It’s a landmark gig this one, the first standing, able to go the bar, no mask enforcement, live music for me in over a year and a half. Despite reservations over what will happen next this on the Covid landscape, this gig itself has a feeling of release and celebration about it and its probably the perfect choice of headliner in Sheepy for the occasion.
Alister Said, one man and an acoustic guitar, someone I’ve not seen myself since Lomax days, is already on when we arrive. He sets up groovy rhythms who’s simplicity often bely his musical prowess and adds subtle but insistent melodic vocals over the top. Alister is a great musician and songwriter, in some ways he’s acoustic musics equivalent of trance dance music and I’ve always felt he would go down well in Ibiza or some such place (maybe he already has?). Genuinely spiritual and uplifting music.
Hoosnose are new to me but win me over within seconds. Their music is built on a solid drum platform. The drummer, I hear later in playing her first gig, but there’s no jitters in her playing - in fact there’s a long continuous smile that suggests someone really enjoying themselves and the drums are sharp and crisp and metronome tight. On top of this is some of the best bass playing I’ve heard in years. This guy cruises along, fingers moving so fast you can’t follow them as he hits nearly every fret and string from one end of the bass neck to the other. Yet it doesn’t sound overly fussy or out of place, perfect.
The guitarist singer plays an upside down guitar, he’s a left hander who’s solved the problem of limited left handed guitars by simply playing a right hander upside down with no adaptation so its strung the wrong way too. This (as you can tell) fascinated me as I watched his hands play normally familiar chords the wrong way up. That aside he delivers catchy tunes and melodies, that cover the political to the everyday, with a powerful voice and I’m already noting the bands name in my mental ‘if they play again go and see’ list.
Sheepy provide a tour-de force tonight. This is a top band on top form. Songs leap at you, guitars blazing, bass thumping and drums like thunder, add the multi vocal backing harmonies and its in some ways perfect pop punk. They leave little time between songs to assimilate it all, there’s a huge back catalogue and they get through a lot of tracks.
You don’t get straightforward pop punk though, Sheepy deviate frequently, they turn that genre upside down with darker and more brooding material, the pace slows often and then suddenly they are off a full tilt again. Some of the weapons they have in their musical armoury are their ability to write class songs, sheer talent on their instruments and singer Lukes ability to condense complicated life issues into simple and straightforward lyrics that are intense. Add to this the lead guitar from Villy who somehow can sound sinister in the most bright and poppy of moments. This adds depth to their sonic creation and its a musical machine that an assault you head on one minute at 100mph and then turn on a sixpence in another direction.
This band is above the average by a long way, underneath their tunefulness is real depth and they shine.
Words: RBY, Photos: RBY / Adrian Wharton
Sheepy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sheepymusic
Sheepy Bandcamp: https://sheepymusic.bandcamp.com/
Hoonose Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Phuknose
Alister Said Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Alister-Said-878043672235052
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