Sour Grapes put on a belting festival this weekend at by far the coolest location in the city. Meltchester lined up the best in punk and new wave bands to a huge crowd who adorned the ramps and concrete to watch some of the hottest bands about town and beyond.
Sour Grapes are smashing the alternative scene, and providing a generous amount of gigs for fans of music that is a little heavier on the ears, or in Saturday’s case, deafening! (My ears were still ringing on Monday afternoon). We arrived just in time for Wax Head who put on an intense display of chaotic garage/psych and had drawn in a large crowd who immediately formed a mosh pit in front of the stage.
Following on from Wax Head’s impressive performance were Slap Rash. I have followed this band for about four years now and they have gradually made their way onto many music fans radars. The Duo, Drummer Amelia and Bass player Huw always put on a memorable performance, and Amelia is one of the best drummers in town.
Simplicity is key here allowing the music to take hold, completely gimmick free and you could see fans who were previous having a break outside in the sun, start to make their way to the end of the park to see what this impressive noise was all about! The mosh pit reformed and this afternoon continued in the best way possible!
Keg are another band on punk fans radars, and I was excited to see them for the first time. I missed their last show in Manchester at Psych Fest due to a pesky stage clash. Musically they are very very good, with a strong catalogue of songs that makes it difficult to put into one genre. The line up is vast which makes for an epic sound and a variety of different instruments create a sort of controlled chaos that provides a hugely entertaining half an hour of music.
Earth Tongue were up next and their heavy psych/fuzz mash up added an intensity to the afternoon and the mosh pit seemed to double in size. This duo were on fine form and it was clear that many of the audience had seen these guys before. The band have built up and impressive following and you can catch them next on the European leg of their tour in Berlin.
The headliners this evening were Snapped Ankles, and the sun had set behind the park the crowd were more than ready to continue this punk party into the early hours. Snapped Ankles arrived on stage dressed in what I’d describe as shrubbery, and it now made sense to me why I saw a bush skateboarding down a quarter pipe earlier…
The disguise adds an element of mystery to the band members, and I must say to play instruments as well as they did in restrictive costume. The display was quite hypnotic and bizarre in the middle of this concrete jungle more alive than ever. Sour Grapes had done it again, another triumph for the alternative, there was nothing stale about this and I cannot wait for the next one!
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