On Wednesday the 3rd of October I attended 'Nustock', the first event held by acclaimed Birmingham music project 'The Nu' and singer/songwriter Cole Stock. 'Nustock' aims to showcase the freshest and wildest music talent in the UK across what is hopefully an array of different shows. If this first show is anything to go by, 'Nustock' is going to be an experience no one will want to miss out on.
As I walk into Mama Roux's I immediately regret wearing the massive coat I bought to keep myself warm on my walk home, it's incredibly hot inside and I find myself wondering the whole night why the heating is on - I tend to get hung up on the small things. Adding to the heat is the pack of warm bodies moving round the venue, the place is full of all sorts of people looking to have a good night and the atmosphere is one of excitement and friendliness, everyone is smiling and having a good time even though the music hasn't even started yet.
The idea to venture outside into the tiny garden was met by an obstacle course of even more people, the general consensus of the gig-goers being that no one wanted to miss the launch of an event that promises to be, to quote the event page, 'the start of something seriously exciting' and 'unforgettable'. I'm warm, excited and ready to hear some music.
As I walk into Mama Roux's I immediately regret wearing the massive coat I bought to keep myself warm on my walk home, it's incredibly hot inside and I find myself wondering the whole night why the heating is on - I tend to get hung up on the small things. Adding to the heat is the pack of warm bodies moving round the venue, the place is full of all sorts of people looking to have a good night and the atmosphere is one of excitement and friendliness, everyone is smiling and having a good time even though the music hasn't even started yet.
The idea to venture outside into the tiny garden was met by an obstacle course of even more people, the general consensus of the gig-goers being that no one wanted to miss the launch of an event that promises to be, to quote the event page, 'the start of something seriously exciting' and 'unforgettable'. I'm warm, excited and ready to hear some music.
Pomelo Fellows
Pomelo Fellows started off the night, the four piece adorned dad shirts and the frontman nearly pulled off a bright pair of pink sunglasses. The band formed within the windy streets of Birmingham bought a strong presence to the stage giving the impression they belonged exactly where they were stood, and they did. The minute they started performing their personalities shone through and made the music that much better, what they describe as 'zesty indie rock with the occasional donk' I would describe as 'indie rock pop hybrid with a little 2000's pop punk sprinkled in' - I'm good with narrowing things down obviously - but I really enjoyed this unique blend of sounds that just really work for these guys, it's very summery which I know isn't a genre but if it was these guys would be the best summery band.
The stand out song for me was 'dream girl'. The guitar tones were super 80's but not wildly overdone, the lyrics were cheesy but in a fun way rather than in an embarrassing way, we all like a little cheese. The song felt like the band showing everyone their personality and character rather than them creating a persona that separates band and audience. 'Crazy' was another of my favourites, my notes simply say 'like busted but better' which 13 year old me would never have thought could be said about anyone but here you go.
When I was told that this was Pomelo Fellows first ever show I was almost shocked, the playing is so clean and tight, they ooze confidence and everything sounds so perfected. The deep bass tone filled out the room and the guitar tones and effects work so well for what the band appear to be going for and they're having fun! They don't show nerves and their dancing up on stage infects every audience member to at very least bob along to their music. I already want to see them play live again!
Echo Gecco
Echo Gecco are a band I have heard many rave about before finally getting the chance to see them at Nustock. They have created an original sound which I will now try to describe by listing multiple genres that came to mind whilst listening to their set; super funky, very psychedelic, kinda mathy, a little bit punk and a handful of 90's grunge all thrown together. The best way I can think to describe Echo Gecco is 'that band parents in the seventies would've hated their kids to listen to' and I mean that in the best possible way.
The powerful vocals throughout their set remind me heavily of Jeff Buckley, the higher notes literally embody Buckley to a point that just left me speechless which doesn't normally happen to me, I'm quite picky. The whole feeling that Echo Gecco give me is gritty and raw yet so clean and rehearsed at the same time, they make it look so effortless and the band's passion for music is so obvious when they play. Their stage presence is immense and the sound seems to come so naturally, they're not forcing anything and instead are being unapologetically themselves. Listening to Echo Gecco I find it hard to believe that they're a three piece, the sound is so full and depthy. The music was so good I almost didn't mind the near constant feedback ringing in my ears - obviously this was not their fault though.
Jumaji
Jumanji bought summer vibes and feel good music inviting the audience to jump and dance around to the funky indie rock music the six piece performed. The sound of the band reminded me a lot of early Circa Waves, T-shirt Weather is the song that came to the forefront of my mind. I would also loosely compare their sound to Orchards, who I love, not just because of the tones and effects on the instruments but the jump-along sense of fun they bring to the stage.
My favourite song from their set was 'Shindig', the vocal harmonies were absolutely gorgeous in this song in particular, to be honest the vocal harmonies throughout all their songs were beautiful. I won't lie, when I listened to Jumanji's songs 'Foxes' on Youtube, I wasn't the biggest fan of their sound but watching them on stage changed my mind. I do think that some of the songs were a tad repetitive and a little too similar to each other but overall I had a great time watching them perform!
The NU
I've heard The Nu's recorded music and I've seen the music live and I still love the way that the songs differ from the synth based recording to the heavy rock sound live. It's a completely different experience which I appreciate after seeing some artists who leave in way too much pre-recorded sound into their live sets. On stage it sounds like there's way more than four of them playing, they just fill out the whole venue with powerful noise. Special mention to Connor who killed it on the drums, it's the first time I've heard him play with the NU and though it may seem impossible to be heard over the incredibly loud synths and guitar he managed it with ease.
(Calling The Nu out quickly, in your short deep chat about the world you referenced 'saving the planet' whilst using lots of single use plastic balloons at a bar who gives out single use plastic cups.)
'Homestretch' was done acoustic using only an electric guitar. Zaltash's voice still sounded amazing with everything stripped back as I already knew it would. The song became an emotional tribute shared among only those who attended 'Nustock' as The Nu were joined on stage by Jumanji who Zaltash opened for 3 years ago after he first wrote this song. The emotions in the lyrics hit harder now they were more audible over only the guitar and the crowd and those on stage swayed along holding hands or hugging each others shoulders as we all sang along.
The Nu "finished" (that's air quotations not actual quotations) on the new single 'Living It Up' and set off a surprisingly impressive confetti cannon that covered the audience in brightly coloured confetti. Unsurprisingly once the band had let the stage the crowd started cheering "ONE MORE SONG" calling for an encore. The encore was teased by a drawn out drum solo and then suddenly, possibly, no definitely, the loudest bass sound I've ever heard - if I could even call it a sound, it was more of a rippling feeling deep in my body - rang out making me feel like there was a fucking earthquake ripping through the UK.
The NU finished on a short breakdown-esque song thing and everyone was pushing into each other and letting out all their excitement. Personally I would've played this little bit before the encore and then played the new single at the end so it stuck in everyones heads, but the audience seemed to love it as they went crazy throwing their drinks everywhere and pulling down the bunting in the venue. I think if I was drunk I would've joined in a little more but I had no liquid confidence so I stayed in the dance space I had appointed myself and had a boogie with some friends whilst everyone else got soaked in Red Stripe that only cost £2.95 a pint!
Overall, 'Nustock' was a success! The place was packed, the music was good and the people loved it. I'm anticipating the next 'Nustock' events will be just as great, if not better and I will definitely be attending. It's a great event and a great way to get bands out there, plus it's a cheap night out which I can't say no to.
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