Narc. Magazine Online
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Damian Robinson enjoys a day of creative highpoints and musical promise
Image: Mandrake Handshake by Tracy Hyman
Middlesbrough’s Twisterella has always been one of the North East’s premier occasions to talent scout for up and coming, interesting acts. Their Spring iteration, under the name of This Is Middlesbrough, showcases 18 excellent acts across three stages, which says as much about the foresight of the bookers and promotions team as it does about the venue.
My day begins with gentle country/folk from Bristol’s Lilo, whose highlight tracks Cycling and I Don’t Love You Anymore both sparkle with the more acoustic moments of Fleetwood Mac complete with lush double harmonies. Rye follows shortly afterwards with a lovely solo electric guitar show filled with gentle songwriting, before Shakk dominates the main room thanks, in part, to the gorgeous four-piece band who provide live grooves to match his lyrical flow. New song Reasons To Believe is a highlight in a set which underpins Shakk’s desire to take constantly new creative directions.
A punky one-two at The Hub comes in the form of Scotland’s Indoor Foxes, and Soapbox, both of whom may bring the highlight of the evening; Indoor Foxes drive a fierce rage with exceptional potential (including standouts Maggot Brains and insane cover of Daft Punk Is Playing At My House) followed quickly by Soapbox and their unique brand of humorous hardcore punk. Both bands are excellent and ones to watch in their own ways.
The Hub also provides an interesting set from local act Perfect Chicken who prove to be the most unique act of the day, combining the balaclava attire of the Manics, the three-piece grunge of Nirvana and the onstage slapstick performance of the Chuckle Brothers. While Celtic pop punks Martha May and the Mondays do all they can to bring humorous intensity to the evening.
As always, there’s too much to see and do to catch everything, but my final act of the day are Mandrake Handshake, who continue to impress with their on-stage chaos and end such a good day for talent spotting. Once again, a fantastic event and a fantastic opportunity to see some really interesting acts filled with promise.
