{"id":2516,"date":"2018-12-03T05:00:17","date_gmt":"2018-12-03T05:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=2516"},"modified":"2018-12-03T09:10:03","modified_gmt":"2018-12-03T09:10:03","slug":"the-virginmarys-hands-off-gretel-leeds-brudenell-social-club-22nd-november-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=2516","title":{"rendered":"The Virginmarys\/Hands Off Gretel \u2013 Leeds, Brudenell Social Club \u2013 22nd November 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>After witnessing between 20-50 people turn out for every gig I\u2019ve been to over the last month I was starting to lose faith. I was starting to think that maybe Lenny Kravitz was right; maybe rock \u2018n\u2019 roll is dead after all! Thank fuck then that the Virginmarys fans descended on The Brudenell on a cold and wet Thursday to douse any flames of doubt that having been burning away in my brain. Of course rock \u2018n\u2019 roll ain\u2019t dead! \u00a0It\u2019s alive and well, kicking ass as strong as ever from the underground.<\/p>\n

Tonight, we have 2 truly independent bands who are releasing great music and touring under their own steam.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dressed in maroon velvet, with mismatched stripy socks and her black n white dreads in bunches, diminutive Hands Off Gretel frontgrrl Lauren Tate looks and acts every part the Alice In Grungeland you would expect. She takes us all down her own personal rabbit hole, giggling and rolling her eyes to the skies. Lauren is doing what she has been planning in her bedroom for years, and now all the songwriting and singing, the drawing and designing of all the artwork herself, is finally paying off. \u00a0Hands Off Gretel are a band that are certainly making waves in all the right places.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not all about the hyperactive frontgrrl though, to her left new bassist Becky Baldwin, the consummate rock chick, is all flowing black hair and tattoos, she fits this band of misfits perfectly. Their original bass player Sam has been the drummer for a while now, he \u00a0keeps the beat well and ever animated guitarist Sean handles most of the guitars, leaving Lauren free to use every inch of the stage making new fans in every direction she turns.<\/p>\n

On the strength of tonight\u2019s set their highly anticipated sophomore album will be essential listening. Opener \u2018Don\u2019t Touch\u2019 brings out Lauren\u2019s inner Brody Dalle with some nice screamo moments and Becky\u2019s backing vocals add a nice variety to the overall sound. Recent single \u2018Kiss Me Girl\u2019 sounds fantastic, it\u2019s probably my song of the year, and \u2018S.A.S.S.\u2019 has a hell of a hook, bringing nineties riot grrl power kicking and screaming into 2019.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s the cool as you like \u2018Punk Rock Girl\u2019 that steals the show for me. A high energy, schizophrenic song with a great delivery, I look forward to hearing the studio version. \u00a0A choice cover of The Stooges \u2018I Wanna Be Your Dog\u2019 is handled well, taken down to a brooding, dark beast of a song. Oldie \u2018My Size\u2019 closes a set that will surely gain the band many new friends tonight and on every night of this tour. Job done.<\/p>\n

Hands Off Gretel are the sort of band people like me hope to discover at every new gig. They have that certain magic that sets them aside from the competition. One thing is certain; Lauren Tate is a superstar in waiting, she knows it and so do we, now we just have to wait for the rest of the world to catch up. Ones to watch in 2019.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Macclesfield\u2019s finest export The Virginmarys should need no introduction to these pages. Now free of a recording contract and doing things their own way, they return with the release of fantastic new long player \u2018Northern Sun Sessions\u2019 and a short run of dates to promote said album.<\/p>\n

Dressed in black, his hair grown out and peroxide blonde, Ally Dickaty doesn\u2019t fuck about much between songs and lets the music do the talking. Opener \u2018For The Two Of Us\u2019 from the new album is a slow burner that not only showcases from the off what a great songwriter Ally is, but also what a great drummer Danny Dolan is. Then it\u2019s straight into live favourite \u2018Just A Ride\u2019, The Virginmarys are taking no prisoners tonight as the room erupts.<\/p>\n

In a set that covers the band\u2019s three albums, there are many highlights to pick. Of the new material, \u2018Get Me Back Home\u2019 (with Ally doing slide on an old Vox guitar) stands out, as does brilliant new single \u2018Look Out For My Brother\u2019, a song that has already become a firm live favourite. \u2018S.O.S.4.U.N.I.\u2019 sounds amazing live, the euphoric, cinematic feel that they captured so well on record transfers just as well to the stage, even down to the spot on backing vocals courtesy of touring bassist Ross.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere \u2018Into Dust\u2019 is intense and brooding as it builds to that epic chorus. Yes, epic…The Virginmarys do epic very well indeed. \u2018Motherless Land\u2019 and my own personal favourite \u2018Lost Weekend\u2019 give the desired goosebumps treatment.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a punk rock intensity to a Virginmarys show that bands rarely capture, the combination of great songs with lyrics that are deep and relatable, a tight, well-rehearsed band and a passionate fan base that will sing along to every word. It\u2019s a killer combination every time.<\/p>\n

My eyes can\u2019t help but be drawn to the drummer as he bends over his kit at the start of songs, staring daggers at the crowd, lost in the moment, before pounding seven shades of shit out of his poor kit, as spurts of water ricochet off the skins with the intensity of his beats. In a world of underrated musicians he is up there as one of the greatest drummers just to even watch. On the likes of \u2018Portrait Of Red\u2019 he even stands up to bash out the intros.<\/p>\n

Encore time sees Ally pick out the intro to the title track of their new album. Emotive and soulful, it builds intensely, as many of their tracks do. He has us captivated, as we too get lost in the moment. And final song of the night \u2018Bang Bang Bang\u2019 does just what it says on the tin!\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tomorrow is Black Friday, but tonight I saw 2 great bands for \u00a312, and that\u2019s the best deal I could hope for all year!\u00a0 One thing\u2019s for sure, I will be back to see these bands time and time again, no matter the entry price. An awesome night of rock \u2018n\u2019 roll, who could ask for more?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Author: Ben Hughes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After witnessing between 20-50 people turn out for every gig I\u2019ve been to over the last month I was starting to lose faith. I was starting to think that maybe Lenny Kravitz was right; maybe rock \u2018n\u2019 roll is dead after all! Thank fuck then that the Virginmarys fans descended on The Brudenell on a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2649,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[854,853],"class_list":["post-2516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-live-review","tag-hands-off-grettle","tag-virginmarys","post_format-post-format-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2516"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2516\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2650,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2516\/revisions\/2650"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}