STRANGEFORMS FEST, BRUDENELL SOCIAL CLUB, LEEDS, APRIL 26-27 2025 (PART 2)

 StrangeForms 10th Anniversary, day 2.

DAY 1 Line-up:

PATIENCE

CIVIL SERVICE

CWFEN

WOT GORILLA?

SOCKS AND BALLERINAS

BUREAU DE CHANGE

BICURIOUS

SVALBARD

NORDIC GIANTS

DAY 2 Line-up:

WHAT? NAH: The gentlest of math-rock, a lovely way to start DAY 2. Especially if you are hung-over. Contains saxophone, but it's NICE saxophone!

VIDEO:     https://youtu.be/Uu1hWB8_rBM     https://www.facebook.com/WHATNAH

OMOIA: Alt-metal new kids. Disturbingly young, slim and bendy.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/kcWOTFbmwBg   https://www.facebook.com/Omoiaband

A-TOTA-SO: Math-rock legends, this time featuring regular guest vocalist Jethro, and new guest vocalist #74, CERYS from OMOIA.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/hB2ufTCpuWE  https://www.facebook.com/atotaso

EVERY HELL: Another saxophone, but it works here. I have no idea what genre this is - perhaps ALL of them at once - but this is one of the highlights of the weekend. Stupidly good fun.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/pbzFo4n80rM   https://www.facebook.com/everyhellonline

VLMV: Now a solo vehicle for PETE LAMBROU, ex of MONSTERS BUILD MEAN ROBOTS. This man has the ability, shared perhaps with TOM MORRIS , to destroy me with a simple song. Check the video of 'THE LIGHTHOUSE' below, which very nearly broke me.

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/15xWOB7YEc0   https://www.facebook.com/vlmvmusic

HIDDEN MOTHERS: Returning to SF as a four-piece, perhaps less shouty than previously, and more 'gazey', but still magnificent. Very late, due to issues with a huge bundle of cables.

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/qLRoW9-Y9e8   https://www.facebook.com/hiddenmothersukbm

OVERHEAD, THE ALBATROSS: Joyful post-rock with mostly spoken-word vocals. Pre-SF, I could've sworn these lads were Australian, for some reason. But they're not. They're Irish.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/7DJu7w0I3KM   https://www.facebook.com/overheadthealbatross

BIG LAD: Another surprise. With no pre-show research, I'd been expecting a math-rock band. They are, however, a drum'n'noise body blow - savage, very loud, but strangely danceable. Intense.

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/TzL-bJlUuHE   https://www.facebook.com/bigladband

AND SO I WATCH YOU FROM AFAR: The final surprise of the weekend. I had fallen out of love with ASIWYFA in the years following 'GANGS', and I was expecting to be disappointed. But I was wrong. They seem  - to me, at least - to have recovered their joy and they are brilliant, despite having a stand-in drummer( Micheál Quinn ) and a slightly unwell Niall Kennedy on Guitar.

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/O26SCiFoTGw   https://www.facebook.com/andsoiwatchyoufromafar

Thanks again to Stewart, Kerry and the team for inviting me along. It was fun.

STRANGEFORMS FEST, BRUDENELL SOCIAL CLUB, LEEDS, APRIL 26-27 2025

StrangeForms 10th Anniversary!  It was touch and go whether I'd make it this year, but after a few stressful days, things worked out and here we are.

Being the tenth edition, we should, I think, expect something a bit special. And looking at the line-up, that seems to be exactly what we are getting. Not a radical departure from the formula, to be sure, but no-one wants that anyway. But there's a bunch of new stuff to watch, a number of returning favourites, and some pretty impressive headliners. 

Let's have at it, then. Here's DAY 1.

Line-up, SATURDAY:

PATIENCE: Local Emo/math kids, start very late, due to a certain 'headliner' faffing about for ages. Great fun, really good singer.

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/ZlKDxxdZG4Q   https://www.facebook.com/patiencebanduk

CIVIL SERVICE: Manchester post-rock. Long songs, long song titles. Floaty and twinkly.

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/rKbWY2K7sVI   https://www.facebook.com/CivilServiceBand

CWFEN: Witchy doom from Glasgow, one of this year's outliers. Seen these guys a couple o' times before and it's nice to see them here south of the border.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/K_sW3KS-rhc  https://www.facebook.com/Cwfenband

WOT GORILLA?: Proggy math from Halifax. Includes too much saxophone for me. 

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/zCfXxGhAIQI  https://www.facebook.com/wotgorillaband

SOCKS & BALLERINAS: Improv looping math duo from Bristol. Great fun.

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/0nsxRRxItII   https://www.facebook.com/Socksandballerinas

BUREAU DE CHANGE: Spiky post-punk from Bath, hard-hitting, razor sharp and really quite rude.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/EDNrxdz4ocw  https://www.instagram.com/bureaudechangeband/

BICURIOUS: A welcome return for this Irish math-rock duo. Totally bonkers.

SVALBARD: Another returning favourite, hard-hitting metal with a social conscience.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/-vWF8P7RTeU   https://www.facebook.com/svalbarduk

NORDIC GIANTS: Enigmatic progressive post-rock/art-rock duo. Masks, feathers, face paint and apocalyptic visions on film. Almost impossible to get a decent photograph. Video is audio only, for reasons.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/bUDBip9AM8Q   https://www.facebook.com/nordicgiants

Line-up, SUNDAY:

WHAT? NAH:

OMOIA:

A-TOTA-SO:

EVERY HELL:

VLMV:

HIDDEN MOTHERS:

OVERHEAD, THE ALBATROSS:

BIG LAD:

AND SO I WATCH YOU FROM AFAR:

Back with DAY 2 soon.