little-reviews-blog

[little-reviews-blog]

Mallory Knox - Boardmasters

After having just missed the opportunity to see Mallory Knox perform earlier this year, I was extremely excited to see them perform at Boardmasters Festival. Being the last band of the night to play, Mallory Knox had their work cut out to put on an amazing show. Starting at 11:30pm, the band played after Basement Jaxx who had already got the festival-goers excited. With just a short space of time between them, many people were already swarming in straight after to get a good place in the tent. Once the sound checks had been done and the fill in music had stopped, the lights switched to a sudden blackness. The 'Pokémon' theme tune came blaring out of the speakers, causing everyone to scream and sing along at the top of their lungs. The band members came out one by one to an amazing reaction from the audience and began playing, leaving us tantalisingly waiting for Mikey Chapman (vocals). Once he came jogging onto the stage, the room was a huge blur of screams. Already on a high from the rest of the night, their first song 'Wake up' turned the crowd to hysterics. With their debut album 'Signals' released this year, it was clear it had gone down well with the fans as they were already singing along enthusiastically. There was no question as to why the band had been nominated for 'Best British Newcomer' in the 2013 Kerrang Awards, however, there were many questions in my head after seeing them perform as to how they managed to miss out on winning it.

With their set lasting for fifty minutes, it seemed much quicker than that. With the frequent communication between Mikey and the audience, it felt as if we were all part of one big family. Joe's (guitar and backing vocals) regular smiles and winks and encouragement to sing along seemed to bring people to get even more involved in the music. It was obvious that the band had an emotional grasp when during ‘1949’, their softest song played, the atmosphere in the room completely changed from the excited jumping to a still, heartfelt sing-a-long. During their performance of 'Oceans', Mikey came down to the barrier between the stage and the crowd and got people to sing along with him. There was no doubt that no one wanted this set to end as we all sang our hearts out in reply to the 'woah's the band were chanting to us. When they left the stage, it was clear that tonight there were many new fans made and a night that they would never want to forget. Mallory Knox put themselves into the performance one hundred per cent and if I get the chance, I will definitely want to be seeing them again.

Phoebe Randall

[little-reviews-blog]

Joss White - Boardmasters

Having started to perform in pubs at the age of fifteen for small amounts of money, Joss has clearly come a long way. After playing at Boardmasters for the first time in 2011, the number of opportunities for gigs increased, as well as being invited to play at Boardmasters again this year.

With future plans and a hope to one day tour or play at Glastonbury, with his own advice to others, it seems like he could do it. “As long as you’re enjoying what you do, then just go for it. If you enjoy every moment of it, then you’re bound to go far.” Ed also added that you should “Enjoy the people you’re playing with as a group” and they seem to be doing just that. We look forward to seeing you perform in the very near future.

See more of Joss White on twitter: jossgw1, facebook: /josswhitemusic and youtube: jossgw

When starting his set with an original song 'Home', it was obvious that local artist Joss White with Ed Marquis (percussion) and Sam White (bass) were going to be a hit with the crowd. With the view of the ocean behind him and the flags moving along with the music, it was a truly atmospheric performance. Although the sun was now behind the clouds, nobody seemed to mind at all. The third song, 'Juliet', brought an upbeat feeling and sent a number of smiles around the audience. Followed by 'If This Is Love', another upbeat tune, Joss labelled it as 'pretty cheesy', however, everyone seemed to love it. With a catchy chorus and the picturesque scenery surrounding them, Joss had obviously not lost anyone’s attention. It was clear how passionate Joss was about his music and this vibe was certainly passed on to us all.

Phoebe Randall