Shindignation Review – Part 2

So here it is, part two of our Shindignation Festival review alongside some pictures from our resident photographer Hayden Ho. The Engine Rooms, The Beehive, The Bow Bells and The Widow Son all hosted the one-day event in Bow, East London. Here are the bands we saw on Saturday, there’s certainly some to check out!

Royal Indians

Venezuela/London duo Royal Indians were the first to take to the stage at The Beehive. They had some groovy guitar solos and up beat drums that was poorly let down by the vocals. Which is a disappointment as their music is solid, just I didn’t feel that the frontman had a strong enough voice.

Turbo Tama

Moving swiftly from The Beehive to The Widow Son we caught Turbo Tama, a five-piece band bringing what sounded like Jamaican music with instead of a traditional steelpan drum, they used a keyboard to produce the same pitch. However, after listening to a couple of songs you will notice that they all have the same beat to them – they would even have a similar guitar solo. You could tell they have the musical talent but to improve I think they need to experiment a little more with their sound.

Bob Vylan

Back again to The Beehive we just managed to catch the last two songs of Bob Vylan and I was quickly impressed. The duo with a drum kit and a synthesizer, they pack an almighty punch with their shouty vocals and DIY dirty punk beats that are radiant and vibrant. His new single, ‘Figh†ing By †he Church’ shares a narrative not for the faint-hearted, but it is for those who are looking for the perfect three-minute blast of defiant rap & punk.

Wollf Adlar

Wollf Adlar have a fantastic sound. With only a rehearsal demo called ‘Matilda’ on SoundCloud it was hard to judge whether I should be excited for this new London duo and as soon as the first note was played I knew these would be good and boy they did not disappoint. ‘Matilda’ pulls in inspiration from Slaves and Royal Blood (who are absolutely killing it at the moment) which is the perfect time for rock music as it makes it’s slow comeback into mainstream popularity. The small but energetic crowd loved every second.

Bel Esprit

Half way through our debut partnership coverage, we went to The Bow Bells to see Bel Esprit perform in a cosy living room atmospheric function room upstairs. The indie rock band from Southampton are one’s to go see live if you can, we highly recommend them. A great voice mixed with delicious jamming beasts like on tracks ‘Island’ and latest single ‘Crucible’ are catchy, they will get you dancing with the beat all night long.

Calva Louise

London trio Calva Louise were up next at The Bow Bells who play fuzzy grunge pop have very pure sound. Heavy on the bass, the trio have a great atmospheric indie rock sound that travelled across the room with Jess’s stunning voice adds that Wolf Alice and Black Honey edge to their music. Having also supported Spring King and tipped as ‘Band to Watch 2017’ you better keep an eye out.

LOCK

Moving to the final section of the night in The Engine Rooms girl trio LOCK, who have a lot of music pedigree behind them. Gita Harcourt (married to singer/songwriter and producer Ed Harcourt), Edie Langley (engaged to The Libertines Carl Barat) and after meeting Gabi Woo at a party they formed the band. Now growing from strength to strength with their range in music sounding from Shangri-Las to Twin Peaks blends into one highly creative package.

Being tipped as Radio X as one of the Top 20 Best New Artists for 2017, and of course some support slots with Ed Harcourt, The Libertines and Carl Barat and The Jackals. Their new single ‘New York vs Paris, ’ a hypnotic pop paean, to the bands favourite two cites – co-written and produced by Ed Harcourt – is a smooth soulful track carries joyful pop vibes with Edie and Gita’s soft, childlike vocals play on the track perfectly.

Sisteray

London quartet Sisteray were the penultimate act at The Engine Rooms were one of the liveliest acts of the whole festival. Their up-beat tunes and outspoken lyrics went down well with the crowd. For the first-time people jumping and some singing along. From their latest EP ’15 minutes’ and ‘Queens English’ take inspiration from Andy Warhol quote, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes”. Adorned with elegant riffs and timeless bass lines coming from their punk influences such as The Clash and The Libertines. Sisteray pulled out all the stops to impress the locals, we might have stumbled across something big here.

The Virginmarys

The Virginmarys return after their second album ‘Divide’ and bassist Matt Rose being only a performance member in the band after having triplets the guys prepare to release their new 4-track EP ‘Sitting Ducks’. Energetic punk rock is the perfect remedy for Saturday night entertainment in a recording studio made into a venue for one night only. The crowd was energetic and the sweat gathering on Ally’s face in the lights as he is showing off the goods with their high-octane rock. Their new material that they played reverts back to their fast-paced rock from the debut album and the slower rhythmic beats of ‘Divide’. Overall The Virginmarys’ new EP is going to be pretty damn good.