Hollowstar,
Florence Black, Matt Mitchell & The Coldhearts, The Star & Garter,
Manchester, 31.5.19
As what
seemed like the whole of the World descending on Manchester for the first of a
run of nights for The Spice Girls at the Etihad, just around the corner a small
band of real music aficionados chose to be at The Star & Garter for a night
of what would be one to remember.
The venue
was small, and bijou at best, and possibly (some) blood, definitely sweat, and
some tears would be shed here this evening. More on the tears later...
The guys in
attendance know a class act when they see one, as the upstairs room was almost
full for Matt Mitchell & The Coldhearts. Matt (ex-Pride/Furyon/Colour of
Noise) is the most experienced man on the bill, but sometimes you just have to
start anew, dust yourself off and get on with it. His album dropped today and
MM&TC came out fighting. The album is good, but the select songs chosen
stand up a lot better played live as they are performed with a bit of added welly. Mitchell looks and sounds the part, and has
surrounded himself with quality musicians. It was a case of hit ‘em hard with
what little time you’ve got...’On and On’ is a good pacey opener, but ‘Black
Diamonds’ gets the crowd bouncing (Literally, thanks to the floor in the
venue!). Matt wails ‘I hope you find what you’re looking for’ and he is spot
on. We did. ‘Kings & Queens’ is a summer song that should be on repeat on
the radio, and ‘Unavailable’ showcases the heavier side of Mitchell. It was the
fantastic ‘Home’, which did it for me, a number that showcases his and The
Coldhearts talents and is his shining moment. It’s all over too soon with ‘Wave
Goodbye’. Apt, and a great start. Form is temporary, class is permanent.
Where
MM&TC was a composed and very good performance, Florence Black
essentially ripped up the rulebook and are one of those bands that don’t care
who precedes or follows. A three piece from South Wales they opened up with the
Budgie classic ‘Breadfan’ and practically beat the audience into submission and
levelled the Star & Garter. When the person next to you (Roger) leans into
you and says ‘that was worth the admission alone’ you know you are onto
something special. Me, I just had two words written down...’bloody awesome’. Its
one of the best covers of any band I’ve ever heard, its that good. Like a
Tasmanian Devil that’s been provoked with a pointy stick, Florence Black were
taking no prisoners – ‘Fiesta’ is a pounding track that leaves you breathless,
and in frontman and guitarist Tristan Thomas gives his lot, especially sweat.
In fact, in Thomas, Perry Davies and Jordan Evans it’s like being in a 3-2-1
fight, the punches just keep coming and there’s nothing you can do about it.
‘Same Again’ is a song built on the foundations of Budgie and grunge and is a
belting force of nature. ‘Gunshot’ originally features Benji Webbe of Skindred,
and if anything for me is the weaker song of the set. A mix of Skindred and
Disturbed, it doesn’t fit FB as much as the rest, and their own songs prove they don’t
need endorsements or outside assistance. Finally its onto ‘Smoke’ and Florence
Black finish as they started, with a wallop, and its a pleasure and delight to see these
guys rip the place up. I think that had they reversed the set, and left ‘Breadfan’
until last, I think I’d have wet myself! 
Where FB had
raw power, force and energy, Hollowstar are riding the coattails on the back of
a very good debut album with some belting songs. Coming on to a strange, but
nice intro in Massive Attacks ‘Teardrop’, before launching into album opener
‘Take It All’ and a twin guitar attack of Haines and Collett, Joe Bonson is the
focal point and rightly so, with charm and substance and a voice to match. With
Hollowstar is more about groove and feel, and ‘Down By The Water’ ‘Lay Down’
and ‘Guilty’ are as groove-laden as they come. ‘Invincible’ highlights the
intensity of Hollowstar and is almost ‘Cult-like’ (The band). ‘Think Of Me’ is
my fave track from the album and is even more Alter Bridge/Bad Company live and
has a very infectious chorus. This was dedicated to Chris, who gave Jon a job
booking gigs for Hollowstar who passed away before the Album was done. ‘Money’
was...er...bang on the money. ‘New Age Lullaby’ and ‘Feel The Burn’ show the
bands roots, and their sharp progression over the last couple of years.
There are a
couple of heartfelt tributes to a pair of Hollowstar soldiers who have fallen
along the way and deserve their mention. Chris, who gave Jon a employment to
essentially book his own gigs for Hollowstar and is given ‘Think Of Me’ and the
lads friend Carl who lost his fight to depression last year, in ‘Good Man Gone’,
a rousing tribute. Both gents were given a rightful round of applause and at
both points I had something in my eye. (As did others I expect.
Free’s
‘Wishing Well’ is up next and a staple of the Hollowstar set. Its more Moore
(Gary) than Free’s version, and breaks their set up well for the final furlong. ‘Overrated’ is definitely not what Hollowstar are judging from tonight’s
performance. The set is over all too quickly with ‘All I Gotta Say’ and was released
a good year ago and whetted the appetite for the debut, and is a great song to
finish the set. Its easy for bands to play a whole set of an album, but
Hollowstar have a core of songs from this and their EP that will be a staple of
sets hopefully for years to come. I sincerely hope all 3 bands tonight are here
for the long run.
It was one
of those nights that I’ll remember for quite some time. Catch them still while
you can for one of the best and intimate gigs of 2019. And it wasn’t at The
Etihad.
The result,
Rock 1, The Spice Girls 0
P.S. either the PA at the venue is shite, or the sound engineer was wearing mittens, or was a deaf as a post! All 3 vocalists sounded as if they were singing underwater at times. But rock is mainly about attitude, and thankfully the 3 bands had this in abundance. That aside, it was still a cracking gig, but could have been so much more, had the sound be decent.
P.S. either the PA at the venue is shite, or the sound engineer was wearing mittens, or was a deaf as a post! All 3 vocalists sounded as if they were singing underwater at times. But rock is mainly about attitude, and thankfully the 3 bands had this in abundance. That aside, it was still a cracking gig, but could have been so much more, had the sound be decent.
Setlists
Matt
Mitchell & The Coldhearts
On & On
Black Diamonds
Kings & Queens
Unavailable
Home
Wave Goodbye
Florence Black
Breadfan
The One
Fiesta
Ghost
The Ride
Same Again
Gunshot
Smoke
Hollowstar
Take It All
Down By The Water
Lay Down
Guilty
Invincible
Think Of Me
Money
Let You Down
New Age Lullaby
Feel The Burn
Wishing Well
Overrated
Sinner
Good Man Gone
All I Gotta Say
