The Old Pint Pot in Salford played host to Live and Local, a showcase designed to allow local bands to perform equally timed sets and get their name out there.
The pub opened up its top floor, used for local gigs, for four acts: Joni Mellor, The Rants, Vespertines and Kyris.
Hypersonic Promotions, the team behind the gig, have only ever ran two shows, which were led by university students in Manchester.
Abbie Tinsley, 20, helps lead the page; she detailed how the event ran:
“We’re keeping up with the theme of giving bands, well, artists an equal time and they all played around the same length sets.
“We get a lot of artists on the same sort of like genre together to perform in front of other different people so they can meet new bands to perform with and obviously gain more followers.”
Tickets were sold for £3 at the door and £4 on Fatsoma, offering a cheaper alternative for students to enjoy a night of music without breaking the bank.
Abbie was impressed with the performances and turnout: “All the artists were amazing. It sounded really well, a lot of people turned up and all the bands really did well on everything.
“We didn’t expect that much of a turnout, especially because, you know, it’s not actually in the city centre of Manchester and all that but it went really well.
“I think even people that were at the pub downstairs decided to come up in that which was amazing, because it was like, a lot of different people in one room which was what we always want, and it was brilliant.”
The music scene in Salford seems to have taken an upturn in recent years and with gigs returning, Abbie explained how venues like the Old Pint Pot offer a great avenue for new artists:
“I think there are so many great venues that aren’t just in like heart of the city centre, like The Old Pint Pot, that’s such a brilliant venue. Like, I’m so glad we got to use it.
“I think if more people start pushing to put gigs on around different areas like Salford, I think it can definitely become something big, like, really big.”
So, who are the bands that were headlining the event?
We spoke to Kyris, Vespertines and The Rants to find out more:
Kyris
Kyris are the first Salford-based band that Hypersonic Promotions have shown and had one of the biggest followings on the night. The band have amassed over 8000 streams on Spotify and have a good presence on Instagram and YouTube. They include four members: Callum Bews (4th from left) on guitar and lead vocals, Tom Halliday (3rd from left) on lead guitar and backing vocals, Elliott Stewart (1st on left) on bass and James McEnteggart (2nd from left) on drums.
Callum Bews explained the lowdown on the band and the event itself (with some extra details for the entertainment of course):
When/How did you start?
“Me and the guitarist have been playing in the same band since probably 2011. We’ve been playing for, like 10 years now.
“We were a three-piece for the longest time, we brought Elliot in probably about just over two years ago, two and a half years ago. James, our drummer, came in just about two years ago,
“We just started getting to grasp of each other, and then COVID hit.”
How would you label your band?
“The main thing that we go for is like, big high energy and like you say, yesterday you probably kind of hopefully got that, but that that is like one of the biggest things that we kind of like base ourselves on – that high energy.
“As for genre, I guess like heavy indie rock, indie rock alternative like them sorts of words come to mind when we’re trying to talk about the genre, but like say the high energy is like that key thing we always push.”
How did you come up with the band name?
“Unfortunately, we don’t have a real very cool story behind it or anything like that. It was our old drummer. He claimed to be like, just browsing Google Maps or something? Well, it’s a Kyris, apparently, is a Greek island.”
Who Inspires your music?
“Probably my earliest memory of music, like even just getting into it, it’s been Arctic Monkeys. When that first album came out, my uncle was really big into Arctic Monkeys, he absolutely loved it.
“My first recollection of music is him playing along to ‘Perhaps vampires is a bit strong but’. I just remember kind of being like “that’s what I want to do”.
“So lyrically, definitely Arctic Monkeys, musically is more Catfish and the Bottlemen, but more recently, it’s like heavier bands; Royal Blood, Nothing but Thieves. It’s still like that Indie style but the heavier side of it.”
What’s been the biggest challenge?
“I think, if you ask any band, they’ll be lying if they don’t tell you that just growing is the hardest thing.
“As for in general, obviously, COVID, it’s probably been the hardest thing that anyone, especially in the entertainment industry has faced, it kind of just killed everyone off.
“We’d got to a point where we’d basically sold our first gig. We were like ready to get on recording, we’d booked a venue a couple of days after for November that year and we were just so ready to kind of keep that momentum going and all of a sudden, it just come to a stop.
“I think we’d managed it quite well as a band, COVID itself, because we had our YouTube channel that we were like, posting on weekly. And that was kind of like, our way of getting through that.”
What’s been the best aspect?
“It’s the gigs and again, I personally think if anyone tells you any different, they’re lying.
“Playing in Manchester at the beginning of last year, that was probably one of the best gigs we played as a band ever. It was like, it was pretty much sold out. It was our first like, big headlining gig with the current lineup.
“We’d just released two singles, we were about to release a third and it was a great time.”
What is the music scene like in Salford?
“A lot of bands that we meet now that are from Salford and it’s like it’s almost becoming like a proud thing now
“We’re getting like a strong upcoming Salford music scene.
“It’s been very sudden (growth of the music scene in Salford). I think obviously, they’ve got bands like, I’m pretty sure Stone Roses and Happy Mondays both originated in Salford. I know for definite New Order and Joy Division; a couple of the members were from Salford.
“No one kind of appreciated where they were from at that time is just, yeah, very suddenly. There’s loads and loads of upcoming bands from Salford and it’s nice to see.”
How did you find the event and how important are these types of events?
“It was very good. It was a good night. It was very nice to see the Pint Pot so well rammed for music because I believe that that was kind of like one of their kickstarts to getting back into live music.
“It’s what we miss the most. So last night was just an extra reminder of like ‘thank god like we’re back, thank god we can start doing this again this.’
“Its cliché, isn’t it, but everyone’s got to start somewhere. And I think if you’re starting at a venue, like that, a night like that, you’re doing far better than a lot of people.”
Do you think that’s why Salford’s scene is growing so much?
“I think you’ve kind of hit the nail on the head. Without the venues starting to do more music, and promoters using in Salford more as a place to put gigs on, like, obviously people are going to start struggling to be a Salford band.
“The fact that these gigs are being put on now is probably a very big contribution to the rise of Salford bands, I guess?”
If you could describe your band as a drink, what would it be?
“I don’t think we could really do that. I don’t think you’ll ever heard anyone describe themselves as a Yaeger bomb though and I’ll pick that, it’s got the right amount of punch and a lot of energy!”
Vespertines
Vespertines are still very much in their infancy as this was their second gig as a group. They brought some of the Christmas Spirit with a cover of ‘Last Christmas’, originally sung by WHAM!. Their band also comprises of four members: Harry Nicholls (1st on Left) on vocals and guitar, Charlie Hill (third from left) on drums, Will Leeson (4th from left) with his bass guitar and finally Jack Hodges on guitar.
The band members are from all around the country (Charlie and Harry being from London and Somerset respectively) but met in Manchester and have now experienced a gig in Salford for the first time. Harry and Charlie spoke to us about their journey so far:
When/How did you start?
Harry Nicholls: “So we started the band in 2019. Me, Will and Jack. It was around December, I just put an ad out and they were the first two people that responded. And we ended up meeting up, we have pretty good chemistry off the back of a few rehearsals.
“But the first drummer we had didn’t stick. And then the second one didn’t stick. And the third one didn’t stick. We just didn’t really have any chemistry with any of them.
“Sometime last year, because I went back into halls last year, I ended up at some sort of motive or party
“It was in someone’s kitchen and Charlie was there, and we ended up getting pretty drunk. We were just chatting and somehow in conversation, it came up the fact that he played the drums, we both got really excited about the fact that he played the drums. And so, I invited him to join the band.”
How did you come up with your band name?
“So it was the Bjork Album. We actually didn’t get through that many names. We were the arbiters at one point and then no one was really a fan of it.
“Eventually, I was going through the Bjork discography I was like, ‘vespertines, vespertines – Yeah that’s cool’ we landed on that.
How would you label your band/who inspired your music?
“For the longest time, and maybe even still, we’ve been saying we’re sort of like, the strokes meets the ‘bends’ era, Radiohead, they’re sort of two of our biggest inspirations, that’s the way we like to write music and approach it.
“Even as far as like the guitar tones we use and stuff. But as far as actual label, I’m not sure it’s a little bit post punky isn’t it? (Speaking to Charlie) garage revival, that kind of stuff.”
What’s been the biggest challenge?
Charlie Hill: “I mean, I’ll say we’re all busy people. So it is difficult sometimes to find the time but because we all love what we’re doing. I think we sort of do look forward to it and itis one of our favourite parts of the week I think.
“So yeah, I’d say that’s something we really struggle with is actually just trying to find a time where we can all get together.”
Harry Nicholls : “Yeah, because we’re students and our schedules don’t really match up when we’re in uni, and then the other two just work full time, like nine to five. So they’re always tired. They’ve always just like, had a long day.
“We’re like, we’re always half an hour late to those rehearsals so it’s never even really three hours a week, it’s like two and a half at most.”
What’s been the best aspect?
Charlie Hill: “I would say it’s the chemistry because there is something about the way Harry writes songs and Will write songs that means we can just write them quite quickly, and they’re still pretty great songs, I think. So yeah, I would say just the way that we understand how each of us play their own instruments and how we can complement each other”
Harry Nicholls: “And also, as far as the chemistry extends to like friendship within the band, it means we can get on at each other a little bit without it being personal.”
How did you find the event?
Charlie Hill: “I loved it to be honest. I mean, we didn’t, I didn’t feel super nervous or anything. I think we just trusted each other. We know our music’s good and we believe in our music, so I loved it and I was very excited, like beforehand, and we had a good crowd out.
“So, I found it great to be honest, it was a great venue as well, really great people. So, I just loved the whole evening.”
Harry Nicholls: “I also sort of, like, live for that feeling of having just finished, and if you’ve absolutely smashed it, then you know, you’re just in the pub with all the people that just watched it and everyone’s kind of going “class that was really good” You’re just sort of sat there with a pint in your hand like ‘nice’” *laughs*
How important do you think Salford is for the music scene?
Harry Nicholls: “It’s huge man, because there’s really not another hub, at least as far as I can think of, maybe in the country that gives opportunities to up and coming artists like Salford does.
“Not just because like the sheer number of venues there are also the amount of people that are, you know, of a similar age or disposition to us that are trying to get into the music scene in other ways. So like the promoter that put this event on is like, or is about in the same level of their growth as a promoter as we are as band.
“So, sort of like it’s not just the music that finds a home in Salford, it’s also you know, the people that are just trying to break into the industry in other ways and it’s perfect for everyone helping each other get there, everyone gives each other a platform.”
How crucial is it to have local venues?
Harry Nicholls: “I thought it was absolutely brilliant! It was like it was exactly what smaller artists need.
“It was a good sound technician, they had all the gear they needed. It was like everything was pretty much set up and ready to go for us by the time we got there. You know, all they asked of us was like, just bring your own amps.”
If you could describe you band as a drink, what would it be?
Charlie Hill: “I think a tequila shot. You get a mixture of everything together so you get a bit of bitterness and lime so you get a bit of bitterness from the full shot.
“Tequila obviously can be difficult to go down, once it is down, you’re feeling good. So, I would say yeah, a full process of tequila. There’s lots of elements to our band and I think it’s a great shot to do because it gets you fucked up.”
The Rants
The Rants have been performing as a quartet for a year and a half and have built up a good audience since then. They brought some of the upbeat style to the show with their own impressive range of catchy and energetic songs.
The band members are as such: Joe Berry (3rd from left) as the frontman, Josh Madden (1st on left) on lead guitar, Milosz Fornalski (4th from left) on bass and Matt Talbot (2nd from left) on drums.
Joe was able to detail how the band got started and what performing in Salford meant for them:
How/When did you start music?
“Three of us actually went to college together, but back home in Wales before we came to Manchester. That’s myself, guitar player and bass player, Josh and Milosz. Then we were hooked up with a drummer when we first came to Manchester four years ago.
“About a year and a half ago, we changed drummers to Matt, who’s in the band now. So, for about a year and a half we’ve been together with this group but me and Josh have been writing songs together for about four years now.
Who inspired your music?
“You look at the strokes or the Beatles or Chili’s (Red Hot Chilli Peppers) for example, we wouldn’t listen to the Chilli’s and be like ‘oh, yeah, we’re just going to play like, funky riffs all the time or listen’, we would kind of take very small parts from loads of different things.
“We’ve never really had like one or two specific influences. Everyone’s got a different favourite band. But I think to be honest, I think that will come to a front more once we get back in the studio and we’re literally sitting down like Okay, so what are we going for here? You know, which albums are we taking inspiration from sonically, arrangement wise, etc.”
How would you label your band?
“I feel like most recently, at least and for, for what we wanted to do in the next few months, it’s we’ve settled on kind of like, like a poppy, funk, dancey sound used to be quite like alternative a little bit heavier, a little bit more riffy, a little bit more guitary, but now we’ve decided to shift our focus on to the groove more.
“It sounds like stuff from the 80s and 70s. We’ve been trying to bring back through like bands have done in the past.”
How did you come up with your band name?
“After a certain amount of time, we were like, ‘that’s okay, that’ll do’ kind of thing *laughs*. The thing that made me think, well made us think, ‘it’s actually okay’ is that people really started to kind of, like, get it.
“When people are drawing all sorts of conclusions like what the meaning behind it was, and like, people will be like, oh, yeah ‘that’s because they talk about like, certain topics, like politics, or like taboos and stuff’. So, it’s like almost like ranting, but it seemed to stick with people.”
Has music helped if you’re struggling mentally or in general?
“Once you played a gig or a few gigs or something and then you don’t have that for a long time like COVID, etc, and then you get back into doing it, you do get reminded of like being like ‘oh, yeah, this is the shit! This is why this is what I do!’”
“Maybe not so much like an escape, because I don’t think it’s a good idea to use it as a way to just get away from everything necessarily, because I think it’s important to acknowledge issues in life and try and deal with them. It does help put me back in perspective. And yeah, it’s a good thing. Definitely.”
What’s been the biggest challenge?
“I think the one that really did affect us, like most people, was that was long bout of lockdown, and then a little bit of hope like ‘we might be alright’ and then a lockdown again and it was really an uncertain time.
“No one really knew whether to like book loads of gigs, or book studio time, or book a tour or whatever, because then it could just be taken away from you in a second, and that was just after a release. It was really, really badly timed.
“The thing that has really kind of been a little bit upsetting is seeing a lot of venues that we would usually play kind of threatened with closure or closing; like Jimmy’s on Oldham Street closed during that time and most recently Night and Day Cafe was under threat of closing, that was a place that we really love to play.”
What’s been the best aspect?
“It’s really nice when people unexpectedly put you forward for things and you’re like ‘oh, how does this person know us?’
“We were talking about yourself, actually. I might have been quite drunk, but I don’t remember speaking to you at the event and to just get a random message, so stuff like that.
“Unexpected interest is really nice, you know? And that kind of makes me think ‘Well, where’s the limit with that? You know, is there a limit?’”
How Important can Salford be for the music scene?
“We were saying prior to the gig, before it even been put in our diaries, that we wanted to escape the city centre and play places that really are like, the stomach of Manchester. Not just in a musical sense, but also in a social sense.
“My impression of Manchester before I came was Salford really is the place where, maybe not all is happening as much as in the city centre, but the people that live in Salford and the people that go to Salford really are the people that are what Manchester is all about!
“We have friends who play in a band called Swamp Chicken and they play in Salford a lot. They’re always saying, ‘oh it’s great you know, The Eagle Inn, The Old Pint Pot, there’s some really cool venues’.
“So, it’s definitely something that we want to do more of and definitely get the people of Salford kind of exposed to ourselves. We can learn a lot from that whole scene ourselves as well.”
How did you find the event?
“I actually liked the venue a lot, to be honest, and I loved how it was kind of bigger than it was (usually) that night, I think they shut a little bit off which was great because then everyone was at the front, you know, dancing.
We were like ‘let’s just have a fun time we’re not we’re not the headline acts, there’s not a high stakes situation, there’s not a lot like riding on it. So, let’s just go and have fun.’ I think when we did that, I think people could see that.
“It was nice to not be really uptight about kind of keeping up appearances, you know, and just letting ourselves have a good time, as well as the audience.”
If you could describe you band as a drink, what would it be?
“I feel like it’d definitely be a cocktail. Which one though? That’s the question. I suppose it depends how we’re feeling on the night.
“Okay, based on Saturday, I don’t know. Maybe a Mojito. My reason behind that is it’s quite zesty and icy *laughs*
“That’s a great question, though. Honestly, I’ve got to do some interviews for research projects and stuff, I’m definitely stealing that one!”
You can find out more information about the acts through their Instagram accounts here:
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