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(Photo Taken by Kirstie Mackin Photography^)
Velvoir are a hot North-Eastern band who impressed the busy Easter Sunday crowd at The Tavern music venue on Sunday 27th March. They were also keen to express the mutual feeling of appreciation towards the fans of the band who have returned to see them each time they have appeared on stage in Blyth since they first started playing gigs last year. A pulsating 4-piece, Velvoir give you a very memorable experience with each member giving 150% to their performance. Even as they warm up, those in the crowd who have not yet heard them give a nod of approval and a ‘wow’ look on their faces as they realise something special may be about to happen. This has been the case on each of the five occasions I have saw them in recent months and Sunday was no different.
Prior to Velvoir taking the stage, the crowd were treated to a sensational set by Dean James & The Black Dogs, who have gained a very good reputation recently. Dean James has been playing guitar and singing beautifully haunting acoustic Rock & Blues for the past ten years, releasing the fantastic single ‘Alive’ in October - which blew me away when I first heard it on Youtube. What a voice!
Dean James has supported acts such as Mark Morriss from The Bluetones (whom appeared recently at this venue) and also upcoming Blues sensation Dan Owen.
He has recently played gigs at O2 Academy Newcastle, The Cluny, Independent, The Corner Flag, The Dun Cows first Blues & Acoustic Festival and the main stage for Sunderland Soundscape, so it was special to see him in an intimate setting in Blyth.
The busy crowd seemed to be mesmerized by his passionate voice and he had a knack of making you really feel what he was feeling when writing the songs. Dean James & The Black Dogs are certainly an act to keep a close eye out for in the future.
The hot and sweaty crowd were about to get even hotter as Velvoir made their way to the stage, with the bass-lines of Joe Fannan, driving drum beats from Billy White, fantastic guitar work by Adam Sams and the unforgettable Verity Jasmine Bee on vocals. They combine to transport you to another universe for an hour, playing original songs such as ‘Pearls On Velvet’ ‘Who’s the most Virile’ ‘Defenestrate’ and ‘Blow’.
It’s hard to pin them down to a particular sound, but I hear elements of Frank Zappa, The Doors, King Crimson and Hawkwind with their own unique twist. Maybe the description by Andy Stephenson of “Avant-garde Space-Rock Funk with a World Music edge” could be one description to use. I can’t recall seeing a bassist play in such a style since witnessing John Entwistle of The Who back in the year 2000 at Newcastle Arena. So much energy is put into the performance, the sweat is dripping off Joe and the rest of the band by the end. With cries of ‘more, more, more!’ the band agree to another song which builds up & up into a huge crescendo, as the singer is left lying across the stage floor with similar actions of a young Jim Morrison......
(Photo taken by Vince Race^)
Comments from the local crowd included the following:
“A finely honed act with traces of Frank Zappa. Wow!” (Dominic Molloy)
“I think that the success of the band is down to the fact that they are four equally talented musicians, blending together to make a delectable assault to the ears and body.” (Kirstie Mackin)
“Very entertaining singer and I loved the bassist in particular. Sensational!” (Jasmine Wilkinson)
“Completely & utterly unique!” (Amy Brown)
"In all my years of attending gigs, I have become bored and jaded with the same bands over again.....then along came Velvoir, who we have been fortunate to support in Blyth before. It's fantastic to see such an amazing band playing original material with such energy, honesty and belief. They are without doubt in my top-3 Northern bands at the moment. They deserve a wider audience and will undoubtedly rise to the top" (Pete Shaw)
Velvoir Fan Mark Cheshire says that: “they are the best band he has seen in a Pub over the many years of gigging”
After the pulsating gig, I managed to ask a few questions to the band:
Q.1: Me: "It's great to see another packed crowd for you here at The Tavern, Blyth...is there anything particular you enjoy about playing in Blyth?"……….
Adam (Guitar): “The crowd itself, we feel like we've made many friends at the Tavern, and changed a few opinions too! Also its an absolute pleasure to work with Vince. He’s an incredibly sound chap and he works hard to treat all the bands right. In an industry where many musicians are undermined its great to meet someone who does it because they genuinely love the music.”
Q.2. "Many fans I speak to say you are one of the best bands they have seen play in a Pub.....do you have any plans for bigger things in the future?"………
Joe (Bass): “That's a wonderful compliment. We've been gigging for just over a year now, we plan to continue with our relentless gigging schedule and play anywhere we can but with a view to take our trusted brand of grooving cynicism and sophisticated filth further a-field and get more gigs outside of the North East. We're also planning to release our 2nd EP this year too, hopefully on vinyl. In terms of a grand plan... We want to gig on the moon.”
Q.3. "Who would you cite as your musical influences?"………………..
Verity (Vocals): “In terms of our influences it’s a case of too many to list. Each member has a different primary influence but we all have a lot of crossover and appreciation in terms of what we listen to and get inspired by. Which is why our music comes out the way it does. It’s very much a melting pot with a limitless amount of ingredients. Some of which are psychedelic, funk, blues, jazz, punk, world music, movie soundtracks and sound-scapes to the interpreted sounds of a philosophical idea.”
Q.4. "Hopefully your ‘Stockton Calling’ Festival experience went well yesterday. Are you looking forward to appearing on the stage at Lindisfarne Festival in September?"
Joe: “Well each member has admitted being filled with enormous excitement over the Lindisfarne gig. It's our biggest booking yet and we're thrilled to have been chosen for it. Our performance at Stockton Calling was a real blast... 30-minute Sets usually feel like being interrupted mid-coitus but we had the joys of playing to a packed stage at the music lounge and we loved every second of it. There was an electric atmosphere there that we'll never forget.”
Q.5. Can we expect to see you back in Blyth anytime soon?…………..
Verity: “We're playing The Tavern on Saturday 28th of May. See you there I hope.”
(Photo taken by Vince Race^)
Velvoir can be found on:
Soundcloud.... https://soundcloud.com/velvoir
Facebook....... https://www.facebook.com/velvoir
Youtube........ https://www.youtube.com/user/Velvoir
Twitter......... https://twitter.com/Velvoir
