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Leigh Venus enjoys a night filled with local pride and So-Cal vibes from the Teesside band
Image by Gareth Williams
An all-out Smoggie takeover saw Teesside’s very own Cattle & Cane bring an army of fans from across the country but primarily – and vocally – from their home patch for the soaring launch of new album Navigator.
Fronted by siblings Helen and Joe Hammill, the whole thing was a real family affair, the band containing yet more siblings and even the merch stand being run by a couple of game relatives. Riding a wave of extensive airplay, blazing streaming numbers and praise from Elton John himself, the band tore through the extraordinary new album.
A paean to lost love and broken hearts, Navigator is much more uplifting than it sounds, filtered as it is through soft, sun-kissed seventies So-Cal vibes; a healing, huggy road trip with full sky overhead and the past receding quickly behind.
While new tracks Neighbourhood, Leave The Light On and Lion Or The Lamb soared, Teessider anthem Infant Hercules (so Boro the lyrics are printed on the inside collar of the Middlesbrough F.C. strip) whipped the place to a standing ovation before an encore with early crackers Sold My Soul (one of the first they wrote) and The Poacher.
With great music and a canny knack for making you feel part of the family, Cattle & Cane will make you burst with local pride, no matter where you hail from.
