Young Geordie favourites, Idle Hands, headlined THE local gig of the summer at the Grove in Newcastle over the weekend. They were supported by two other raucous local bands, Split The Ticket and Wool, which made this an enticing and energetic experience.
WOOL
The opening set came from superb Sunderland outfit, Wool. Their sound was full throttle heavy alternative rock; properly gritty, raucous and raw.
Having seen these guys a couple of times before, I was really impressed by the way they worked the stage in the Grove. Their frontman had great presence with angst ridden vocals piercing through each song. Lewis on lead guitar hit some cool aggressive licks. He was a sporting a very cool Fugazi T-shirt and you could tell the bands leanings to that sort of vibe. They have also been compared to modern bands like Keo.
The rhythm section of the band was particularly enticing. Adam on bass shone with his thumping grooves. He’s also a talented drummer and it shows in his energetic performance. And Wool’s drummer was also superb with pretty wild in your face attack on the kit throughout. A brilliant first set… not sure that I agree with the way the instruments were flung on stage at the end, however.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON WOOL.
SPLIT THE TICKET
Brilliant to see the awesome Split The Ticket again as main support at the Grove. Their alternative rock meets shoegaze sounds have won them a dedicated fan base with a recent string of dates across the country.
The band are headed by brothers Oisin (lead guitar and vocals) and Finn (bass). These guys really lock in nicely on stage to deliver the atmospheric guitar sounds and catchy melodic hooks that they’ve become known for. They’ve mentioned Slowdive as a key influence which makes sense. And Smashing Pumpkins and Fontaines DC for some of their grittier moments.
The inclusion of new drummer Ellis has really given the band a noticeably punchier edge. There were especially a couple of newer tracks where he delivered some tasty motorik type rhythms. In this venue, you could really feel the impact of his attack on the skins.
Among the highlights of the set was their epic latest single, I Don’t Know My Name. It’s centred around a really yearning chorus which the lads delivered brilliantly. Oisin’s vocal was super impressive on that one especially.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON SPLIT THE TICKET.
IDLE HANDS – HEADLINE SET
Idle Hands absolutely smashed it out the bag for their incendiary headline set. The Grove is undoubtedly their home venue where the sheer impact of their rollicking sound can best be felt.
In a slight change to the regular set, they opened with a bang with their glorious instrumental thumping track, Stompa. The rhythm section of Evan on drums and Harrison on bass really sent shockwaves across the room with the full pelt of their performance. Evan especially absolutely letting rip on the skins to create the intense energy needed. One of the most incredible and entertaining sticksmen on the local scene, he could be compared favourably to Keith Moon and Stereophonics original wild man drummer, Stuart Cable, among others for his passion on the kit.
This was followed by the usual mighty opener, Bullets, with Joe’s direct call to arms vocals on the current state of politics and humanitarian concerns delivered impressively, as the band absolutely tore it up with ferocious zest.
Of the newer songs, Fire Fighter has definitely become a personal fave. It really builds to epic proportions with a crash and burn (pun intended) mentality. It’s the kind of track that really encapsulates the heaviest, thuddiest reaches of the Idle Hands sound. Good to hear this followed by the return of Oxy for us long term fans!
Jude on lead guitar was magnificent as ever throughout the set. He can really orchestrate the post-punk style meets shoegaze soundscapes needed for the diverse range of tracks on display. This is particularly well shown through the intensity his guitar playing on the track, See It Big, which you can really imagine filling bigger venues.
Final track of the set, Overtime, as always was a real highlight. A song dedicated to someone known to us all. The way it builds and rages is epic. Joe’s vocal was superb here. It definitely needs to be the next 45.
Idle Hands have a number of local gigs planned for the coming months, including a featured set at the “Sjlhistorian presents…” showcase gig on Wednesday 28th October at the Grove, alongside fellow Geordie faves, Central Arcade, and ace Leeds band, Stageminus. More information on that gig here.
MORE ON IDLE HANDS ON INSTAGRAM AND X.
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