Words: Richard Cobb
Just when you think guitar music is on the ropes, it gains a new lease of life and hits back with a knock-out punch to all those that dare doubt its importance. The magic sponge in the form of promoters This Feeling has given a spotlight to many emerging bands from up and down the country this summer with its tents and stages seeing capacity crowds at many of the UK’s major music festivals from TRNSMT and Isle of Wight to YNot and Reading.
With such a successful year under its belt, This Feeling are far from done, they’re taking the juggernaut on the road once more in the form of the ‘Alive’ tour which is set to be their biggest tour in the club night’s 11-year history, cutting the red tape on proceedings in Bristol on October 1 and calling it a wrap two weeks later on October 15 in Brighton, having taken in 12 cities across the UK.
The tour itself is a bit of a two fingered salute to the mainstream and its ever increasing attempts at brainwashing the masses with its insipid, dull and uninspiring pop acts that continue to pass through like some sort of foul-smelling unclaimed pram at an airport baggage collection.
This is summed up nicely by featured act, The Shimmer Band’s Tom Newman: “It’s us against prime time and all that shit…” Three bands will form the core of the tour, with special guests joining them at each pit stop on the jaunt.
The Shimmer Band have been a real success story this year and have been a regular feature on This Feeling stages this summer, so it’s fitting that the band will be carrying the torch for the duration of the tour. It always seems like a cliché when someone says “catch this band in a small venue while you still can” but rest assured, with the ground they’ve covered in such little time, it really would be no surprise to see them rising all the way to the top with their instant classic 90s guitar/ electronica infused indie anthems.
Doncaster’s Bang Bang Romeo are similarly no strangers to This Feeling, having headlined the stage at this summer’s YNot Festival. With lead singer Anastasia Walker having been described as coming across like Shirley Bassey, had she grown up on a diet consisting of The Last Shadow Puppets, The National and Fleetwood Mac. Once you’ve got the weird vision of Alex Turner and Miles Kane trapped inside a sandwich out of your head, if any of the aforementioned bands float your iPod, you’ll be blown away by Bang Bang Romeo.
Completing the trio of bands that will take in all dates, BlackWaters will be providing the noise with their glorious raw indie/punk spirit. We picked them out as a must see band when they tore the roof off the stage at Tramlines in July and with their razor sharp single 'Fuck Yeah' released earlier this year making Royal Blood seem like a wedding band, these venues are where the band will really come alive with all the talent and guile of an early Libertines.
Check out more of the acts via the Spotify playlist.
As if that weren’t enough, if you’re lucky enough to bag a ticket for one of these shows - see our competition below to win one guest list place for yourself and a friend to the show of your choice! - you’ll be rewarded with the following acts opening up the night as special guests:
THIS FEELING ALIVE
OCTOBER
01 Thekla, Bristol w/Yves
02 Glee Club, Cardiff w/Chapel Row
03 O2 Institute, Birmingham w/The Assist
05 Fibbers, York w/SHEAFS
06 ABC2, Glasgow w/Vida
08 Academy 2, Manchester w/Proletariat
09 Wardrobe, Leeds, w/The Strawberries
10 The Welly, Hull w/Mint
11 Glee Club, Nottingham w/The Ruffs
13 Plug, Sheffield w/Liberty Ship
14 Electric Ballroom, London w/Paves
15 Concorde 2, Brighton w/SONS
Tickets available from: THIS FEELING
COMPETITION
To be in with a chance of winning one pair of tickets to the date of your choice, courtesy of This Feeling, simply follow us on Twitter, retweet our link to this feature and then tweet us saying which gig you would like to attend.
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