UNDERCOVER FESTIVAL TEN – SUBURBS, GUILDFORD 3.4.2022
DAY THREE (SUNDAY): TALISMAN + THE ACTIVATORS + DIABOLO FURS + THE FREE DUB PRESS + VOODOO RADIO + STATIC KILL + THE LENGTHMEN + THE LANDINGS + WYRD SISTERS + SHELL THE ALTERNATIVE FOLKIE
We continue our report from Undercover Festival Ten, three days of punk, alternative, ska and reggae bands at Suburbs, a dedicated music pub on the outskirts of Guildford. Organiser Mick Moriarty has put together another fine bill, and it seems well worth the journey to investigate. Here’s our account of what went down on Sunday, the final day of the festival.
It’s an even earlier start today, as bleary eyed I make my way from the nearby Travelodge up to Suburbs at The Holroyd Arms, a dedicated music pub on the north east outskirts of Guildford. It’s a brilliant venue, with an overall capacity of 400, and proprietor Andy Hamilton and the team there have done a great job looking after us all for the past couple of days.
As on Saturday, today’s schedule commences with a short set by singer songwriter Shell The Alternative Folkie. I’m pleased to have the opportunity to hear a few more of her well-crafted songs, which are nicely sung and accompanied on acoustic guitar. ‘Leave Me Alone’ has a more strident and forceful vocal than the other material I’ve heard, whilst ‘The Time Is Right’ is introduced as “a not very protesty protest song”. There’s an obvious pagan theme, and ‘Rebirth Of The Sun’, a song about the winter solstice, is touchingly dedicated to the singer’s late father. As previously noted, Shell has a particularly strong gothic-inspired fetish look, and clearly has a whole wardrobe of eye-catching outfits. Today’s choice teams a black PVC body suit with massive platform boots, and there’s a black bird silhouette dangling from the headstock of her guitar. Festival compère, Radio Woking DJ Keith Woodhouse, has the knack of being inadvertently hilarious, and everyone dissolves into peals of laughter as he refers to this pagan motif as a “pigeon” at the end of the set. I’m having fun already.
www.facebook.com/Shellthealternativefolkie
Unfortunately, The Wipes cannot attend the festival today, so the bill has been rearranged, with the afternoon acts all moving up one slot. Pagan folk troupe Wyrd Sisters, who would usually be running the ‘Buskers’ Corner’ area out in the garden, have been brought in to play a set on the main stage. They’re missing some of their usual players too, with guitarist Heidi and accordion player Lydia unavailable, but Mike is gamely deputising, filling out the sound with some impressively lively ukulele strumming and kick pedal. The lead instrumentation is supplied by April on mandolin and Bon on tin whistle and saxophone, both black-clad and wearing witches’ hats. Debbie is on percussion, and today the gang are joined by festival organiser Mick Moriarty on bodhrán. Mick is clearly expecting a vigorous workout on his hand-held drum, as he has stripped to the waist. Audience member Mark Pointer, whose six foot seven frame is a popular sightline obstruction at punk gigs, jokingly spreads himself in front of the stage to shield us from the spectacle. The music is traditional Celtic folk reels, such as ‘O’Keefe’s Slide’ and ‘Brian Boru’s March’, played in a light hearted and fun way. There’s a running joke about April’s dentures falling out on stage at a previous Undercover Festival, which seems to be enough to conjure a repetition of the event. Bon, whom Brighton readers might recognise as the sax player for Piranhas Four, initially leads the melody with the dancing notes of the tin whistle, before swapping her hat for a rather striking Medusa wig, and moving on to the warmer tones of the saxophone. It’s all tremendously enjoyable, and I can’t resist having a bit of a dance.
Next in the revised schedule at 1.40pm we have The Landings, a four-piece from Aldershot playing an atmospheric sort of post-punk. John K is the main vocalist and plays a small Nord keyboard, leading opener ‘Nervous’ with a staccato vocal line and an insistent riff. Danny, who adds guitar, is known locally for running Record Corner, a record shop in nearby Godalming. Rhythm is supplied by Stu on drums and Jamie on bass, slinging an Epiphone semi-acoustic and prowling the stage with an interesting shuffling dance. ‘Cold’ has a more punky urgency and a rather nice four-note sustained vocal motif on the chorus. Bass with a phased effect opens ‘Waves’, whose liltingly morose melody line reminds me of The Smiths. ‘Death March’ is driven along by militaristic snare drumming and a busy keyboard line with a strong hint of The Stranglers. As the name suggests, ‘Vibe’ is particularly atmospheric, with a beautifully repetitive keyboard figure floating over a languid shuffle beat, and ‘Lost’ employs soaring slide guitar to good effect. Although often downbeat in tone, I find it all curiously uplifting, and would like to see this band again. If you appreciate the mood and feel of early 1980s post-punk, you may well like The Landings.
The Landings can be found on Bandcamp.
The Lengthmen are a punky four-piece from Derby, and although I haven’t come across them before, I like them immediately. Guitarist Moto launches opener ‘Sex And Chaos’ with a spectacular slide, running the strings of his Les Paul across the boom arm of the microphone stand, and drummer Alina clatters in with vigorously pounding floor tom. She has a kookily punky look with a cheeky grin and a ludicrous amount of energy, playing with enthusiasm and attack worthy of Animal from the Muppets. Vocalist ‘Chard cuts a dash in a red and black hooped sweater, and spits a rapid stream of amusingly rhyming couplets, such as “Neo-Nazis in the khazi”, during the lively ‘Fake News’. There’s a soaring lead break from Moto, who looks as cool as you like in his leopard-print trousers and wraparound shades. Bassist Molotov is an angular figure with a Travis Bickle haircut, and drives along the urgent ‘UXO UXB’ with thundering hammer-ons. There’s an anti-hunting song called ‘Tally Ho!’, and an insistent vocal figure over the descending riff of ‘Do Not Disturb’. I’m blown away by ‘Decompression’, which opens with swirling phased guitar and scudding toms, leading into a massive chorus. Molotov stalks the stage with a manic grin. ‘Three Days Dry’ is lively and fun, and for the final number ‘Chard playfully dons a red and black hood emblazoned with the band’s logo, which reminds me of the strange headgear of Sp*nk Volcano from Dirt Box Disco. A measure of how well a band has gone down is how busy their merch stand is after the set, and I have to queue for a while to get myself a copy of the latest album. If lively and well-executed old school tunes with post-punk overtones is your sort of thing, you need to check out The Lengthmen.
The East Midlands are well represented today, as next we have Static Kill, a four-piece from Nottingham playing punk rock’n’roll with two guitars, bass and drums. Most of the songs are from their debut album, ‘Stand Well Back’. I rather like ‘Soul Town’, a pop punk reflection on the singer Michael’s home town that reminds me of Mick Jones in his more introspective moments. It’s clear that The Clash are an influence. The standout track for me, ‘Punk Rock Warlord’, is introduced as being about Joe Strummer and is built around a catchy hook from bassist Jason. It includes a brief transition into a reggae beat, and incorporates lots of small tributes such as the one-note guitar solo and drum outro from ‘Tommy Gun’ and the backing vocal line from The Clash’s version of ‘Pressure Drop’. There’s another tasty bass run underpinning ‘People’, which motors along with a pleasing lilt. Darren on guitar and Dave on drums complete the lineup, and I get the impression that the album would be worth further investigation.
I take a quick break to grab something to eat, and I’m pleased to find that Voodoo Radio have yet to start their set when I get back. They and the hard-working stage crew are still dealing with a technical issue with the drum setup. The band are a two-piece, originally from Cumbria but now based in Hammersmith, West London. They are wearing their own merch, which looks a bit odd, but if you’ve stuff to sell you might as well use yourself as an advertising hoarding. Paige Brooklyn Cook is on lead vocals and stand up drums, Slaves style. On guitar, wrangling some classic tones from a very road worn Les Paul and an equally distressed Vox amp, is Paige’s dad, Tony Cook. They make an odd couple, but the music speaks for itself and the performance is absolutely spellbinding in its intensity. Opener ‘Eat Your Words’ is a proper scorcher. Paige is absolutely fizzing with manic energy, and giving her minimalist kit a serious pounding. She’s got the moves, the looks, and her between-song chat suggests a feisty Northern charm. Tony, with long frizzy hair, looks every bit the classic rock axeman. He can play hard and fast though, thrashing through ‘Pretty Boy’ at breakneck speed. There’s a stuttering vocal line on ‘Basic Bitch’, and Paige somehow manages to incorporate a bit of showboating into her busy performance. On ‘Slag Bank’ there are plenty of big flourishes and some very cool sideways stick twirls. I am hugely impressed by this duo’s set, and judging by the queue for their album and merch afterwards, so are plenty of other people. I think we’ll be hearing more from Voodoo Radio before too long.
www.facebook.com/voodooradioband
Brighton is represented on Sunday’s schedule by The FreeDub Press, a six-piece who fuse dub, reggae, ska and hip-hop, and have a strong political message in their lyrics. ‘Blinded By The Light’ opens with a swirl of organ from Ryan on keyboards, stationed behind a massive Roland stage piano with a Nord Electro stacked on top. Next to him is Jo on saxophone, adding warmth and depth with some wonderfully vibey lines. Lead vocals are shared between rapper Dean, who has nascent dreadlocks underway, and tall bearded guitarist Chris. Bassist Jim is looking cool in a Sea Shepherd T-shirt and grooving on a Fender Aerodyne Jazz Bass. Drummer Shaun negotiates the rhythmic variations with a nonchalant ease, dispatching beautifully fluid fills along the way. ‘Defraudation’ has more of a rap feel, and is punctuated by super-tight stops. There’s call and response with the audience for ‘War’, whose lyrics seem particularly apposite in light of current events. ‘Ignorance’ ups the pace to a lolloping skank, segueing into ‘Addicted To The Lie’, with rapid-fire vocal gymnastics. I’m very impressed by the passion behind the band’s message, and the supremely confident execution of their musically ambitious material.
Check them out on their Bandcamp page.
There was some uncertainty whether Diablo Furs would make it today, as they were waiting to get a clear result on a Covid test before travelling. They are the band I was particularly looking forward to this weekend, and I’m pleased to see them take the stage at 6.45pm. A five-piece from Nottingham, they play lively and stylish material with a new wave feel. Lead vocals are shared between Suze, out front, and guitarist Rob. Bassist Danii is one of the most dynamic performers I’ve come across, and Becks is an absolute powerhouse behind the kit. Kay’s synth adds interesting layers to the rich and full sound. The band’s album, ‘Neon Satellites’ has seen some heavy rotation on my turntable since its release in 2020. Needless to say, the set is an absolute blast. The band has plenty of material beyond the album, and it’s full of catchy hooks and synth swooshes, propelled along by insistent beats. There’s variety too, and I’m rather taken with a moodier number, with Rob on lead vocal, called ‘Swim Alone’. It’s the album favourites that really get the crowd going, though. ‘Pressure Don’t Stop’ is superb, and the agitatedly animated Danii is rolling about all over the stage. Footage of her performances should be shown in music colleges to give students of stagecraft something to aim for. ‘Everybody’s Dreaming’ is another outstanding number that bounces along with unstoppable momentum. The set is a triumph. If you haven’t caught Diablo Furs yet, maybe it’s time you did? They’re playing a matinee show at The Prince Albert in Brighton on Sunday 17th April. Grab your tickets HERE.
The Activators are an eleven-piece ska and reggae band from Lincoln, led by the irrepressible Derby John on keyboards. I can only see ten players on stage, but that’s probably enough to be going on with. Apparently, they are favourites at the big outdoor festivals, although it’s the first time I’ve seen the band live. They sure are a lot of fun, and I’m very taken with the three-piece horn section’s contribution to the massive sound. I like their energy and they add plenty of visual appeal with some nifty moves. There is a lead vocalist, although Derby John tends to be the centre of attention. I like the lilting rhythm of ‘Where’s The Wisdom In That’, and there’s a well-executed and vibey cover of ‘Ghost Town’ by The Specials, which extends into a showcase for the various players. ‘Baltic Reggae’ is a big instrumental number with an Eastern European feel, with some crazy keyboard from Derby John. They have convinced me it’s time to stop worrying about details and just have a dance.
Talisman are a roots reggae band formed in Bristol in the late 1970s. Vocalist Dennison Joseph is the last remaining member of the original lineup, but the band continues to record new material. The first four numbers of the set are from the 2017 album ‘Don’t Play With Fyah’. I’m particularly taken with ‘Racism Never Sleep’, which initially sounds like a sort of lovers rock pop reggae but packs a razor sharp lyric. There’s a cute moment when an ear-defender-clad baby (Dee Dee, daughter of Undercover regulars Steve and George) waves at the veteran vocalist, who of course waves back. Even my gnarly old heart melted. We have to be taught to hate. Love comes naturally. The band plays, and we all skank on through to the end of the evening.
www.facebook.com/talismanreggae
It has been an amazing three days, and a sheer delight to forget about the troubles of the wider world and totally lose myself in music for a while. The crowd at Undercover is really like a family, and Mick Moriarty’s efforts in putting it all together are warmly appreciated by everyone here. There’s a touching moment where he gets the small army of volunteers who have run the event up on stage for a well-deserved round of applause. Undercover Festival will return. Keep an eye on the website for updates.
