Usually over 200,000 people embark on the hallowed pilgrimage to Glastonbury Festival for the last weekend of June, in the hope of catching as much of 3,000 live performances as they. The festival fallow year cast those plans aside, creating space for the UK’s biggest festival, ‘Everywhere At Once’.
Presented by the National Lottery and Music Venue Trust, more than 2,000 artists are performing in over 400 grassroots venues this weekend.
The good people at Slipstream Music put any Glastonbury FOMO to bed for residents of Southampton and Hampshire, as they hosted a stacked bill at The Brook.
Harvey Jay Dodgson brought his pure, propulsive energy into action, topping the bill and matching that position with swaggering persona of an artist unifying music fans.
Stepping through the doors of The Brook is a ritual I’ve performed countless times, always greeted by the same jolly faces and a sea of historic portraits. A roll call of legends that have graced the hallowed stage. Entering the main room, the heightened stage towers large over the mass of bodies below, ideal for the vertically challenged among us.
The Brooks holds a special piece of my heart as the scene of the start of my lifelong obsession. Dragging my mum to see a Green Day tribute act. The night that started it all. Since then, I’ve seen acts such as The DMAs and The Lathums, as well as multiple Slipstream Music nights showcasing the likes of The Lilacs and The Rosadocs.
First on stage, were local competition winners, The Urberts. Performing as a tight four-piece, they delivered a stunning set of original music, dashed with a cover of The Kinks’ ‘Sunny Afternoon’. Pulling from the diverse textbook of punk, ska, indie, rock and Britpop, the local outfit certainly delivered a great sound and an experienced performance.
It is no easy to ask to open for such a high-energy headliner, but The Urberts best quality, is their refusal to be pinned down to a single genre. Blurring the line effortlessly between classic rock and new wave, but also bridging the gap between old-school subcultures and contemporary indie. Topped off with some outstanding harmonising vocals.
Keeping that forwards momentum in full swing, Southampton band Silverstun took the next slot. The young four-piece brought a nostalgic glance into the late 90s, early 00s golden era of rock music.
Their setlist was packed full of heavy riffs, infectious rhythms and pounding melody to pull the crowd into action. Their set proved that raw guitar energy still very much exists in music venues today, topping the set off with faultless cover of ‘Everlong’ by Foo Fighters.
Unfortunately, their drummer and lead guitarist were stepping down after the show. A jubilant send off. Watch this space, as the young lads look to fill the vacant positions.
Nico Cann filled the final support slot, pulling on the strings of a Sam Fender/Bruce Springsteen anthemic sound, he was tasked with maintaining the momentum provided by Silverstun ahead of the main act.
With biting guitars and soaring nostalgic keys, his full band graced the stage in a mass of hair. the Milan-born star delivered a set full of rich landscape, reflective storytelling and a warming rock sound.
He’s a future headline star in the making, and whilst he continues to cut his teeth on grassroots stages, he’ll carve his path into becoming a top performer.
Tensions rose and atmosphere built in the dark room before Harvey Jay Dodgson. He has an unmistakable starboard presence as he takes to the stage, commanding grassroots venues with not just a casual ease, but a smooth swagger.
He opened the set in strong fashion, leading with some of his popular singles. The backing track to ‘Freedom’ arrived ear-splittingly across the in-house stereo. Dodgson arrived on stage, band in tow, and commanded the room with hand signals to the chorus of “left, right, freedom”.
The powerful opening to his set continued with ‘Marilyn Rose’ and its high energy, indie rhythms, and followed by the majestic, cinematic anthem ‘Embers’. By now, the crowd weren’t only onboard with the set, but they were living it, hanging onto Harvey’s every word.
This was the perfect opportunity for the Portsmouth man and his band to showcase some new material. New songs ‘Body Move’ and ‘Bring It On Down’ fit into the setlist at this moment perfectly. The former of which, he ditched the guitar and threw himself into some body-popping moves, with the former showcasing a heavier, higher tempo’d groove.
This sentiment continued with ‘Kids On The Firing Line’, a personal favourite of mine for the deep, powerful bass. ‘Caroline’ fulfils its purpose a lift in the crowd, dragging everyone forward into a communal jive.
New song ‘Kick’ was given a chance to breathe, as Harvey Jay Dodgson tried his hand at some spoken word poetry, highlighting the importance ‘Love Not War’. I’m a sucker for some poetry, and my wife instantly glanced in my direction as he wandered his through the prose.
The party wasn’t finished there. He launched into a staggering double header to close the set. First came the explosive fury of ‘Tell Me’. Refusing to let the stage become a barrier between him and the crowd, Harvey dived into the sea of sweaty bodies, singing from the centre, engulfed by the Southampton faithfuls.
Clambering back on stage as the room hit boiling point, he closed with ‘For The Love Of It’. It was a triumphant jubilant end to the showcase.
Nights like this remind you of the importance of grassroots music venues, and their fans. Without nights like this, we couldn’t have the big shows and arena tours. We need venues and festivals like this to offer artists the chance to grow and learn to perform.
Thank you for the Music Venue Trust, Everywhere At Once and anyone who works in/with grassroots music. Without whom, live music simply couldn’t be accessible.
Written by Brad Halcrow for The Songbird HQ