The night was perfectly constructed with the Gerry Cinnamon Esq Ben Coaten opening things up, alt-rockers No Ripcord sending the night on a slow descent into chaos that punks rockers Wingz Of The Monkey cemented with a guitar snapping set.
The venue was full of the young and the weird, which isn’t surprising considering the headliners are barely scrapping twenty. However, this does not reflect on the quality. Each act is worthy on their own, but the three together encapsulated a sweaty rock ‘n roll night.
Taking to the stage, singer/songwriter Ben Coaten, complete in a Pretty Green shirt and sunglasses, was a diminutive figure until he started singing. Those in the know went straight to the front for what followed. A collection of his own tracks was well received by the audience, who joined in on his tracks ‘Stay The Night’ and single ‘Promised Land’, getting huge applause.
With a couple of covers, including The Charlatans ‘On To Another, Jake Buggs ‘Trouble Town, and the crowd-pleaser ‘Stand By Me’ of Oasis fame, Coaten was a singer who wore his influences proudly, imitating and projecting a set full of Mancunian (via Teesside) charm and wisdom. He ended with his recent upbeat single, ‘Big Beats Manifesto,’ which was a perfect start to tonight.
The calm was over, and the raucous that had started was about to be tipped over the edge as No Ripcord grabbed hold of the audience by the scruff of the neck and didn’t let go. Their brand of alt-rock was imperfect, delivered with a sledgehammer that the bare-chested audience gave right back. With a circle pit kicking off and even a spot of crowd surfing/stage invasion, the band had them whipped into a frenzy and in the palm of their hands.
Their debut single, ‘Hello Curate,’ was played to huge demand. In fact, this music-hungry audience demanded their whole set, with the band feeding off this confidence and belting out tune after tune. With cries of one more song, as the ringing of ‘St Patrick’s Day’ died, the band must have left the stage thinking they had played the gig of their lives. Such was the response from the crowd and the detriment of the singer’s vocal cords.
Wingz Of The Monkey may be a young band, but they have a wealth of experience and talent, especially with the band’s calm centre and guitarist Sonny Evans. They ripped riffs and pulled shapes all night but kept a tight lid on things to make sure the show was musically and visually perfect. The visual, in particular, bassist Logan Lewington brings in spade.
A big appeal to this band is singer Patrick Meehan; his rough, sneering vocals are nearly a perfect match for the band’s music and punk ethos. The inane babble between songs is sometimes hilarious and adds to the punk vision, but there is no taking away the band’s songcraft.
Edward Jackson kicked things off with a snappy drum intro to the recent single, ‘The Accuser’, with the band bursting on stage, keeping the crowd up after No Ripcord had sent them skywards. Soon, the shirts were off, and these skinny young lads tore through their new set, including a cover sung by Sunny ‘Wrong Way’. New single ‘The Dog’ which is due to be released later this month had an airing along with ‘Atomic Pickle Whore’ a brand new track which was a personal highlight. The wah-drenched riff throws something different into the band’s catalogue, demonstrating the band’s songwriting hasn’t wavered and is still top-notch.
Fan favourites of ‘Bass Junkie’ and ‘Fix’ went down a scream, and the gothic cool of ‘Sarcastic Sympathy’, proves the guys have the songs to back up the onstage swagger. By this time, the crowd had gone into a frenzy of the heavy riff of ‘Mr President’. For a good reason, it’s a live favourite: the room erupted in a shower of teenage sweat as bodies bounced off the walls and ceiling. It is a cathartic night for some involving stage invasions, stage dives, crowd surfing and a general wrecking ball approach to dancing.
Tonight, those there witnessed part of the new breed of rock, showing how healthy the scene is and the safe hands that will carry it into the future. It was a night to say you were there when these bands got too big to grace the tiny stage of NE Volume.
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