Jack Edge, a London-born artist performed at the Salford venue on Wednesday October 28.The small room at the back of the famous pub was not overcrowded, but despite the quieter-than-usual turnout, Jack made sure to give it all he had.
“I think we rocked it. There wasn’t that many people, but those who paid to be there shouldn’t have less of a show just because there’s not a big crowd”, Jack said.
He filled the space with his excellent guitar solos and riffs, which had the whole crowd transfixed. His songs were all hits- especially with the group next to me who were dancing round the floor. This is exactly the vibe that Jack wants. “It should be a little 40-minute escape from the real world to just enjoy yourself”, he said.
When describing his sound, he told me it’s just “sick riffs” and “fun, energetic, good old-fashioned rock music, but with a sprinkling of something new”, which was a very accurate description.
After promoting himself on social media for a long time, Jack said he wants to stop gigging for a while and record more songs. He’s planning to release a few singles over the next coming months, as he says recording songs to be released on an album in one go is not a great option for him.
After performing a few of his own songs, including his most recent single, Figure it Out, he covered two classic songs that everyone could sing along to: ‘Rockified’ versions of Proud Mary by Tina Turner and Devil Woman by Cliff Richard. Even though his set was only 40 minutes, it was far from disappointing.
One thing that all three of Jack’s opening acts had in common was they all had great chemistry with each other and the audience. This meant that even though the turnout was less than expected, the room was constantly filled with energy.
The first opening act was Silver Street who, though I couldn’t catch them for their full set, did a great job of warming everyone up for the show by bringing an electric energy to the stage. They performed a cover of Cocoon by Catfish and the Bottlemen which was a huge hit- and their own material was the perfect vibe for the night ahead.
The next band up was UNDERCLASS. In a singer-less interview, as Bobby Wright was stuck in traffic, the Wigan band squeeze onto a sofa in the bar as I chat to them before their set. I asked them to describe themselves: “ballsy, in your face, and kind of angry in general”, they said.
They explained that although they take inspiration from many artists, they don’t stick to justone genre.
“I don’t think there is a genre name to put us under. We’re kind of original in our sound, so who knows, it’s up to you to decide”, Dylan Roberts, the bassist said.
The boys had great chemistry and banter with each other and the crowd. One person left halfway through, and Bobby then called them out jokingly into the mic. His rock n roll gravelly voice at the gig was different to the studio versions, but it worked great with the style of their songs.
They told me after the gig that it was one of the worst they’ve played, with a combination of all the things that went ‘wrong’ before the show they didn’t have their usual energy and enthusiasm. Well, I want to know what a ‘better’ gig sounds like from them- because this one was great.
Sugar for the Bee were the last support act. They were “a high energy three-piece hard rock group”, according to Alex Slaven, the band’s drummer.
They have been a band for over three years, and you can tell how much it means to them.
Lead singer and bassist Tom Rivans said: “We really want this band to work more than anything.
“It really ruins the hardcore vibes, but we are just three friends. It’s friends first and goofing off in a band second, but that’s what makes it work so well.”
The band’s newest single Fox and the Hound was inspired when Tom watched a film of the same name. Alex adds that Tom’s song-writing is often “whimsical.”
The guys describe their genre as “Honey Rock”- which they say takes influence from many decades of rock music, including modern.
The band brought energy in spades- everything was happening from stomping to bumping into each other. Tom also frequently stuck his tongue out dramatically whilst shaking his head, which inevitably made his glasses fall off his nose multiple times.
They acknowledged the craziness of their gigs, as according to Rhys Parry, the guitarist their performances are “just one big party”,
Tom said: “We’re just always going absolutely mental all the time; it’s a spectacle to watch.”
The band kept their energy high throughout their whole set. Though the crowd didn’t respond with the best enthusiasm to Tom’s question of “do you like Geese?”, the band laughed and said they would play it anyway- a fitting portrayal of their personality.
Despite all that was thrown at them, Jack Edge and his support acts certainly put on a show to remember.
