The Fallen Angels

There was a big crowd in The Espy Basement before the first set of night and there was a sense of anticipation in the air. When ‘The Fallen Angels’ hit the stage the crowd moved to the front of stage and started rocking out immediately! They knew who they had come to see and were in for a good time! ‘The Fallen Angels’ have a killer rock sound that is so polished it’s hard to believe it is coming from a group so young. The guitar playing by Dave and Sam along with Aaron’s vocals was reminiscent of Guns N’ Roses! Aaron is a great front man with one hell of a voice. He got the crowd clapping along in the first song and introduced the whole band throughout the set by sharing solos! In their fourth song, Aaron showed his musical ability by playing some piano, while Dave on guitar ripped out one of the best guitar solos mid-song that the basement has heard this season! A powerful opening set from ‘The Fallen Angels!’

Mischievous Thom

‘Mischievous Thom’ brought it down a notch with their first song ‘Funeral in the Sun,’ but it was a song that slowly built throughout and turned into quite an epic piece! They then jumped into an acoustic rock song called ‘How the End Begins/Robbie’ that was very erratic in its verse delivery but got the desired effect! ‘Mischievous Thom’ is a hard band to describe; they are an acoustic rock band with hints on country and hints of psychedelic. Lead singer and rhythm guitarist Brandon has a gentle voice that he can also crank right up for the more rocking numbers. He was backed by a very fine band, no more so than Daniel on the drums who was so crisp and tasty in his playing! In fourth song ‘Three Strings Left’ Brandon put down the acoustic and opted for a tambourine as he took his energy and stage presence up a notch which the crowd responded well to! An eclectic set from ‘Mischievous Thom!’

Nikhail

‘Nickhail’ know how to rock! As soon as they went into their opening song ‘Yeah Yeah’ you could hear these guys meant business! ‘Nikhail’ have obviously been playing together for a long time because they are one of the tightest rock bands we have seen this season! Second song ‘Sad Woman’ was the highlight of the set! Front man Steve has a true rock voice and the three piece behind him had one huge sound. They finished of with a riff driven tune called ‘Young As You Feel’. It was a song that that summed up ‘Nikhails’ whole set, rocking!

Salad Days

Salad Days brought a loyal following to The Espy Basement to listen to their Indie/Pop/Rock songs. They kicked off with ‘Far Away’ before jumping straight into ‘Soulshine,’ by this stage they had the crowd well and truly warmed up! ‘Getaway’ was a heavier track which featured a nice guitar riff from lead guitarist Patrick. These guys had a lot of energy on stage, especially frontman Josh who seemed to get more confidence as the set went on. He even removed some clothing during the set! There were influences of ‘Arctic Monkeys’ in their music. An energetic set from ‘Salad Days!’

Little Red Claudia

‘Little Red Claudia’ played a blend of rock and pop tunes. Front lady Melissa had a great voice and kept the crowd entertained with her real talent. She was surrounded by four young men who played their hearts out to back her up. They pumped out a set of original material for their fans. The lead guitarist played some nice solo licks in final song ‘Goodbye’. A young band on the up!

Roservelt

‘Roservelt’ blew the roof off! A three piece rock outfit that sounded like they could be ‘Silverchair’ and ‘Nirvana’s’ love child. They started off with an intro piece that was off its head, but in a good way! Lead guitarist and front man Matt is a very talented electric guitar player. Bryce on the bass has the most elaborate pedal board we have seen from a bass player this season, not to mention the hot pink strings on his white flying V! Drummer Alex must be one fit guy because he went the hardest of all the drummers on this night! Flat Out! When bass player Bryce left the venue and went out and played on the street it capped off ‘Roservelt’s’ set! Stoner rock at its best!