THE BYKER GROVE FAN CLUB Only Need 30 Minutes Of Fucktastic Havoc To Impress ANTWERP

23 October 2023

Band: THE BYKER GROVE FAN CLUB
Who: Ponderous post-punk three-piece from the UK.

This British bulldozer trio was part of a 3-indie bands night along with
Scottish gunslingers Gallus and South London’s hit team Deadletter.

They had to go on first, but got stuck in traffic after playing Paris the night before.
They came late, and were as nervous as hell, but kicked off all of their frustrations
in a flabbergasting half-hour of deafening fucktastic post-punk hullabaloo. They made excuses now and then for being late, but nobody of us cared, we were too busy going bonkers in the moment.

These three young wolves (Huw Allen on vocals and bass, Connor Dack on guitar and
Louis Lanfear on drums) played their hearts out and left all their energy on the floor. Why try to make an impression in 2 hours when you can blow spectators’ heads off in just 30 minutes. I’m a sucker for Blitzkrieg gigs like this, which make my jaws drop to the ground
in awe. All cylinders on, all burners on. A shocking stream of adrenalin is what T.B.G.F.C. caused and it felt astonishing.

An idea of their mind-crushing live dynamics, here below…

Watch/listen to one of their newest pieces.
It’s called Doorstep and slowly but surely it will do your head in. Aaaarrgggghhh!

T.B.G.F.C: Facebook – Instagram – Spotify


“We made it, man!

(all photos by Turn Up The Volume)

Scottish Noise Turbo MEMES Cheered Up Belgium

On stage

9 April 2022

Where/when: Trix, Antwerp – 8 April 2022
Band: MEMES
Who: A noisy Glasgow duo called John and Paul, not that John and Paul,
obviously. As band name John Paul II would be ridiculous, they called
themselves MEMES. Turn Up The Volume is a fan since day one.

MEMES‘ gig was actually an aftershow one, following Irish fury Fontaines D.C.
who turned the main hall upside down. And, that’s exactly what this 2-motor
turbo did too in the big building’s bar. One should think that the audience, after
almost 90 minutes of those Dublin heroes, would be too tired or too drunk, or
both, to be bothered to let their minds blow up again by two Scottish noiseniks.
Wrong, within a minute the bar was packed. And rightly so.

John and Paul rocked their sweaty tails off with their bloodcurdling hullabaloo that guarantees them a place in my British post-punk-rebirth team along with young indie gunslingers like Yard Act, Crows, Ditz, Lice, Black Midi and The Mysterines.

The Glaswegian tandem’s sharp-teethed and politically/socially outspoken uppercuts
like Blah-Blah (their prickly debut single), So What, and newest smack Second Thought cook your brains and your ears on the spot. Oh my, oh my, do I love 30-minute blitzkrieg gigs without brakes and breaks (except when the digital drummer is a bit stubborn).


One Meme down

As you may expect you don’t get birds and bees tunes from these two mavericks, although in the end they know and we know, that we all need to Cheer Up in these bloody messy times in order to survive. That’s what Antwerp did, that’s what I did (on stage), we all cheered up. Thanks MEMES, for turning up our adrenalin production.

Check their debut EP here…

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MEMES: FacebookSpotify

Thanks for the shout-out, guys!!

(concert photos by Turn Up The Volume)

New Romantic Popsmiths SUNFLOWER BEAN Straight To The Major-League On Record And On Stage…

SUNFLOWER BEAN – Trix Club, Antwerp, Belgium – 10 April 2018

New York threesome SUNFLOWER BEAN launched their second full length, titled TWENTYTWO IN BLUE a couple of weeks ago. Compared to their debut album this swirling successor is a massive leap forward. A rapturous record of high-quality power
pop songwriting. From sickly catchy humdingers (Burn It / Crisis Fest / Human For / Puppet Strings) to 60s pop sensibility ( I Was A Fool / Twentytwo / Oh No, Bye Bye). Spirited, sensual and shiny overall. A 18 Karat gold accomplishment. Here’s ‘Crisis Fest‘, one of my favorite highlights…

Compared to their gig two years ago in Brussels, their show yesterday, in Antwerp, was
an entirely different experience. The trio’s confidence, craft and presence on stage, grew stunningly since 2016. Combined with the new big tunes (also thumbs up for their magical rendition of Neil Young‘s Harvest Moon) these bona fide popsmiths are ready for the major-league. Most remarkable to my ears was frontwoman Julia Cumming‘s powerful singing. Her voice turned into a truly confident, alluring and impressive instrument. It also helps
of course when you’re looking/sounding like a cross between Courtney Love, Stevie Nicks and Nancy Sinatra. Here’s romantic gem ‘I Was A Fool‘ telling so much more than what I
can express in words…

Twentytwo In Blue in full…

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SUNFLOWER BEAN: Website – Facebook –   Twitter


New romantic popsmiths…


These boots are made for walking


(Signed) setlist

(concert pics by JL/Turn Up The Volume)

TOY – From Bluesy Shoegaze to Mind-Expanding Psych Waves in Antwerp…

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TOY – Trix, Antwerp – 3 December 2016

toyband

Brighton-based psychedelia explorers TOY are finally back, three years after their energizing, second, album ‘Join The Dots’. On new excellent LP CLEAR SHOT the band sounds bluesier, more introspective and contemplative than before. Floating, melodic journeys echoing late 80s shoegaze atmospherics, but still regularly injected with the band’s by now characteristic, haunting Krautrock trips. Last Saturday in Antwerp they proved (again), with glowing flare, why they are one of the most cutting live bands on the buzzing underground scene. On stage they create a trance like fantasy world colored with a mesmeric mix of gloomy pop reveries and extended, motorik psych jams that increase the flow of your body’s adrenaline spectacularly. They shift tempo and emotion in a truly overwhelming and hypnotizing way. I am completely addicted to their swelling escapades growing heavier and nastier with every second. Amplified, soul exploring electricity to get completely lost in. One word: breathtaking!…

Here’s the band’s newest single…

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And get your CLEAR SHOT in full here…

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Some photographic reflections…

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Moony vox…

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Bluesy moods…

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Storming jams…

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Colorful adrenaline…

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Setlist…

TOY links: ‘Clear Shot’ on iTunes – Website – Facebook