By Alex Pearson
We have seen Lisbon before, in London when they headlined at Camden Barfly and we loved it, so when we heard they had some new material to show off we jumped at the chance to see them! The Sugarmill in Stoke, has won multiple regional awards and when you enter you see why. The venue is compact and intimate – it is clear the staff love what they are doing.
The first act up was Bonsai, a local alt-rock band from Stoke-on-Trent. They had a heavy feel and their songs, with big roars, cheers, and sarcastic boo’s there was a very unusual atmosphere. With all the banter and mad, yet bad dancing from very one guy just summed up the night.
Declan Mckenna
The Gurus threw up something we were not expecting, the songs sounded great with catchy melodies and repetitive beats. I feel like if Jamie T and Jake Bugg had a band it would sound a bit like this – and it works magically. The band’s image is perfectly indie and after last night this is a band that we will definitely be looking out for in the future.
Declan Mckenna Just felt right, the vibe coming from on stage was great. I love nothing more than an artist that experiments to bend the rules of music – and that is exactly what Declan Mckenna had done. This young artist has proven himself as a talented individual and it is clear to see why he has been chosen by NME to host one of their the NME award show.
By the time Lisbon came on they were great as usual, they always seem to be able to put on a party. We had a little bet on to see what song they would play first either ‘I Don’t Know’ or ‘Bluelove’. Unfortunately Alex lost this bet. And one of my favorite Lisbon songs comes on ‘I Don’t Know’
Thier song ‘Vice’ sounded like something different, Matthew Varty’s voice was more high pitched than anything they have created before. There’s even an indulgent instrumental that is surprisingly involving. You know a song is catchy if you are singing along, even though it’s the first time you have listened to it. They had ‘Vice’ played on BBC Radio1 with Hue Stephens for the first time and we look forward to it’s release later this year.
Lisbon
The last new song they played was called ‘Shark’, it has a Guns and Roses essence about how Varty’s Voice is stretched through the song, it is also one of Lisbon’s heavier songs. The reception it received from the crowd was brilliant as they went mental.
This was only their second tour date, so there is loads of time to see them!
15/01 – FRüIT, Hull
16/01 – The Sugarmill, Stoke
19/01 – Studio2 Parr Street, Liverpool
20/01 – Gullivers, Manchester
21/01 – The Bodega, Nottingham
22/01 – The Cookie, Leicester
23/01 – The Hope & Ruin, Brighton
25/01 – The Louisiana, Bristol
26/01 – The Joiners, Southampton
27/01 – Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen, London
28/01 – The Boileroom, Guildford
29/01 – Also Known As, Banbury
30/01 – The Rocking Chair, Sheffield
03/02 – The Attic Bar, Glasgow
04/02 – Tunnels, Aberdeen
05/02 – Electric Circus, Edinburgh
06/02 – Brudnell Social Club , Leeeds
09/02 – The Duchess, York
10/02 – The Horn, St Albans
11/02 – Forum, Tunbridge Wells
12/02 – Alfie Bird & The Oobleck, Birmingham
