MUSIC
Music fans luck out with National Lottery tour
I
f you ‘know’ music, you’ll know just how important our grassroots venues are, and you’ll understand the devastation caused by the pandemic, with stages empty, bars quiet and doors locked. Following the success of The National Lottery’s Revive Tour last summer, which contributed £1M to help the industry get back up and running after the craziness of Covid, a second wave of dates were announced countrywide at the start of December. The Black Prince bagged two of the new year shows - and very tasty they are, too. The Wytches will deliver 10 gigs as part of the tour for the Music Venue Trust, stopping off at the Northampton venue on night two of the schedule, on January 6. And the band is buzzing at the prospect. “It’s an amazing thing to be a part of because these small venues are very close to our hearts,” bassist Dan Rumsey said, “They helped us become a band and find ourselves when we were first starting out. Without them there would be no bands. That’s why the campaign is so important, it allows musicians to go out and do what they love, and in turn keeps the grassroots venues open and running as they should be!” Since coming together a little over a decade ago, The Wytches have issued three albums, and a whole host of ep’s. In the lead up to the tour the band has made its return to the
Catch Calva Louise at The Black Prince on January 25
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The Wytches play The Black Prince on January 6
studio, working on the follow-up to Three Mile Ditch, which was declared a release that ‘weaves seamlessly between gut-wobbling monster riffs, swampy rock, slick surf and finely tuned song craft.’
And there is a big audience waiting for more of that good stuff. On January 25, Strange Bones and Calva Louise will co-headline the haunt as part of the same venture. Last August, Blackpool’s Strange Bones delivered their debut elpee, England Screams, described as ‘a mutant creation spawned from a year of experimentation and pushing personal boundaries.’ The band of brothers (vocalist/guitarist Bobby, bassist Will and guitarist Jack) were joined in noise making by drummer Nathan Sanderson. Bobby took care of writing, production, mixing and engineering duties which ensured ownership of the material, and no doubt kept the costs down too! A win-win. The idea behind the album came from “trying to understand the relationship between order and chaos, the two factions that fly different flags but create balance when they meet in battle,” Bobby said, “I’m not afraid of taking things to extremes, which aligns with the highs and lows of not just songwriting, but life in general.” There is nothing lightweight here; instead listeners can gorge themselves on a mix of punked-up angst and venom with distorted guitars and heavy sub-bass. That potency only increases in the sweaty urgency of a gig haunt, of course. “Strange Bones has never been driving in
January 2022 | NN Pulse Magazine | 22,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Northamptonshire
