start of planning BushFest'10

Mark Seibert, lead singer of Edmonton metallers 9Blind has been running the annual shindig in a Bush Hill Park boozer since 2008, but this year he reached out to local gig promoters Rock For Change and yours truly, in order to widen the reach of the mini-festival and dig deeper into Enfield's rich musical tapestry.

Initially getting in touch via facebook, a few ideas and band names were knocked about and a meeting and a few jars was planned so we could really bump heads and put the wheels in motion.

Past events held at the Bush Hill Park Hotel have been full on head banging affairs that have seen the cream of the Enfield Underground scene piling into the pub's backroom for a night of supercharged testestorone and relentless riffs while veterans D.Monic held court with a succesful run as headliners.


But since the demise of D.Monic and the uprising within Enfield's musical ranks the repertoire has been expanded this year for a broader listening experience.

Laura and Mehmet from the succesful Rock For Change campaign have built a good track record of putting on gigs within the past year, and my experience and knowledge of up and coming bands within the local music scene make for a well-rounded viewpoint when trying to organise this years one day mini-fest.

so the gears were turning, and a drink and a meet-up was planned in order to thrash out all the details.

and what a meeting of minds that was as....


thankfully when Mark and Joe from 9Blind met up with Mehmet and myself for a couple of pints there weren't too many arguments when settling the bill, if anything the hardest choices were deciding who to leave off.

so you're gonna wanna know what we've got instore for you!!

drafted in to kick things off are young upstarts Twisted Hearts and Hurricane Season, two of Enfield's newest bands, joined by New Conscience and The Anonymous later on in the evening, both alumni of the Rock For Change campaign gigs.

filling out the long evening of aural entertainment are a few names you will undoubtedly recognise from my previous articles and are bands that i will unashamedly champion given any chance.

so if you haven't had the pleasure yet, Bushfest will be a perfect opportunity to acquant yourselves with Deeds of the Dying, Room 9, Enemy Planet and Kids Uncanny before our local bands become too big to play in our fair borough.

and the highly coveted headline slot will be an eagerly anticipated late set by 9Blind, sealing their position as one of Enfield's most loved acts by bringing live proceedings to a close.


the reason for previewing this years BushFest instead of regailing the aftermath is because aswell as providing an input to the nights programming, i shall also be DJing throughout the entirety with my Bubblegum Stomp collective and may very well have little memory of it afterwards.

so, to witness what i may not be able to tell you, get yourself along to this year's Bushfest on Saturday October 2nd at Bush Hill Park Hotel (next to BHP station) St Marks Road, with doors opening at 6 and DJing into the early hours, it's bound to be a messy night.

let battle commence

it has been 3 months since Rock For Change's Big Gig at the Milfield Arts centre in march.

and since then, disappointingly and inevitably they have once again struggled to find bars and venues willing to let a younger audience attend gigs.

But after a hiatus, the campaign once again touches down in Enfield, finding a new home at the Live Room in Palmers Green for a battle of the bands contest.

five acts were pitted against each other after topping a qualifying vote held via facebook, with the winning band filling a support slot at Enfield Town's Fake Festival
.
(why these five local bands weren't already considered for the support slots is another gripe i have with the Fake Festival, but let's carry on regardless)



Red Monday were first up, kicking things off with a mature and impassioned performance that would have gone down well with any festival crowd and then Hurricane Season followed. Considering the infancy of the band the post-hardcore band were supported by a steady stream of followers as the band powered through their 25 minute set, keen to make an impact and win over voters.



Syn-X took to the stage to give Hurricane Season a lesson on how to really rock a crowd, introducing themselves as 'the heavy band' and advising the more discerning members of the audience when it was safe to take their hands from over their ears.  thrashing out to a thrilled crowd with lead singer/screamer Johnny Bailey possessing personality enough to fill the room. those less interested in the heavy heavy metal were appeased slightly with Rihinna's 'Rude Boy' being transformed into a metal machination.
 


I have been entertained by the preppy punk styling of Double A before and yet again they do not disappoint. crude yet all done in jest. they neither take themselves too seriously nor treat their band like a joke. from a band with vulgar lyrics and cover versions of Black Eyed Peas and Justin Beiber this is rather a hard balance to strike yet these guys attain it with seemingly minimal effort.



and then onto final act, Kids Uncanny, a band that i have reviewed a few times and make no secret of my passion, and yet again they turn out a set that perfectly showcases their abilities to write great songs and work a crowd, taking the contest in their stride.

claiming the festival support slot after overwhelming voting, Kids Uncanny clearly have the talent to cut a swathe across the local scene and position themselves as the Enfield band to keep an eye out for. hopefully big things will be abound for them very soon.



credit where it's due:

all photos by Laura Harvey

maybe this week. maybe next week

ok, so the official story is that the arts editor of the Enfield Advertiser had been away, which meant the articles i've been submitting got a little waylaid and are running a bit behind schedule.

so that the articles don't become hopelessly irrelevant i thought i'd get them posted on my blog ahead of publication, this weeks edition features my Tinnitus Awareness article, and keep an eye out for the following piece coming soon...



Rock For Change vol.4 @ The Hollybush 15.02.10


It's half past 7 and an eager queue of youngsters has amassed outside The Hollybush as local gig organisers, Rock For Change, host another successful night in town.

The campaign to get under 18s into local gigs has clearly struck a chord as both legal age drinkers and those resigned only to soft drinks mingle in the pub's backroom waiting for the bands to start.

Opening act Black Danny come from a clear lineage of brit-rock acts that owe a certain debt to Oasis, evident in the swagger and posture of their lead singer but these lads were more than just pure cliche, starting with a moody instrumental piece before moving on to tight laddish rock with heart.

Deeds Of The Dying stuck out like a sore thumb on the bill, but kicked as hard as a mule. It was quite clear that they had brought there own metal-loving following as the venue swiftly turned into mass of flailing limbs while the charged screamo band revelled in the chaos unfolding around them.



While the moshers went to take a bit of a breather, The Anonymous played a set heavily bolstered by cover versions, taking in Foo Fighters, Queens Of The Stone Age and 'Misirlou', aswell as offering up a small smattering of their own material before inviting up gig campaigner Mehmet Imamzade for their final track, a runthrough of Muse's 'Hysteria'.



It seems to me that tonight's headliners, Kids Uncanny, are seriously running the risk of outgrowing their name, as they and their indie-rock sound have matured so much every time I have seen them.

Playing in support of their re-released EP and ahead of the unveiling of new material, they remain a thrilling band to watch and are still adding to the fanbase they have been amassing over the past few years of hard work.





and it seems the intimate back room can't contain Rock For Change's ambition, with the next gig being their biggest yet announced at Milfield Arts Centre on 21st March, featuring Enfield's Red Monday and Double A and headlined by Brighton based, The Auteur.

credit where it's due:

all photos by Laura Harvey

Breaking and Entering

it has been all too easy to despair recently at the state of Enfield's musical goings on (or more appropriately, lack of) so it is with a wide beaming grin that i can report back on last thursday and on some bright new hopes that are shining through Enfield's mainly dismal night life



i'll readily admit to being a fan of Kids Uncanny, and can't believe that it had been almost a year since i last (and first) saw them and was blown away by their music, and to stand and watch them knowing that i already love them i was blown away all over again, they seemingly are a band that has it all, the look, the attitude, they have girls with guitars (and a guy on drums) and they have the talent and the songs to back it all up and i would urge anyone to catch them live



another band that i had (barely) caught live at the old Red Griffin Records nights is The Ridgeway Project, with all the rushing around those old gigs used to require from those involved they had almost passed me by, but taking the time to enjoy them properly showed evidence of a band that shouldn't be overlooked, they play tight and they sound great, breathing new life into some good old fashioned rock n roll music



the night was topped off with a touch of glamour with actress/model Lois Winstone posturing, posing and wailing through the headline set with her band, Galileo, a bluesy-rock fusion that backs her sultry and beguiling vocals and makes everyone take notice of them as they blow through the small venue like a force of nature

and credit where it's due to Deano Sharp, who not only organised the whole night but also DJed and played as part of Galileo, he also gave Bubblegum Stomp a long overdue DJ slot and has hopefuly given a kick up the arse to what was beginning to look like a dying scene.

all photography by Ian Byford Art