Tramlines Festival 2010 @ SHEFFIELD

Tramlines is an urban music festival across 50 venues and 3 outdoor stages in Sheffield City Centre.

And it is free...Cheeky Bonus.
 

What an awesome weekend!

On Friday night old school dutch prog rock (nutters) - FOCUS- played at The Leadmill supported by The Arch Nazards and another very friendly band whom I forget the name of.
Never really been in to prog rock but it was definitely worth seeing ...

Focus's Hammond organ on stage.  Very fragile.

 

Sound-checking

Focus - guitarist

This (LOL) video is Focus back in their glory years, about a minute in the yodelling starts...


 
Everybody should learn from his facial expressions. 














Saturday was utter chaos in town...no-one could even move...think it was the excitement that  not just Craig David and Dane Bowers were playing the main stage but Tinchy Strider as well...Oh My. Crikey Me.
Unfortunately... we could not penetrate the crowds to gain access to that stage...instead there was a mazin gig on at Corporation - a band called Future of the Left.  Upon arrival at said venue we were not allowed in - gutted.  But still I heard the gig was wonderful.

On Sunday we had a chill out in Bungalows & Bears with a few pals and a G&T - was lovely.

Then it was time for the Main Stage, it was slightly less busy today so we got to see Lords of Flatbush, Shake Aletti, Echo and the Bunnymen...AND Mystery Jets!  

Shake Aletti

Mystery Jets + big beach ball thing

Watching Mystery Jets

Shake Aletti Shakin

It was an awesome festival...

Thank you Tramlines for putting on such a joyous event AND it was my birthday! 
So we celebrated nicely.

Squeezing in to the Kings Arms, Salford, for a gig.

The Kings Arms in Salford is one of those well-kept-secret-type places.  A little pub on a corner in a slightly obscure area, incidentally there is a really cheap (and delicious) chip shop just around the corner.   

 The pub reminded me of somewhere in East Berlin a bit...The DiY style eclectic furniture and disco ball vibe was real cool.
Upstairs there was a small-ish room with a stage where the Helmets4men night would occur later on...

Mister Long Arms sound-checking

The sound-check was a slightly extended/muddled affair as every effort was made to produce a miraculously awesome sound in slightly tricky circumstances.  

 As it turned out the sound that night was...well, bad.  

(But that is not to say that the night itself was not a success)

Not to worry the bands said...onwards and upwards... 
or downwards to the bar area at least.

Cheers Lass!

First on that night were Sheffield's Black Horrors -  A wild live act that surprised and even shocked me a little...recommend seeing live.

Then there was Kin – atmospheric Radiohead/PJ Harvey-esque songs.  Really cool. 

Kin using multiple microphones

And last but not least  The Arch Nazards, slight carnage... glasses smashed by falling microphone stands...Wild. 

Anyway check this out for a real review of the night: Review !

AND check out Helmets4Men for videos of the night and previous nights too... 

Great Stuff.  

Toodle Pip.
    

A brief snapshot of recent events through a slightly broken camera lens.

 The new look Crucible Theatre in the centre of Sheffield...

 


















Hanging out with the Arch Nazards, backstage at O2 Academy, Sheffield.































 















 LOL.




A particularly hard-to-make-out
snap of LegoLucy rocking out during the Arch Nazards set...

















Well, she must have been having a good time.

A trip to Manchester...The Arch Nazards @ Islington Mill

Location: Islington Mill, Salford, Manchester.






















 And the reason for this mission over the snake pass (to rock the heck out with the Nazards):





















Upon arrival at the venue, a little wait was needed until sound-check o'clock. Not long to go, the Suzuki Method chaps were on stage testing their guitars and synths etc.  Time for a little rest.

Hallo Lucy Synth.








Hallo Lee Bass.














Perfect time for a G&T...Thanks Gordon.

 There was even time to pop in to a local exhibition (it was downstairs, so very local)...
Salford Zine Library presents the Stomach Pump exhibition.
A collection of over 400 zines dating back 30 odd years.  Sick.

Look...





The Beanie, with Dave the menace...Well I mean!  What a coincidence that there was that one called the Beano, but that was like about Dennis, not Dave int it...




Awesome:




















 The Suzuki Method were headlining the night, they sounded pretty ace during sound-check so the show later on was an exciting prospect.

 Not to mention Kingfishers Catch Fire who were first to hit the stage...Rocking out to a highly receptive audience,

Trumpets and synths and drums and guitars all ready, vocal chords suitably warmed up,

Ambient lighting...Check.



Everything was in order...And then the Nazards rocked out,

And so did Suzuki Method, (it looks like he is kissing the microphone doesn't it.)

Review...here.

All in all a pleasant/furious event.

Arch Nazards hit the 'pool with FuRiOuS & awesome force...

Well, on Friday lunchtime The Arch Nazards set off on their way to the 'European Capital of Culture' Liverpool.  Over the Snake Pass we went...

That night the Nazards would rock the Korova Club...with furious force.

After a quick setting up, sound-check and setting down of instruments we headed to the pub next door for some well deserved refreshment

 Cheers!

 

I made a friend with a wooden leg.  we had a little boogie...

The pub we were in was rather spectacular, a place called the Philharmonic Pub...


There were ornate stained glass windows and apparently the men's toilets, with their marble urinals, were quite the tourist attraction, we did not get to see them.

Next back to the train station to meet up with some more of the Nazard crew, just time to check out some art...

'Chance Meeting' - Sculptures inspired by two legendary Liverpudlians, Ken Dodd & Bessie Braddock, in Liverpool Lime Street train station.

A good old walk around the centre, lots of cool stuff to check out, 
For instance...A massive TV screen in the street...well, I suppose we need to keep tuned in.

The famous Liverpool Cavern Club...
well the original entrance to the place at least,










The Cavern Wall of Fame...so many names of bands and people that have rocked the pool...

A contemporary Costa coffee shop what!


After all the walking around we were getting rather peckish, time for a king size fatti snack...we found an American Style Diner, it looked awesome in there. 

Martin and Richard

And a total Yum fest...

After all the food and joy the diner could possibly bring us we made our way back to Korova where the Nazards would soon be blasting out a volcanic set,



I was ready to rock OUT!
 Well, as it turned out, the very next morning after the Nazard show Korova Club burnt down, it must have been the sheer force of electro-rock power... 
http://www.nme.com/news/nme/50706

Well Liverpool, thank you for having us!