Saturday 15 June 2013

Gig Review: Twinfest 2013 at The Labour Club

When anticipating this concert I assumed that to write a review at 1am straight afterwards I'd have to cram my body full of caffine just to turn my computer on. Instead Twinfest - an annual event where bands from Northampton's twinned cities Marburg and Poitiers travel here for a mammoth weekend extravaganza - has given me such a burst of energy I feel like I could write a novel on each performance. Still let's just stick with a paragraph, eh:


Jazzabel (GER)
Saying that the band on first weren't actually that energetic at all. They were, however, incredibly classy (which is a rarity on this website). The trio - consisting of vocals, keys and the all important sax - brought the sound and atmosphere of a New Orleans jazz club to Northampton. As smooth as a baby's rear end!
 
The Vic Suhr Band (GER)
If variety is the spice of life then The Vic Suhr Band must be a vindaloo. Rock 'n' roll, blues, ska, funk, disco... these jacks of all trades have mastered the lot. It was impossible to predict what was next to come (even the band themselves didn't know) just that it would contain a monumental volume of energy and some mind-bogglingly skilled guitar twiddling.
 


Play that funky music German boys! This was the band I most looking forward to seeing and they did not disappoint me in the slightest. The Labour Club was alive with their vivacity, brimming - fit to burst - with vigorous youths, brass-driven grooves, and some rather erratic dance moves. The most fun I've had in ages.

 
Johk (FR)
After that it was the turn of the French, and they'd definitely brought one for the head-bangers. Johk burst out of their spectacled exteriors to unleash a bout of punk rock energy. Frantically they tore out the loudest, speediest, most contemporary performance of the night.



The Small Towns (FR)
Last but my no means least, from France's 45th largest city, up rocked The Small Towns - a band who packed every twang of the guitar with a cool, bluesy smattering of yesteryear. With humongous bass riffs and a rugged authenticity, The Small Towns had circa-60s blues rock written all over them.


Twinfest continues on Satuday 15th and Sunday 16th June. Check out the line-up below:
 

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