Freebutt, 23rd October 2008

Explosive. Uplifting. Inspirational. These are just a few of the multitude of gushing adjectives I could pluck from my linguistic knapsack when attempting to put into words how I felt after seeing this band play. I’m not talking about your generic “good gig”: a couple of watery beers, a laugh and the band rocking enough to give you the buzz. No, I’m talking a fair few levels above that.

There exists a rare kind of band that can consistently execute flawless and powerful music, filled with melody and emotion yet devoid of pretence or cliché. Somehow, it seems these bands never quite receive the wider acclaim they deserve. Let’s hope that Vessels can reverse that trend. Watching them tonight, I am reminded of the first time I saw Oceansize, where the performance was so perfect, so overwhelmingly brilliant, that it utterly blew my young mind. Needless to say, that type of musical experience doesn’t come along too often, but Vessels reach those lofty heights. The fact that they do it with ease and a smile only endears them further to the crowd, who number many more than the mere handful that saw them play The Engine Room in August.

Local likely lads Last Days of Lorca put on a energetic, skilful show in support, starting their set with a fantastically brooding epic, but despite playing their hearts out, the Muse similarities eventually begin to wear a little thin. Tonight though, it’s all about the five-piece from Leeds. A young band, they have been on my personal “ones to watch” list for a year or so and recent debut “White Fields and Open Devices” readily delivers on the promise of their early demos. Performed passionately for us here, we are denied the beauty of “A Hundred Times in Every Direction” and “Yuki” as Tom’s throat is apparantly a bit screwed, but they still manage to deliver a perfectly paced set.

It may sound very much like I am having great difficulty crawling out of their collective backsides, but when a band comes along and makes you feel their music so intensely, all you can do is be completely honest, enjoy it and spread the word, so please excuse me as I unapologetically scream: THIS BAND ARE FANTASTIC!

Words by Jody White
Photography by Faye Perriam