16/01/2015 – Hit Or Miss Promotions – The Cheese And Grain, Frome: A Live Review

Live Pop-Punk: Frome, England, United Kingdom

What better way to spend a cold January night than watching some home-grown musical talent? Musically Fresh fancied an outing, so two of our number hopped on a bus from Bath to Frome to witness this little show case.

The gig was put on by Hit Or Miss promotions, who, based in the land of Frome, put on shows to support the town’s small, yet diverse, alternative music scene. Right, a few words on the venue.

We must admit, MF was in a state of surprise at the venue. The name, ‘The Cheese and Grain‘ was no surprise in itself, we assumed a country pub as we were in the West Country but got nothing of the sort. Plenty of space, a bar, and a small intimate stage to crowd around. The aesthetic suited both the atmosphere with the music playing and the pint(s) of ale in my hand.

Regrettably, MF was only able to make the Friday of the two-day event, but nevertheless, we were eager. Here’s what we thought:

Honeymoon:

Alex – Honeymoon were up first, they started off with heart from the get go and on to the final notes. Vocalist Aaron Tiley trots around the stage with his spangled dancing style, holding his vocals tight whilst Ryan Strudwick (guitar/vocals) gives it his absolute all. Ryan was my stand-out musician of the night as he seemed to drip his love for the genre into his performance with complete dedication to the craft. Pat on the back to Ryan.

Three tracks in and the band break into a joyful rendition of Puddle of Mudd’s “modern classic”, ‘She (Fuckin’) Hates Me’, that broke down any remaining naysayers present (myself included) into a merry sing along. Top marks. Honeymoon told me later on in the evening, that they have an upcoming tour at the end of March with Under The Influence, so keep a eye out. I recommend giving them a go, they were a good laugh.

Matt –  Honeymoon have had something of a reincarnation, previously known as Sell Your Sky, they have reinvented and began the process of making a name of themselves. I had heard of their previous moniker but not their music, so this was a double first.

The first thing I noticed, was Ryan Strudwick’s Bad Brains t-shirt, which I later appreciated at the bar, naturally. On a humorous note, we referred to him as ‘Bad Brains Man’ for quite a while because we are obviously a professional outfit. Anyway, attire aside, the bands set began as tight as it would end. A mixture of their older material along with the newer, fresher songs – written for the name change – each was played with a casual yet professional nature that gave off the bands enthusiasm. Personally, I preferred the faster tracks as it really suits the band. However, there was no disappointment to be found.

Find them here and keep an eye out for releases.

Montroze:

Alex – Montroze caught me just at the right moment. I was three pints in by this point and getting daft (ask Matt, he will tell you I get irritating). Hence when they thundered through a cover of ‘Sugar We’re Going Down’, all I could feel was the hot glare of disapproval as I sang it word for word like the teenage girl I really am. That said, Matt also caved in and a lot quicker than I expected too. What about it? F.O.B mate, F.O.B.

The element of Montroze that really caught my attention were the bassey breakdowns. I may be getting older but I still love a good breakdown, it provided a nice contrast to the band’s sleek sound. Montroze’s track ,’Fit For A King’, was my stand out track with an acoustic video release in recent memory. Live and ‘plugged in’, the track sounded even better, here’s to the next EP.

Matt – Montroze, a band we featured on MF a little while ago now and finally got to see live. Recently reorganised into a four-piece, the band’s blend of jagged rocky Pop-Punk sounds just a huge. Find the review here.

Tracks from the band’s debut EP sounded as slick and strong as they did beforehand, but with an added level of grit and lower bass tones, that really suited the melodic guitar and vocal notes. Single, ‘Saintly If You Say’ was a highlight as well as ‘High Horse’, which as much as I enjoy the song, added a new level to my appreciation of it live. Montroze’s newer material is faster and makes good use of the revised sound and three-man vocals format. Nothing negative can be said about the band’s performance, strong drumming held together casually yet professionally, amplified the band’s tight sound.

I’ve been a fan of Jason Bishop’s vocals since I first heard the band and they were clearly on form. His interplay with the crowd and the general manner of the band emphasised tonight’s sense community.  A cheeky Fall Out Boy cover was thrown in, myself and Blanchard not wanting to sing the words as we are not really fans but that didn’t last long… It’s a song that many of us will remember from school and since. Still, it was well received. Great performance.

Find them here via their Facebook, where the bands music can also be found, so keep an eye out for the new EP.

Tuskens: 

Alex: Tuskens have got something going for them. Watching them I was reminded of a quote from something that has been cemented in my conscious; ‘learn not to play your instrument’. By this, I don’t mean that they played shoddy, far from it in fact. It’s more that they are clearly so well rehearsed that they can let their vibrant energy shine through their performance. Lead singer, James Pope, was clearly so wrapped-up in his performance that he allowed his vocals to crackle with raw intensity, adding greatly to his performance.

Stating that tonight was by far, ‘One of the best shows I’ve ever fucking played’, Pope called for the audience to take a seat on the floor for a joyous sing-a-long to a rarely performed bonus track. It was really heart warming to see the crowd take to the ground without pretence, really emphasising the solid community surrounding tonight’s bands.

Matt: Now you may remember our review on Tusken’s second EP from the middle of 2014, if not then you can find it here.

The night’s headliners, Tuskens played a strong set with good variety between their two EPs, with my personal favourite ‘Hindsight’ played second –  I thoroughly recommend it. Having only heard the band on recordings, I was impressed by the live representation – louder, faster and raw, but just as tight. The five-piece played with energy and enthusiasm which may seem like a cliche ‘review type’ description, but was a quality seen in all the bands that night, and Tuskens helped deliver the final bout. I may be fussy with the current wave of Pop-Punk, but Tuskens pull it off in their own fashion and with determination.

Interaction with the crowd was solid, a crowd who themselves managed to produce someone beat-boxing, which was unexpected but really did the atmosphere of tonight’s gig credit.

‘Better Off’ was a particular song that went down well from Almost Over as the band are clearly proud of their craft and had a great time on stage and in the air, well, particularly one guitarist. The band closed with a slower number, and in doing so instructed the crowd to plonk their arses down and get cosy for the final track of the night, ‘Always There’. The bonus track from Almost Over. A great end to a great show. We at Musically Fresh can’t wait for the next release and in conversation with vocalist James Pope, we can safely say that the new EP is definitely on its way to fruition.

Find the band here via their Facebook profile, which contains all the means you need to explore and acquire their music and of course allows you to see when the new EP will drop.

Time to Sign Off:

Alex – Pop-Punk hasn’t been my go-to genre for a long time. The fleeting teenage romance I had with the style is now from a time long past. Unfortunately as I have grown older a chip on a soldier formed about the genre, due to an inherent shame of that genre that came from my love of the grittier sides of Punk, Hardcore and Metal. This is a habit I am trying to wrangle my way out of, so on attendance of Honeymoon, Montroze and Tusken’s show at the Cheese and Grain in Frome, I left my pretentions at the door. I’m glad I did. I had a blast and I hope it seemed that way upon reading this.

Matt – The south west of England gets a multitude of music passing through it’s fields and is also home to many a band and artist with the raw talent the UK music scenes are rife with at the moment. The bands at this show were no different and a real credit to local music scenes here and in general. Hit Or Miss had made some good choices for this bill and I can safely say a good night was had by all in attendance. Keep an eye out if you are in the south west for any of these bands and Hit Or Miss’ bills as you won’t be disappointed.

Hit Or Miss can be found here, via their Facebook.

#StayFresh