Support from Speaking in Shadows, Forty
Four Hours, The Idol Dead, Cut The Heroics, Alterverse, A Mouthful of Matches
and Danny Gruff
June 3rd, 4th, 5th 6th and 7th
Leeds Key Club, Nottingham Rock City,
Newcastle Think Tank, Manchester Sound Control and London Surya.
One of the things that I have always wanted
to tick on my bucket list was the chance to say that I have followed one of my
favourite bands for every date of a tour and when I saw Lacey announce that
they would be embarking on a mini tour I knew that this was my chance.
Lacey announced five dates in five cities with
static supports from Speaking in Shadows and Forty Four Hours. To add even more value for money they also
added a different local support for each city.
Support choice for Leeds were The Idol Dead.
The Idol Dead are a glam punk rock band
from Leeds and consist of Polly on vocals, Tim, KC , Dan and Nish. It was my first time seeing these guys as I
had missed them at a couple of festival dates in the past and after feedback
from friends I was looking forward to their set. They did not disappoint!
They played a jam packed set of original
material which had you hooked from the first note through to the very
last. They were upbeat and, even at such an early time in the run, managed
to get the audience participation going.
I will definitely be checking these guys
out again when I get the chance.
These guys also played a set of original
material, which had catchy tunes that you couldn't help but tap your foot
to. They sounded great and put in a
performance that shows how much they have progressed since the last time I saw
them. These guys are one to watch.
Newcastle's support came in the form of
Alterverse. I had the chance to see
these guys in the recent Patent Pending tour and I wasn't really impressed, so
I was looking forward to them proving that the last time was an off night.
Unfortunately that wasn't the case. Their music and onstage banter was awkward
and disjointed. The lead singer didn't have much in the way of charisma and
they failed to hold my attention.
A Mouthful of Matches were support choice
for Manchester. They are a five piece from Manchester consisting of Tom, Helen,
Jane, Mark and Steven. These guys had
loads of energy and put in a really solid performance. The lead singer had a cracking voice and all
of their songs were catchy and well played.
London's support came in the form of solo artist
Danny Gruff, who I have seen on quite a few occasions before. Danny has the
kind of personality that can captivate and win over any audience. He is
naturally funny as well as being a fantastic performer. During his set he played songs such as the 'Hangover
Song', 'Silence In The Storm' and crowd pleaser 'Smile'.
'Smile' unfortunately has its own dance
which many people aptly name the flappy hand dance, as you have to raise your
arms in the air and wave your hands when Danny gives the 'secret wink' at the
start if the chorus. However as the
venue has to be one of the warmest, sweatiest venues I have ever been in, he
changed this to the dinosaur dance so that people would hold their elbows into
the side of their torso while waving like a T Rex; so they didn't have to smell
'sweaty pits'.
During this song Danny got Grazz, Josh and Dave from headliners
Lacey up on stage to demonstrate the dance which had the audience rolling round
with laughter as none of the Lacey guys could quite get the hang of the dance.
Danny never fails to deliver and tonight
was no different!
I can honestly say that Forty Four Hours
were a band that I have never come across until this week.
Forty Four Hours are currently based in
Manchester however they actually hail from my hometown of Blackburn. Having never checked them out before or heard
anything about them I really didn't know what to expect and I have to admit
that on that first night I was pleasantly surprised.
Forty Four Hours are Joe, Alex and Alix who
describe themselves as an alternative band, however their mellow rock tunes have
a slight reggae undertone to them. Forty
Four Hours set is packed with music from their debut EP 'Only Just Holding On',
my favourite track being 'Difficult', which they played each night along with
the other tracks.
They held the audience's attention throughout every show and should gain quite a
following from this tour as I never heard anyone say a bad thing about
them. I definitely feel that these guys
have a good career in front of them.
Grab a copy of their EP and see for yourself.
Main support came from Speaking In Shadows
who I've had the pleasure of seeing a couple of times before as they have
played with Lacey previously.
Hailing
from Nuneaton the quintet made up of Adam,
Lewis, Paul, Sam and Grant really know how to get the crowd warmed
up.
Their set included a good range of songs
from very early 2013 single release
'Sweet Gemini' to 'Scatter' from
their latest EP 'The Anchor', as well as many more between. Their songs are fast paced and full of
energy, with great chorus lines and loads of 'whoa ohs' for the crowd to sing
along with.
Looking round the crowd it was obvious that
they have built themselves quite a following of loyal fans and I have a feeling
I could be amongst that number in the future.
If you have visited this blog before or
have read any of my past reviews you will know that Lacey are one of my
favourite bands and so the temptation of
five consecutive nights of the boys was too hard to pass up.
Each night Lacey performed two sets.
The first being a pre-show VIP acoustic set
which cost fans an extra £5 on top of the general ticket price, however for the
VIP experience you got a five song acoustic set which included 'Tonight', 'The
Last Time', 'Hoax', 'Burning Out' and their cover of Jimmy Eat World's 'The Middle'.
The acoustic
set each night sounded fantastic and was well received by everyone. I've
mentioned before on my blog how much I really enjoy Lacey's acoustic sets as
they show just how talented they really are.
The VIP also included a signed poster
(currently £4 each on the merch/web store) and the chance to hang out with them
until general admission doors. It was the perfect deal
for any Lacey fan and an absolute bargain.
Lacey's main set was crammed full of songs
from their debut album 'Under The Brightest Lights' and their current EP 'I
Don't Owe The World A Thing', including 'My Eyes Are Open', 'Change The Story',
'Older', 'Contender', 'Hoax', 'I Don't Owe The World A Thing', 'Ghost While I'm
Alive' and 'Take me Home'.
We also got treated to Lacey's cover
version of Blink 182's 'Dammit', which was requested by fans on their Facebook
page after the debut of this cover during the Bowling for soup tour earlier in
the year.
The whole performance is laced with emotion
and honesty and it is fair to say that all of the songs, with the exception of
Dammit, mean a lot to these boys. When they say that they have poured their
heart and soul into their craft they are not lying and it is obvious why they
are attracting the growing fan base that they have. This is one band I have recommended to
countless friends and will continue to
do so as they get better and better each time I see them
Photography courtesy of Phil Procter
