All in good spirit, The Green Room showcased local acts to raise money for St. Luke’s Hospice. Folk packed into the snug L-shaped half of the bar, where the bands performed their charitable hearts out. The crowd mainly comprised of the band’s buds, as well as the reliable regulars and those sporting the sanguine “why not?” approach.
Kicking off were The Twins; four music students from Sheffield Uni who specialise in melancholic anthems. The vocals were engaging and the carefully crafted cello parts gave their sound a really emotive feel. Their competent cover of the Flaming Lip’s ‘Do you Realise?’ was a testament to their arrangement skills and felt in-keeping with the rest of their material.
Greenville Canary’s catchy acoustic set kept the mellow tone alive. Their tracks were choral at times, which aided an easy hum-along. The drummer was spot on, giving music some much needed punch at times, but never ran away with the show.
Retention Method proved the highlight by mustering up some crowd pleasing metal; think Dream Theater meets Whitesnake. Lead vocalist John Gallagher thrust his impressive set of lungs into gear, ranging from near operatic notes to bang-on screamo.
Although there were showy solos, a synchronised Status Quo-esque body sway reminded us that they’re in it for the crack too. When things were beginning to sound a little repetitive, revival took shape with a cover of ‘Hold the Line’ by Toto. A shout out to the producer behind the bar brought about a charm only small venues encompass.
The Rotherham rockers were a hard act of follow for the concluding metal band Northern Oak. Despite this, opening instrumental track exposed a flute intertwined with fast-paced grungy guitars, which showed their originality. The guitarist’s face was a mystery behind his flailing long hair in true metal style, which was arguably a tad over the top for such an intimate setting.
Related posts: