Venue – Peggy Sues Music Bar Leigh On Sea

Line up – Walking Through Walls , Big Head Tea Drinkers , The Q Days and Sovereigns

CSR PROMO

IT’S KICK OFF FOR THE CSR ON THE ROAD FESTIVAL …. Oh I do like to be beside the seaside.We arrive in Leigh on Sea and the smell of salty fish n chips thankfully dulls the smell of Thames estuary,  the sea being just a stones throw away. The venue ‘Peggy Sue’s’ named after Buddy Holly’s much adored  song and oh we love you too Peggy Sue, an intimate treasure trove of retro fanciful’s ,  small in size but huge in atmosphere , perfect surroundings for a day of rock n roll  sounds! This little piece of Camden in Essex , is a hub to showcase an array of Essex talents as venues dwindle across the country places like these are a vital  platform for up and coming artists and a much valued part of the local live music community . 

First up on the CSR rock n roll festival we have ‘Walking Through Walls’, Chelmsford based, school friends Cameron & Louis, they open their set with ‘You’ out now which can be found on all major platforms , a mixture of keys and guitar , this duo wails ambient guitar sounds and smooth vocals defo ones to watch, Instagram walkingthroughwalls

Second on the line up is ‘Big Head Tea Drinkers’ From South Woodham Ferrer’s. These boys have been together for 3 years and the bands drummer self describes the band as ‘big head boys making all the noise’. Freddie definitely has that front man flare, he the got the crowd onto their feet. This indie rock band finished their set by debuting their song ‘Tokyo’ and its this track which really got me listening, a classic indie song. I look forward to seeing what these boys have in store in the future. Instagram Big Head Tea Drinkers

Q days are a shoegaze funk and blues band who are based in Leigh on sea,  Essex in roots,  but Manchester in heart. I didn’t know what to expect from this band but these are defiantly  big players in the Essex music scene. The bass player literally blew the crowd away and  Ash, their lead guitarist, describes  the band as ‘loud stylish rock’  with Ash himself oozing rock n roll in style with his Andy Fraser riffs, that’s exactly what they present a combination of classic shoegaze vocals from front man Zac with a splash  of classic  90s Manchester ,  blending in 70s guitar solos , it’s like the band put all their favourite genres into a blender along with a harmonica player who burst out from the  crowd adding another layer to their sound and  out popped Q Days  but the recipe really works. Lead singer Zac announced his solo song ‘This Is My Aide ’  and stated “I wrote this song in 10 mins after greening out  after a gig” it leaves you feeling  that anything goes with this band. They are  a must see live band for sure. Instagram QDays

The CSR headliners ‘Sovereign’s‘ are an Essex based band of college friends Elliot , Milo, John and Bennie. They opened their set by transporting the crowd back to those early noughties DIY gigs where you literally felt like the band was playing just for you in your living room. It was carnage both crowd and band spilling into each other , big big sounds filling Peggy Sue’s to bursting point , so much so the venues phone was popping off with noise complaints mid set! Super loud guitar riffs , super loud drums from the bands Newest edition John. The band’s catchy songs compel you to jump , Bennie and Elliot commanding the stage belting out their latest release ‘Tomorrow Won’t Be The Same’ with the crowd locked arm and arm you could see how much the song resonated with them. After this intimate moment, the crowd erupts again, it was so raucous that Milo the bass player was literally forced to the side and still he played on fuelled by the fact the crowd demanded ‘one more song ‘ so Elliot and Bennie pulled an acoustic set out the bag with the crowd singing along it was a very humbling moment as it was clear these lads were telling you guitar music is back and here to stay , let’s see what Brighton brings maybe it’s the sea air that’s ignited these lads? All I know is that this band hit me like a tidal wave and I’m ready to dive in to the second leg of the festival X Instagram Sovereigns

Words and Live Review by The Songbird HQ