The Grove in Newcastle is fast becoming the venue of choice for both the best local bands and exciting outsiders on the emerging music scene. Last Wednesday, the Grove played host to two Celtic favourites: Scotland’s Swim School and Ireland’s Basht.
Basht
Utterly sensational support set by Dublin lads Basht. Their style incorporated darker elements of post-punk guitar and 90s alternative rock vibe to create a really raucous energy. This went down an absolute storm with the sizeable crowd that had already assembled. The song Vain a particular anthem.
The band entered the stage looking cool as hell. Frontman Jack Leavey in moody rockstar shades was repping his open mouthed logo band tshirt which is one of the best I’ve seen recently; certainly memorable like the Stones tongue. His vocal was powerful, visceral and at times haunting. Lyrics clearly sharp and passionate, including one really call to arms track towards the end of set. Great rhythm guitar playing too.
The rest of the band were also thrilling to watch. Ryan McClelland on drums really created the thunderous energy needed with full throttle energy around the kit. Louis Christie on bass also really shone with a definitive impact on every track. And coupled to Lughaidh Armstrong Mayock’s super impressive lead guitar licks which reminded me of epic elements of Fontaines and the grit of QOTSA, these guys really created the passion, excitement and dangerous noises of a band on the rise.
Basht definitely deserve all of the acclaim they are now receiving on the underground scene. It was an absolute pleasure to chat to all of the guys from the band afterwards who are clearly enjoying their tour. It was so nice to see them having a good chat with the lads from awesome local band, Central Arcade, who draw some songwriting inspiration from these guys.
Click here for more on Basht.
Swim School
The mighty Swim School from Edinburgh are taking the emerging music scene by storm with their ace eponymously titled debut LP. They played a phenomenal headline set for their first gig of the tour in Newcastle.
Newer tracks from the album quite rightly dominated the set. Early on, Green Eyes (Want It All) was a real killer standout with its darker undertones of moody guitar licks, tasty bass stabs, and pulsating drumming. This set the pace of the alternative 90s sound that is at the heart of their groove.
Say It All was an absolutely shimmering delight of a track. Alice’s vocal really superb; her singing reminds me a bit of Nina Persson from the Cardigans or Dolores O’Riordan from The Cranberries for that yearning heartache. Am I Good Enough Now was also showcased that vocal mixture of strength and fragility.
The other musicians in the band are also pretty accomplished. Lee is a superb addition to the live band on bass, especially on the more aggressive numbers. Lewis on guitar was stunning as ever with some expressive post-punk style flourishes. And my mate Billy on the drum kit smashed out some tasty heavy grooves. His sticks afterwards were well crushed.
Each time I’ve seen Swim School in Newcastle they have upgraded the size of the venue due to their fast growing fan base. They clearly appeal to a cool cross section of music lovers of varying ages; treading a fine line between the commercially friendly Radio One and the underground grit of Radio 6Music, especially with their heavier, grungier Wolf Alice style anthems like Delirious. Moshpits really emerged with these later wilder tracks. Alice caught some of the action in the crowds a couple of times herself. This tour is a massive deal for them… they are totally up for it!
FOLLOW SWIM SCHOOL HERE
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