A bassline reverberates around the room. Just two notes, droning over a simple beat from the drums. The lead singer, dressed in a tight tan leather jacket with a cravat over his black tshirt, speaks gently in the microphone through his moustache and overgrown fringe. Before bursting into earsplitting chords.

Soon joined by shouty lyrics, the music rumbles the brick wall and neon lights at the back of the room. Bungalows and Bears, our venue for the evening, was previously a fire station, now only recognisable by the tall shutters across the front. The band, Femur, are based locally in Sheffield and describe their music as ‘Shoegaze infused with grunge, garage and indie’. The crowd, mostly a selection of longer haired students with retro jackets and some older locals, watch enthusiastically as the lead guitarist jumps to the beat and dances around the small stage. It’s head banging stuff, but only the warm up.

The second band, of the three that are playing tonight, are called the Amazons. Formed less than two years ago, they’ve just released their first EP ‘Don’t you wanna?’, having toured Germany with the Kooks last year. I met up with them beforehand and asked how they reacted when they found out. ‘It was a massive shock for us… we were going nuts… Screaming, running around the garden with our tops off’.

It’s impressive stuff from these four twenty-somethings from Reading. They described the difficulties of being a small band touring the country. ‘You drive for hours to a show in… we’ll say Middlesbrough… and it’ll be a packed room but a club night and no one wants to watch you and no one claps and that’s definitely a downer’. Matt, the lead singer, continues: ‘but then you play at Reading Festival and release your EP and those are definitely highlights’. It’s definitely been a packed year for the band, and their enthusiasm is evident in not just their answers but their music.

As they burst into the bouncy opening of ‘Ultraviolet’, the crowd loosens up, and soon it’s impossible not to nod along with the powerful offbeat drumming in the chorus. Arguably the best song of the EP, this felt like the highlight of the set, but it was a shame that the more tender lyrics of the song were overpowered by the guitars, because they’re not to be overlooked. ‘I was waiting for my phone to call/ or just some message that you cared at all’.

I ‘d asked Matt, who wrote the lyrics for the song, if it was about anyone in particular: ‘It’s more about a situation really, when you contact a girl, put your neck out, and it’s just that kind of horrible wait for them to message back. It’s very introspective’. I imagine most of the crowd would empathise, if they could hear the lyrics.

Scattered among the EP were some other songs, notably one about badgers being caught in headlights, which caused someone next to me to question whether they’d heard correctly. By the end of the set, it was hard not to be enthusiastic about the Amazons. They have a clear, upbeat sound and are a charming bunch of guys. I’m excited to see what they have in store for us when they release a single, later this year.

The final act of the night, the Orielles, a two-thirds female trio from Halifax, followed the long haired trend set by the previous bands. Their chilled vibe contrasted effectively with the more serious other bands, though it sounded more rock and roll than their online releases. The more relaxed, almost lazy vocals felt right at home in the fashionable bar. I couldn’t help but agree with Matt from the Amazons, who described them succinctly: ‘the boy and girl vocals are sick’. They’re currently touring the UK and performing in Toronto before the release of their EP, ‘Jobin’. The trio finished the set with a long, booming song, the tempo alternating between slow and fast before bursting into a cacophony of chords to suitably end the night.

San Francisco’s The Stone Foxes are squeezing in a quick sound check before they start when singer/drummer/harmonica player Shannon Koehler asks the sound engineer to make sure the bass is set up right as, “we want it to make their asses jiggle”. It is right then that we know that it’s was worth braving the miserable February weather for this gig, as these guys mean business.

The Californian blues-rock quintet are over in the UK for the first time ever to promote their new album, ‘Twelve Spells’, which is the band’s fourth release.

Support for the tour comes from Bite the Buffalo, featuring the Goneos brothers: Dimitri (drums) and Stof (guitar/vocals). The brothers originally hail from Zambia but are now based in Bath and were a two-piece up until recently but expanded for this tour with Cassidy Jones on bass and Rhys Friery on Rhodes (otherwise known as Bass Cassidy and The Sundance Cat).

They play a mean line in raw and rowdy rock n roll, from the punky ‘Keys to Your Coffin’ to the old school 50’s style ‘Polka Dots’ to the Royal Blood-style riffing of ‘I Get Down and Around’. Special mention must go to the brilliantly noisy cover of Black Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’ which they drop in mid-set. They set the tone perfectly for tonight and bow out after a handful of songs to make way for their tour-mates.

Appearing onstage backed by the familiar sounds of the Star Wars theme music, The Stone Foxes start as they mean to go on, tearing into a couple of tracks from ‘Twelve Spells’ with a ferocious energy. ‘It Ain’t Nothin’ starts with a vicious distorted keyboard riff from Elliott Peltzman and a thumping beat from drummer/bassist Brian Bakalian. The rest of the band then jump in with Koehler and bass/guitar player Vince Dewald sharing full throated vocals as guitarist/violinist Ben Andrews drops some heavy chords on the crowd. The verses are raucous and Dead Weather-esque whilst the song’s soaring chorus brings to mind The Black Crowes at their most upbeat. ‘She Said Riot’ follows quickly after, a full throttle indie-rock tune with Peltzman’s Hammond swells giving it a 60’s feel.

The set touches on their other earlier releases too, such as ‘Psycho’, a single from 2011 that has the strut and swagger of the early Black Keys albums, and ‘Everybody Knows’ from 2013’s Small Fires which packs a killer refrain and a driving groove over which Koehler wails on the harmonica. There are also a couple of songs from 2010’s ‘Bears & Bulls’, the clapping, hollering and…well…foot-stomping ‘Stomp’ which gets the whole crowd moving and the guitar-heavy ‘Patience’ which leads to a good old fashioned guitar duel between Dewald and Andrews as they trade licks like a young Don Felder and Joe Walsh (Hey, don’t knock The Eagles, I watched that documentary on Netflix and those boys could play).

‘Eye for Love’ is one of the highlights from the night. It features Deald on lead vocals and guitar with Koehler back behind the kit laying down a tight rhythm whilst Bakalian comes out front to handle bass duties. The sharp choppy riffs, swathes of Hammond organ and a catchy chorus make this a definite standout track.

As you can no doubt tell from the various band member’s job descriptions throughout the review, these fellas are seriously musically talented. They swap instruments throughout the set and seem comfortable with each one. The soulful, epic ‘Cold like a Killer’ gives the Foxes a chance to showcase the voice of Shannon Koehler, coming out from behind the drums and singing about the health issues he has faced since a child. He has undergone 11 open-heart surgeries since he was ten years old, a fact that seems at odds with the man bounding across the stage in front of us. This song also shines a light on the musical chops of Ben Andrews. After a searing guitar solo, Koehler kneels before Andrews and presents him with a violin on which he plays another more melancholy solo that ends with a shiver of notes before the others kick in again and take it home.

It’s a small room but despite having played for much bigger crowds in the states, The Stone Foxes give us 100%. They literally throw themselves into the performance, the trio of Koehler, Andrews and Dewald bumping into and manoeuvring around each other at the front of the stage, never looking anything less than delighted to be there. A key element to my enjoyment of the gig is how damn fun it looks being a Stone Fox. It’s not always something you get from live shows but it’s here in bucket loads with these lads. At one point Koehler walks right out into the crowd and has us all hunker down around him as he plays some righteous blues harp. It’s a brilliant moment that demonstrates the group’s confidence in their performance and in their charismatic front-man’s skill in winning over a crowd.

The ‘Bite the Buffalo’ crew are brought back on stage to join in for the last two songs, a frenzied version of their Slim Harpo cover ‘I’m A King Bee’ followed by the first single from the new album, ‘Locomotion’. ‘…King Bee’ features BTB singer Stof howling the blues alongside Koehler and Deald as the band fall into a slow dirty groove which at one point brings them all down to their knees on stage. The grinding riff slows almost to a stop before Deald leaps up and the song powers up once again. Final song ‘Locomotion’ is a joyful punk-rock noise, the group thrashing through it at full tilt and everyone joining in for the shouty chorus.

The Stone Foxes leave the stage sweaty and exhilarated and the cheering crowd are in much the same state. This was just a taste of what’s to come with this group and I predict we’ll be seeing a lot more of them in the future. If you can see them live, then get it done. You won’t regret it.

Set List
It Aint Nothin’
She Said Riot
Psycho
Everybody Knows
Eye for Love
Can’t Stop
Patience
Cold Like A Killer
Stomp
King Bee
Locomotion

Bite The Buffalo website: www.bitethebuffalo.com
Bite The Buffalo on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BiteTheBuffalo
Bite The Buffalo on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BiteTheBuffalo

The Stone Foxes website: http://thestonefoxes.com/home
The Stone Foxes on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thestonefoxes
The Stone Foxes on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thestonefoxes

All photos on this page: Rachel Cox

Leeds University’s Student Union hosted the American Pop-Punk band The Front Bottoms on their Back On Top tour on Friday 5th February. Brain, Mat, Tom and Ciaran, the New Jersey quadruple who make up the band, were supported by hundreds of dedicated fans. The band started out as two childhood friends but after releasing three studio albums, the most recent being ‘Back On Top’ in September 2015, the band have accrued an almost cult like following.

Walking into the gig you instantly feel like part of a community, everyone is there to see your favourite band and this alone creates a sense of euphoria before the sound check even begins. As the time nears 8.30pm and the suspense starts to build the energy in the crowd shifts. Those wanting to get into the full excitement of singing their hearts out and being pushed around by fans craving that unobstructed view of the band flooded to the front of the room. Remaining at the back of the crowd are those wanting to enjoy The Front Bottoms’ unique sound without being crushed to the beat of Ciaren’s spirited trumpet.

As the band took to the stage and opened with their popular hit ‘Auviour’ the crowd opened their lungs and began to chant the lyrics back; almost in time. The rhythm of the crowd may not have been perfect but the atmosphere couldn’t be faulted. From the slightest foot tap to erratic jumping, it was clear every single person in the crowd was enjoying their long awaited moment with the American foursome.

The appreciation of the bands journey across the Atlantic Ocean was evident from the crowd and it wasn’t long until they experienced a true English greeting. Between chants of ‘Yorkshire’, lead singer Brian was subject to the classic drinking chant ‘we like to drink with Brian’ and managed to empty at least four bottles of Budweiser by the 5th song.

Brian’s charisma and willingness to participate with the excitable crowd made the experience all the more personal. His awkward jokes and enthusiasm on stage was complimented by the unusual, but much loved, bubble machine. The bubbles made their appearance around the third song and after that neither the crowd nor the band on stage could get enough of them. Although an unusual addition to the bands set the bubbles brought that individual and quirky aspect of pop punk to life.

The setlist included something for everyone with a range of songs from their earlier albums mixed in with those from their most recent album. For the die hard fans every song was a treat and a chance to sing their hearts out. For those that didn’t really know The Front Bottoms, the band were engaging and their songs very catchy. The main experience most people want to take away from a band is feeling like they had the best time possible and engaged in a personal way, especially in a relatively small venue such as the students union. The Front Bottoms managed to give the crowd what they wanted even if it meant diverting from their setlist. When the crowd chanted for them to play ‘Swimming Pool’, it took Brian and Mat only a couple of seconds to rearrange their thoughts and play on straight into the crowd’s hands.

Overall the experience was thrilling, personal and entertaining but it wouldn’t be complete without an encore of everyone’s favourite song. After an hour of screaming our throats dry, jumping until our feet were numb and crowd surfing to be that inch closer to the musicians before us, a group sing along was the perfect way to round up the whole experience. The Front Bottoms made their way back onto stage and picked up their instruments one final time to serenade us with their most popular song, ‘Twin Size Mattress’.

After an exhausting hour, the crowd exited the building still singing an inaudible array of lyrics over one another whilst the buzz of the night remained in the air… and our ears.