Black Light Graffiti are interesting, although they might describe themselves as an Indie/Rock band there are all sorts of rather lovely raucous raw frantic 60s’ R’n’B and 70s’ blues rock vibes going on all over this EP. And that’s something I can sign up to big time.

So if you go straight for the EP opener ‘The Flood’ you may well be asking yourself ‘what in the hell is Frank talking about here’, it’s perhaps a little bit more Indie rock in sound but there are hints of what is to come. That isn’t a criticism ‘The Flood’ really is great, it sort of rocks out in a restrained but hugely effective way.

Ah but now we’re talking ‘Reverend’ is pure raucous R‘n’B. Just listen to that bluesy rock thing going on, and the lyrics and vocal, and that guitar break, it rocks.

‘Second Chances’ comes on like something out of Free frankly. It’s all guitar stab breaks and wailing vocals. And that bass heavy thing going on in the chorus. And look it’s ages since I heard a solo introduced by the singer saying ‘geetar’. And that guitar wails, it wails big time, it’s a fine fine thing.

And then it’s big classic rock ballad time with ‘Sometimes I Forget’. This is just the biggest thing., it’s sit there and immense yourself yourself in that creamy creamy guitar time. And it even has a piano in the opening of the track. It’s gorgeous, yep I’m unleashing gorgeous. The vocals on this thing are just fantastic. And those drums, pure classic heavy rock loveliness.

And they ain’t done yet ‘Straight On Til Morning’ is 6½ minutes of something which just sounds like one of those classic rock driving songs mixed with something a little bit indie rock. It sounds strange really works, I mean really works. Standout on this is frankly the guitar breaks, they rock, they big time. I mean fuck it’s ages since I heard guitar like that, it sounds, and I mean this as a huge compliment, like Michael Schenker. It riffs, it screams, it roars. I mean look the end of this track is just 2 ½ minutes of guitar, lovely breathtakingly good guitar. It almost had me unleashing the good old air guitar.

I may be making this sound retro but it’s retro classic rock with a modern rock thing going on or, if you insist, modern rock with a retro classic rock thing going on. Frankly I care not one damn how you describe it, this is frankly great. If you’re a fan of that classic rock/bluesy rock/raucous R’n’B sound then this is very definitely one for you. If that isn’t your thing them I implore you, I beg you, to take a listen, it won’t be wasted time.

The info

Black Light Graffiti are an Indie/Rock band with vibes akin to Kaleo and The Black Keys. They formed around Hull in late 2018. Founding members are: Adam Shepherdson (Guitar and Voclas), John Shepherdson (Lead Guitar), Mike ‘Dez’ Desforges (Drums), Will Shepherdson (Bass) and Rich Clarke (Synth and Guitar). Their digital EP ‘Through the Fires’ debuted in November 2018 and was recorded over a 5 day session at Toolmakers Studio in Sheffield. The release was produced and mastered by Nathan Bailey.

https://blacklightgraffiti.com/
https://www.facebook.com/blacklightgraffiti

I last reviewed something from Kid Conventional (The EP ‘I Will Never Be An Astronaut’) back in May last year, and was much impressed. Since then I had the pleasure of seeing him perform supporting Thomas & The Empty Orchestra.

The thing with the songs on this EP is that they are largely just voice and acoustic guitar, so there are two things that just have to work well for this to work – the vocals and the words. Jack’s vocals are just lovely, quite why I find them so captivating I can’t say, perhaps it’s the fact that he just sings the words and doesn’t put huge amounts of emotion into vocal pyrotechnics. It’s just simply sang and they let the words do the work. The words of these songs had me going back to listen again, with this almost compulsive need to try and work out what the songs meant. And they do mean something, these are not simple songs at all.

My joint favourite track from the EP ‘Samantha’ has a gentle driving rhythm that had me gentling swaying to the music and that drew me into the words. There’s the promise of broken relationships, a life wasted, relying on drink, a past with no future. The more I listened to words of this song the more emotionally effected I got. It is quite quite moving.

‘Conformence Anxiety’ has what I might call quite a jaunty tune, although lyrically it’s not a barrel of laughs. It seems to be about the anxiety of trying to fit in, and how sad and depressed this can make you (may be wrong here, that’s just my take). And this song has the most delightful slightly off-kilter electric guitar break which just works.

‘You’re Probably Not The Answer’ is sparse with this slow choppy guitar. It sounds deeply deeply dark and actually me feel quite down after listening to it for the fifth time (this isn’t a criticism, I do actually like music that makes me feel deeply emotional). It has the addition of out of tune piano right at the end which just sets off the lyrics off wonderfully. It seems to be about a relationship which isn’t ideal but will do.

The other joint favourite ‘Entropy’ has these little additions of piano. It is again about a relationship, a relationship in it’s final stages. The thing about this track is the end section which starts to add these noises, creaks and groans and thuds.

These are captivating compelling songs sung plainly and simply letting the words do the work of conveying the message. The arrangements are hugely effective, not taking any thing from the words. For the words are the important thing in the songs. Properly listening to these is just so hugely rewarding. If you like really well written and delivered songs with meaning these are for you/

The info

Kid Conventional is Sheffield singer-songwriter Jack Weston. With his dark folk style inspired by the likes of Bright Eyes and Fleet Foxes, he won Yorkshire Unplugged in 2013 and quickly became a fixture on the local scene. His single ‘No Promises’ was named at #15 on BBC Sheffield Introducing’s Top 50 of 2015. His May 2017 EP ‘I Will Never Be an Astronaut’ was released to glowing reviews and backed up by more than 50 shows around the UK.

He has played support slots for such high-profile artists as Jess Glynne, The Brand New Heavies, Little Comets, Low Duo and Charlotte Carpenter, with his honest and bitter-sweet lyrics, darkly comic stage-craft, and powerful and energetic vocal performances endearing him to music lovers from all musical backgrounds. In addition to his solo work, he currently fronts the Sheffield Beatles Project, who played acclaimed shows at Tramlines and the O2 Academy Sheffield in 2017 and 2018.

Facebook: http://facebook.com/kidconventionalmusic
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1lt0rLUoFs3SKLptTQpfpb?si=G_h9fDfbQfqT4QLaOnldfA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kidconventional/
Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/kidconventional

There’s back story to this review. I first caught Tranqua Lite at Thinking Cap Festival over a year ago, under what we might call ‘less than ideal circumstances’. Even so I made a mental note to catch the band playing again when I could. For various reasons – and not always the reason I actually said I’m ashamed to say, but there were reasons for that – I had to say no to Tranqua Lite’s many invitations to come and see them (Thanks guys for not giving up on me!). Tranqua Lite are sadly not the only band I’ve turned down over the last year, it’s been a bit of strange time. The good thing is that the ‘strange year’ has come to an end with a move to Huddersfield, so at last I can go and see bands in Leeds without having to leave early to get the ridiculously early last train to where I used to live. So at last I could say ‘yes please can you put me on the guestlist’ to Toby (Tranqua Lite’s bass player) when he asked whether I could make this gig.

It appears that Tranqua Lite have also been going through some changes – Toby told me rather intriguingly that ‘things have changed since the last time’, and indeed they have. But more of that later, before we got to see and hear Tranqua Lite’s set there are two ‘new to me’ bands.

Avacet flavour their alternative rock with that bass heavy sound and ringing guitar of classic post-punk. My review notes – scribbled in the virtual blackness of the Wardrobe – say ‘Sorta Cure-y in places’, and I’m sticking with that. And key is that they mix this with something we can recognise as alternative rock BUT it’s dark people.

The thing that stands out about Avacet is the bass playing, frankly that bass was cool as fuck, it basically held my attention for the whole of their set.

The problem with seeing a new band for the first time is, of course, that it’s hard to focus down on the detail, you really only get an overall impression. The notes – yep it’s those again – say I sometimes, only sometimes OK, felt that it sounded a tad samey in places. That may be because I wasn’t listening properly hard, that may have just been me on the night. Sometimes I’m a bad reviewer OK. What I do know is that my notes say ‘see this band again’ and yes I was impressed enough to make a big note to catch them again. My recommendation, check out the band on your download or streaming service of choice and go see them live.

Contrarians had me intrigued from the start. Their first song started with some really nice piano led stuff and then it exploded, I mean really exploded. And the band put on a show, visually they’re exciting. Musically, rather strangely, it sounded a little System of a Down in places, although the note that says this is also followed by the phrase bizarrely ‘bloody hell, this sounds like a rocky Divine Comedy’. I’m not entirely sure the band would be happy with that description. I think what I’m trying to say is that it – if there is such a thing – there’s a sort of alt-art rock thing going on.

This band can play, I mean really play, I was hugely impressed with that. And that wasn’t at all comprised by the show. You know sometimes bands put on a show and the playing suffers, Contrarians didn’t do that at all. And the lead vocals, really loved those.

The songs are epic and big, and they sound important. There’s light and shade, they’re really well put together. And there’s variation in the sound of individual songs but, even on this first listen, I got a ‘band sound’, there’s something that makes them hang together and work as a set. Look, and this is an order OK, go and see this band, they rock, they rock big time.

The thing with going to see gigs to review and photograph is that you miss out on the ‘inter-band’ drink break. You have to stand in or near the best place to take photos from so that nobody else takes your spot. What this did mean was that I got to Tranqua Lite setting up and there was a lot of percussion coming on stage, I mean a hell of a lot of percussion. A little mysterious to say the least.

From the very start of their opening song the band are sounding huge, I mean really fucking huge. There’s layers and layers of sounds BUT there is a tune, a funky danceable tune. There’s wonderful bass and these little lovely hits of keyboard. The vocals don’t disappoint, something I noted the first time I saw the band a year ago.

And this doesn’t let up, the second track is something that had me throwing shapes – OK small shapes, I was holding a large heavy camera and attempting to write review notes. Sometimes it’s hard being a reviewer. My notes say ‘yes it’s poppy but it’s alternative pop with a rock edge. It’s rock tinged pop with depth and thought’. And they’re not afraid to throw something entirely unexpected into the mix. This second song has something going on at one stage that sounded a little like Yes, it’s those layered vocals people.

And when Tranqua Lite do rock, they really rock, it’s a riot but there’s always a tune boring it’s way into your ears and brain. Objectively it’s clever, very clever but subjectively it’s just this wonderful sound thing going on.

‘Balance’ (hey I may have that wrong, apologies if I did) the first song from some new material is all off-kilter and, as those notes say ‘damn hot funky as hell’. OK so I may have been losing my reviewer edge there but it’s way cool.

The band finish with their upcoming new single and it’s all choppy and funky, it’s rocky but with huge pop sensibility. And it’s for this that they deploy the vast amount of percussion, including the assistance of the tracks producer. It’s a really cool fantastic way to close a huge set.

Tranqua Lite have come a long way since I last saw them – a lot can change in a year – and I’m really converted, I’m a fan. Can’t wait to see them again. And if you like alternative poppy rock with funky tunes and great playing, go see Tranqua Lite you won’t be disappointed.

Tranqua Lite: https://www.facebook.com/tranqualite
Contrarians: https://www.facebook.com/contrariansband
Avacet: https://www.facebook.com/AVACET

All photos on this page © Frank Roper Photography