All three of these bands I have seen numerous times in the city and in various forms and permutations but each time in a pub or at the lovely Jurnet’s Bar, this was my first time seeing any of them anywhere bigger than the B2 which was a thrill in itself and all three bands rose to the occasion and more.

 

 

 

Changelings rose from the ashes of Jessie Q and the Earthquakes, a band lovingly put together by Andy Sacre and who played some unforgettable gigs in a special period at The Blueberry. Alas we have lost Andy and the Blueberry does not seem to host gigs like that anymore but it was a rare treat to be able to see Changelings perform, especially at the NAC.  They sounded fantastic, Jessie a compelling visual focal point with a tight band behind her ticking all the right reference points for me and yet still sounding unique and exciting in their own right. Jessie’s vocals and mannerisms bring to mind Siouxsie Sioux at times but is always her own person, increasingly confident and always charismatic and compelling. I don’t know what the future holds for Changelings but I cherish the times I have experienced them in a live setting.

 

 

 

Blisster are a band who have wormed their way into my heart rapidly. Aside from their infectious brand of grungey garage pop punk, this Yarmouth band have a charisma and friendliness that charms me greatly. They have some obvious influences but they are all good ones, Nirvana, surf punk etc, whilst singer Amy projects an appealing, modest charm, they all seemed genuinely excited and pleased to be playing here at the NAC, their love of playing and what they play coming over strongly, the audience felt it and loved it too.  Their set is mostly originals though they do include a cover of Shocking Blue’s Send Me a Postcard, for which I thank them for reminding me of and their brilliant grunge-punk interpretation of it. I love Blisster!

 

 

 

I’ve seriously lost count of the number of times I’ve seen the wonderfully named Vicars of Stiffkey but my introduction to them most definitely came via Andy Sacre whose absence was keenly felt this evening so it was lovely and apt that The Vicars dedicated one of their songs to him. I kept thinking of Andy who would have loved this gig so maybe he wasn’t so absent from the night after all.  Fronted by NAC artist in residence Will Teather and featuring the likes of Shane O’Linski, Tom Conway, David Inge, and Dominic Redsell the band have some creative heavyweights in their midst and deliver a storming set with a wide variety of influences, even touching reggae and disco but it is the driving beat of krautrock, psych, and grunge with hints of The Fall, Can, Hawkwind, Gang of Four, Pink Floyd, Neu, Stereolab, Joy Division et al that make a big impression and its all done with self-awareness and a great deal of humour.  Special mention for the excellent sound too.

 

 

 

 

 

We had three excellent but totally different bands in the auditorium offering music influenced and tinged with Punk, Goth, Psychedelia, Krautrock, Spacerock, Grunge and much more and yet all feeling utterly compatible and complimentary. As well as all this we also had Chad Mason dj-ing in the bar, a real treat to hear See Emily Play played loud! 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

The previous evening I had a lovely time at Cinema City for the fortnightly OST. Alas there was no Andrea King but it is always a treat to hear the dark and entertaining works of Mr. David Viner and indeed Drew McDonnell whose melancholy blues was brilliantly delivered. There was even some yoga from JoJo and Robyn at the end of the night in the Cinema City Bar!

 

 

 

 

There are some fantastic images from the evening by Steve Appleton which can be seen here: https://steveappleton.wordpress.com/2016/07/12/brilliant-ost-evening-at-cinema-city/

 

 

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