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Dawn Storey enjoys a night of joyous guitars, powerful vocals and danceable energy
Image: Bear Park by Dawn Storey
Friday night at Howay Fest brings four North East acts to The Grove, headlined by the mighty Bear Park.
Openers Alation wear their influences on their sleeves, intertwining their own tunes with some classic Britpop cover versions and a Gallagher’s worth of swagger.
Singing that she “chose glitter as her armour”, Jarrow’s Lauren Amour literally sparkles through a set of brilliantly catchy pop songs delivered in her powerful, soulful voice. Red Flag is the standout of her own material, while a Chappell Roan cover is also well-received.
Pretty Velvet are the real-life embodiment of Daisy Jones and the Six – accomplished musicians playing classic rock with male/female harmonies, whose lead guitarist escapes the stage and finishes the set writhing around on the floor in the crowd.
Bear Park ensure that the evening ends on a high, filling the venue with joyous, jangly guitar melodies that Teenage Fanclub would be proud of. Every song sounds fantastic and their irresistible bouncy energy soon results in the whole room dancing – and moshing – along. It’s a jubilant return to The Grove after their debut album launch earlier in the year. 2023 single Betty ends the set and as frontman Shay sings “I’ll retain the fizz”, you really hope that the band will too, because tonight is a reminder that there’s no-one quite like Bear Park.
