This Feeling Presents: No Hot Ashes @ The Zanzibar, Liverpool, UK 27/04/2018
This Feeling were back in Liverpool’s Zanzibar with Stockport band No Hot Ashes, topping the bill.
No Hot Ashes are on the road, celebrating the release of their new EP, Skint Kids Disco. Along for support were The Big Bambora, Azura Kings and charismatic Scottish outfit, Vida.
The Big Bambora got the night underway with a set dominated by hard-hitting hooks and gorgeous melodies. They provided huge instrumentals that sucked you in. A breezy sound like if Two Door Cinema Club and Kings of Leon had a musical love-child. While giving an intense performance, the witty banter in between songs added to their charm.
With time for one more song, they ended on a declaration with self-titled track ‘We are The Big Bambora’. We know who you are, give us some more please.
Following them up were Azura Kings, who got the energy to rise to another level. Despite an issue with frontman, Matt Farrell’s guitar at the start, they were booming with excitement from the moment they began playing.
At times they sounded like Foals but then would break away into their own unique sound with scintillating melodies and captivating instrumentals. To the point with their songs like ‘Questions’, it’s refreshing to see honesty in their lyrics, which feels like a rarity these days. With a lot of new songs performed, summer 2018 is going to be an exciting time when they start to surface, if Friday night is anything to go by.
Travelling down from the heart of Scotland, Alloa, Vida joined up with This Feeling for an appearance at The Zanzibar. Vida are unlucky really, they’re a band that would’ve rivalled so many bands such as James, The Verve and the likes back in the 90s. Maybe it’s actually a good thing, as they create a nostalgic vibe with no one around doing similar things. Songs like ‘A Place We Can Get Away’ and ‘Fade Away’ set the crowd off with big sing-alongs. While for the rest of the night people were unable to contain themselves, dancing throughout the Zanzibar.
Treating the crowd with stunning melodies and anthemic instrumentals, they’re sound was so easy on the ear and uplifting. No wonder some people had travelled down from Scotland just to see them.
Stockport’s No Hot Ashes finally got their chance to shine, almost a month on since the release of their second EP Skint Kids Disco. Such a contagious sound, the funky bass lines and riffs got the packed Zanzibar dancing around. Title-track ‘Skint Kids Disco’ and ‘Smooth (no bits)’ really showed their funk sound at its finest. Yet they could pull it back with slick moments like during the tantilizing ‘Bad Crowds’, with whirring sounds and self reflecting lyrics.
A pure and outright fun performance was led by the quirky frontman Isaac Taylor, who’d bounce around the stage, laughing and soaking up the positive vibes. No Hot Ashes capped off what was a purely entertaining night at The Zanzibar.
All photos by Mark Holmes, SparkTrap Photography.