NME Awards Tour 2015 | Live Review & Photoset

Photo (c) Laure Noverraz

Everyone’s half-cut by the time Palma Violets hit the stage.

Bristol caught a glimpse of sunlight on the day the NME Awards Tour rolled into town, but this bill of acts arrived like a raincloud here to cast a muggy air on the somewhat pissed young crowd.

If there’s one band to crush those colourful vibes it’s The Wytches. The three-piece return in place of The Amazing Snakeheads who sadly threw in the towel for good on the eve of the tour. Luckily, the replacement is already well-aquainted with the city. They share all the surf-doom classics of their debut album, ‘Weights and Ties’, ‘Gravedweller’ and ‘Wide At Midnight’. If one thing was always going to prevail, it was astounding levels of moshing, a gaping hole forms in the crowd and the Brighton three get things off to a messy start. They’re certainly still a cherished entity.

Slaves are up next. Another high-profile band to have broken through the surface and offered something entirely fresh in the last few years. It’s clear that the pair remain incredibly tight live. They bounce off of each other with both humour and intensity. It’s their heated live shows which have caught the attention of most so far, channeling a massive sound for just two people. Their enthusiasm is matched by the rife angst of the crowd. New track ‘The Hunter’ makes an appearance nearing the end and it’s something of a shit-storm. Genius.

The next band onto the stage have a turbulent history with Bristol. The Fat White Family’s visit to The Fleece ended in a giant social media spat with the venue which was picked up on by the national music press. They were of course welcomed with open arms this time though. Their druggy sounds of psychedelia leave us in a state between ferociousness and lethargy. They’re incredible performers despite the crude antics of frontman Lias Saoudi. It’s still quite interesting to remember that they somewhat flopped with their first band ‘The Metros’, who were a more colourful outfit. The change of aesthetic and sound is continuing to do great things for these guys.

Everyone’s half-cut by the time Palma Violets hit the stage. Any of the bands to have played tonight have been worthy headliners, but you can’t help feel it’s simply because of how established this troublesome Lambeth lot are. Admittedly, they’re the ones I was least looking forward to having played their debut album until it wore out - and there has since been little offerings in the way of new music. As soon as they hit the stage though, my love was instantly re-kindled. It was a nostalgic trip back to the summer of 2013 and the hits still resonate. New track ‘Danger In The Club’ is amongst the highlights with its socially realistic lyrics — “Honey-pie you’re a pissed-up slapper”. They’ve still got it.

Check out ‘Danger In The Club’ right here: