I’m a big fan of music but last year wasn’t great for my personal tastes. April changed all that with some fantastic events and some great new releases.
It started in Wales with the Ataris, I would’ve normally seen them in Bristol but as I was in France during that gig, I opted for the next nearest location which was Clwb ifor bach in Cardiff. I’ve been a fan of the Ataris for ages, so it wasn’t surprising to say that I loved seeing them play, but what made the gig extra special was one of the support acts Mike Herrera. I had vaguely heard of him as I knew he was part of pop punk band MxPx, but what I didn’t know was that he was also the front-man of a band called Tumbledown whose music style is edging on country with some obvious punk roots. That might not appeal to everyone, but as I’m a big fan of both genres, so I loved the music!
Moving on, but keeping with a country theme, one of my favourite solo artists Brad Paisley released his new album “wheelhouse” near the start of the month and it has some cracking songs on it! The style of the album differs slightly from his previous two, but that’s not a bad thing as it helps to keep things fresh, while still remaining close enough to not alienate existing fans.
Changing from country music to a little pop-punk, I went to see a group called Patent Pending who I’d previously seen as a support act once before, so was excited to see them headlining their own show at the 02 academy in Bristol. This wasn’t the largest of gigs as the band aren’t that big over here, but that didn’t stop it being a cracking evening. The first support act was called The Bottom Line and they were really good. I’ve never seen the first band who comes on stage get everyone jumping around and cheering them on, but they managed it. They sounded a bit like a poor mans Blick 182, but considering that the tickets only cost £11, they deserved some praise and I’d definitely recommend going along to see them if you get the chance. I would link to some of their music but haven’t been able to find anything online, so if you know of any, let me know and I’ll add it in here.
The main group, Patent Pending, were excellent and felt like a very genuine band who were just happy to be able to tour and see people enjoying their music. They verge slightly more towards the pop side of pop-punk, but when the music is as catchy as theirs then it hardly matters.
What’s been some of your favourite music that you’ve discovered so far this year?