Broken Witt Rebels + Sisteray + HOWLAND + Bel Esprit // The Joiners // 05.10.16 // *This Feeling*

Broken Witt Rebels + Sisteray + HOWLAND + Bel Esprit
Live Review // The Joiners // 05.10.16 // *This Feeling*

            The crowd was full of people drinking (FREE!!!) JD and coke at The Joiners tonight as Sisteray took to the stage shortly after doors opened. With their denim covered bodies strutting their

way on to the stage, it became evident that Sisteray were from London. They kicked off their set with ‘Stone Cold Sober’ and their alternative, garage style matched that of the Sex Pistols and the punk attitude from lead guitarist, Dan Connolly, combined with his screeching riffs were mesmerising to watch. The highlight of their set was single, ‘A Wise Man Said’. “A wise man said to me, you think you know it all” was yelled over the Libertines style melody and backing vocals that resembled The Jam. The dominant bass line carried the band through the song as the energetic drum playing from Marco captivated the audience. They closed their perfect set with new single, ‘Who R Ya?’ and it was impossible to take eyes off lead guitarist, Dan; his performance was one to be admired and the overall energy from the band was hypnotic. The twangs of the guitars met with the speed they were being played, were brilliant. The song then exploded into absolute madness creating a brilliant conclusion to a perfect set.

             HOWLAND were next and are an indie, dance band from Brighton. They began their set with single, ‘Call Out’. The Catfish and the Bottlemen sounds coming from lead guitarist, Lee, slowly merged into a strong Vaccines sounding riff and the note-perfect vocals from their cheeky vocalist, Tyler were a perfect top layer to this indie banger. Their stand out track was ‘Slow Down’ and was about Tyler being “pushed over on the tube”. The ruling guitar over the fast-paced drumming, with a mild-build up section towards the end, was the perfect mixture to creating a brilliant indie, dance tune that had the audience dancing along. They closed their set with ‘Hide’, (release date Oct 20^th). The energetic opening was joined by a heavy beat; the mixture of that combined with the Foals sounding riffs and the deep bass, made for an edge-of-your-seat performance. The track was brilliantly interrupted by short bursts of guitar from Tyler and the spirited ending has left me unwilling to wait any longer for this new single to be released.
             Bel Esprit were next to the stage and their opening track ‘Detox’ was a breath of fresh, grunge air. The opening line of “she makes me feel useless” was threatened over their laid-back riffs and the consistent drum beat. ‘Lose My Mind’ was their best track and the 90’s grunge twangs incorporated with the insane skills of lead guitarist, Fahad Siddiqui, made for a new alternative sound that is sure to rocket through the industry. They closed their set with “The Mad Ones” The funky bass line layered with the soft guitar left a Stone Roses vibe floating around the room before the highly anticipated build up, activating the chaos that erupted, being triggered by a loud scream from vocalist, Billy Herklots.
            The headline band were, Birmingham blues-rock, 4 piece Broken Witt Rebels and they opened their spectacular set with, ‘Low’. The song flew into the funky melody as Danny Core’s impeccable vocals grabbed the attention of everyone in the room. The dirty bass line combined with the filthy guitar was a brilliant blend of funk, rock and blues. To top this combination off was Danny Core’s soul-filled voice that, easily, made him one of the best vocalists I’ve ever seen. Their third track, ‘Howlin’’ contained colourful, rocky riffs again, over a funky bass line, combined with the clashing of James Dudley’s flawless drumming skills. They closed their set with soul-touching song, ‘Shake Me Down’. The gut-wrenching guitar from James Tranter had the crowd captivated and Luke Davis’ breath-taking bass playing carried them steadily through this amazing song. The end to this track was also an ultimate end to a superb night.
            Broken Witt Rebels are hands down the best upcoming band I’ve seen all year and their set was consistently astounding. The passion and talent that leaked from each member, combined with their unique sound, made for an inspiring performance and these lot are definitely ones to watch for the future.

Photography: Alan Wells