After a summer off last year, Gold Sounds festival made its return to the Brudenell Social Club, albeit
with a slightly condensed schedule. Normally running over a full weekend, the 2021 iteration instead
squeezed eight bands into one evening. The bands billed also marked somewhat of a change from
recent years: Gold Sounds normally fills its roster with the latest unwashed and vitriolic post-punk
acts emerging across Europe and North America, but this year there was a much more mellowed
indie theme across the line-up. The last Gold Sounds in 2019 saw the degenerate double-header of
Viagra Boys and Fat White Family spearheading the weekend, but this year changed out the lairy for
the lovely with indie dreamboats Gengahr and The Magic Gang.

Still, the festival managed to do the thing I love so much about it, giving you some of old favourites
for a dirt-cheap price whilst exposing you to some of your new. In 2018 you went for the Phoebe
Bridgers and discovered the Bodega; the year after you went for the Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs,
Pigs and discovered the Pip Blom. If you don’t try and see every band on the bill you’re missing out
on discovering something or someone big in waiting.

The day kicked off with one of those bands that really are a force ready to blow up into the national
conscious. A last-minute addition to the line-up, Low Hummer proved why they’re so highly rated by
those in their homeland of Hull. With a recent string of singles gaining play across radio and
garnering increasing press attention, their September debut album can’t come soon enough. Martha
Hill followed across in the main room. Without her band and alone on stage with an acoustic, it
initially seemed like a mistake to have the dip in pace straight after Low Hummer, but slowly
throughout her set she won over the Leeds audience, throwing in lovely stripped back versions of
Change and Grilled Cheese to close on a high. Fifteen minutes later, Bristol’s The Pleasure Dome
introduced themselves to the community room. To start on a negative, their guitarist did that thing
that some have started doing and really annoys me where they go absolutely bloody mental when a
song slightly picks up, yanking their guitar around and embodying Flea circa 1988 wearing nothing
but his cock sock. After a few bars he calmed down and revealed a pretty decent band, driven and
energetic, with some solid hooks and a singer with some sexy sideburns.

The pleasantly-surprising-surprise act of the day award went to Baba Ali. I knew absolutely nothing
about them before walking back into the main room, and was greeted by a confident and eclectic
performance. It’s hard to really describe with too much accuracy: at times one heard the east coast
dance music of the US-artist’s home, at others the electro-funk of their current base in London.
There was central European synthwave, all combined with occasional bursts of industrial guitar
you’d expect out of Ireland. Overall, an intriguing performance and an artist to check out with their
debut album released on the 27th August. Chappaqua Wrestling followed, a band that clearly fit into
this year’s much more indie feel. They remind me of the groups that were around a few years ago,
the likes of Vant or Inheaven, that take indie and add a few fuzzy guitars without adding too much
distinction. It’s been done before but Chappaqua Wrestling do it well if that’s your sort of thing.

Now we move into the big hitters of the day, those that have graced these stages before and you
know what they’re brining. I said at the start that this year had moved away from the likes of Viagra
Boys , but I put forward the motion that Pins are the female counterpart to the Swedish wildmen.
Both create these enticing thick guitar grooves like a post-punk disco, both have discographies
challenging gender roles, and both know how to dominate the main room at Brude. A group I’d been
waiting to see live for a long time, and worth the wait.

At this point, it’s useless trying to pass this off as an independent, unbiased review. As I walked out
of Pins, passed through the bar and entered the community room, I transformed from a 24-year-old
man with a pint of water and a sore back to a teenage fanboy, because waiting for me next was
Gengahr. I love Gengahr. They just make me really happy. It’s the fourth or fifth time I’ve seen them,
and without fail I can just lean back into the songs and float. Ask someone else who was there for
unprejudiced review, for me there are few other bands I’d rather see live.

Finishing off the day were The Magic Gang. One of my guilty indie pleasures and one I’d seen only
once way back in the day supporting Spring King on a tour. I was half expecting just the standard
playthrough of the songs that a band can pull off with a crowd of buzzing teenagers, but the
Brighton four-piece really brought a punch right from the word go. One song bled into two, then
three, before allowing the audience a chance to breath. It was a well-rehearsed set and a fierce
statement on how a band can elevate their music to new heights when playing it live, something we
all needed reminding of after far too long away from it.

Written by Leo Joslin

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With the number of festivals springing up across the UK growing every year, Humber Street Sesh has achieved the remarkable with a monopoly on the first weekend of August for music fans in East Yorkshire. What started as a one-off celebration of Hull’s music scene has grown into a 14-stage affair covering both sides of Hull Marina, giving a platform for local music that few other cities can boast of. Last year saw the festival grow from the traditional Saturday Sesh to include a Friday evening slot as well, acting as a celebration of past headliners and Hull music legends. In 2019, the aim for Friday night was to open the festival up to bands on the national touring circuit, well-seasoned on the ins and outs of how to play to a festival audience, and give the weekend a slightly bigger feel whilst retaining the sharp focus on local and unsigned musicians.

Friday evening’s first band, Autosuggestion, kicked off on the Big Top stage (although without an actual Big Top tent which had got flooded somewhere else the weekend before). Post-punk is a genre that Hull has become somewhat known for in recent years, and Autosuggestion showed that the city’s output is still going strong. Sure, the post-punk clichés were there: outfits best suited to an eighties TV salesman and a singer doing his best uncomfortable squirm in tribute to Ian Curtis, but Autosuggestion put together a set of solid post-punk that exhibited a knack for songwriting. Given that the band has only debuted in the last year, they’re certainly ones to catch soon as a rise to the top of Hull’s music pile seems likely. Following on the Big Top was Low Hummer. Risen from the ashes of local legends La Bête Blooms, their half hour set gave the sizable audience no reason to mourn what came before as they powered through a collection of almost entirely unreleased material. They take the La Bête Blooms sound but infuse it with something fresh, a bit LCD Soundsystem, or maybe something like a hint of Team Picture for a slightly more Yorkshire reference. Hopefully the rest of the year will bring about a single release or two as the group begin to rev up.

Over on the Main Stage, Brighton group YONAKA were the first of Friday’s major label acts aiming to give the festival a bigger presence in the national touring circuit. They seemed to engage with the large crowd well, bringing an energy and confidence that showed their previous festival experience, but three forgettable songs in the style of Bring Me The Horizon circa 2014 were enough for me and I headed back to the Big Top, leaving behind both band and their backing tracks. Next on the Big Top, LIFE, headliners two years ago, returned to their hometown off the back of a summer full of European festivals and increasing excitement in the music press over their upcoming second LP, A Picture of Good Health. They proceeded to give a case study on how to smash a festival slot. From start to finish, Mez Green, aka “fucking legend”, flaunted around stage showcasing exuberant wit, while the rest of the Hull punks tore through a collection of tracks both new and old. A set without any dips or lulls, LIFE, with their DIY attitude and astute perspective on 21^st century England, really are a band that Hull can be proud to call their own.

Whilst The Hunna headlined the main stage, rapidly on the descent towards indie landfill, Doncaster/Manchester’s The Blinders finished off the Big Top for the Friday. Despite having the tough task of following LIFE, The Blinders know what they’re doing when it comes to showmanship. After nearly a year of touring debut album Columbia under their belt, their stagecraft is well honed, and it showed. Standout singles like Brave New World proved why they’ve become a big booking for events like Street Sesh and Gold Sounds in Leeds a few months previous, and despite the occasional ten-minute psych indulgence, they did a solid job of capping off a successful Friday night.

This year’s Saturday line-up was missing a few acts that in previous years would’ve been earmarked as definites for me, whether due to disbanding (miss you Vulgarians) or simply not playing this year’s event (Team Picture, Strange Bones, Black Delta Movement, etc.). Instead, I thought I’d use the day as an opportunity to try catch some bands that had so far evaded my presence and I hadn’t seen live yet. Having said that, the first band of the day I saw three weeks ago: Spilt Milk have only been gigging a few months, but the teenagers are starting to carve a bit of a name for themselves in Hull. Mixing a post-punk rhythm section with the barky, aggressive vocals of a late-seventies punk snarler, they clearly know there influences but do a good job of setting themselves apart from them as a fresh sound.

Over on the main stage next was Trueman. A solo project spawned out of the band Vague, Trueman’s style is self-described as ‘bad theatre sounds’, with reverb-drenched guitar shimmers accompanied by synth and witty, introspective lyrics. Definitely not lacking in confidence, he justified a main stage slot with ease. Next up were Sesh-favourites Bull from York on the Strummerville stage. A band I’ve probably seen four or five times now, Bull radiate warmth wherever they play, like a big sonic hug. The personification of nonchalant, the occasional failing of a guitar amp is taken in stride. A band who make every performance feel like they’re playing in your living room.

Back to the main stage, Tallsaint was the first of a few artists coming over from Leeds for the day. Recently she’s been playing a few joint headline shows with fellow Leeds group Peakes, and you can see why. Electronica and synth pop are sounds that Leeds do well, and a string of solid releases has highlighted Tallsaint as one of the best. Festival coverage then took a brief intermission as I tried my hand at playing in the warmest pub north of the Sahara, before resuming with another Leeds act. B-ahwe can be seen as part of that West Yorkshire Tight Lines/Leeds College of Music/nu-jazz scene that has produced other acts like Têtes de Pois and Necktr (in which she currently sings), but there’s more of a soul/RnB flavour that sets her apart as something different to the rest. Playing on the Speak Easy Yurt stage, there was a bit of noise pollution from the adjacent Funky Wormhole which was a shame, but did little do detract from a stand-up performance.

Back on the other side of the marina, Brosnan took to the Dead Bod stage. Having steadily worked their way up the bill over the past couple of years, they gathered a solid crowd down in front of the river. There’s small tastes of the kind of jangly but sharp guitar riffs found in some of The Cure, as well as a slackness in the vocals giving a nod to 90s indie Britain. Polo were up next on the BBC Introducing stage. Although they’ve been regulars at Street Sesh for a few years now, this was the first time I’d caught them after the addition of a second synth player on stage. With it came a definite step up in sound. They filled up the stage nicely, and previews of upcoming or unreleased material gave good reason to keep one’s eyes on the Leeds pop merchants.

Down the street and back at the Dead Bod stage, Let Man Loose were beginning their set as the sun went down over the Humber’s north bank. They give out the sort of riffs that might be found on early Queens of the Stone Age material, but replacing the aggressive stoner delivery with one more akin to contemporary indie.

No matter what stage you ended up at by festival close, you were guaranteed a good headline performance. Bdrmm, Mint and Pearl’s Cab Ride all played on the east of the marina, while Chiedu Oraka and Têtes de Pois both brought about an end to the day on the west side. However, it was over to the main stage for Saturday’s headliners. The Hubbards were one of the first local bands I saw back in 2014, and the primary party responsible for dragging me into what turned out to be a thriving local music scene. Headlining their hometown festival seemed to me like the end of the beginning for The Hubbards. They’ve steadily been creeping into the national conscience over the last year or two, aided by the release of their latest EP Petty Grudge Pop, and you get the feeling that now they can really threaten the big time. Throwing in a few old numbers for the veterans in the crowd, The Hubbards closed the festival with a set encapsulating the embracing attitude that the weekend as a whole is about.

Words by Leo Joslin

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Hull post-punkers LUMER kicked off the first day with their welcome return to stage after a four-month absence. Charged up with renewed vigour, they ploughed through a set of entirely unreleased material, and proved worthy for those that braved the afternoon rain that hung over much of the first day. Unfortunately, Irish industrial shoegazers Just Mustard, one of our picks for the festival, had to pull out due to travel problems, so it was left to Working Men’s Club to provide the next highlights. The West Yorkshire group are still relatively fresh on the scene, but are already starting to make a name for themselves, recently signing to legendary label Heavenly Records. Blending Parquet Courts-style post-punk with a more pop edge evident in the catchy choruses of their debut track ‘Bad Blood’, the BBC 6music faves may likely become one of those groups that Gold Sounds can claim it found well ahead of the curve.

Representing the US was North Carolina’s The Nude Party. Bringing a relaxed brand of ‘boner pop’ to the Brude and on tour supporting their 2018 debut LP, they provided a welcome escape from the damp conditions outside. Regrettably, I missed Partisan Records’ Pottery as the day progressed. The Montreal group are just starting a short EU tour and are likely to follow IDLES and Fontaines D.C. in becoming the next of Partisan’s bands to gain widespread critical acclaim. Not to worry though cos they played in Leeds again two days later (yeah I missed that one as well). Next up in the Main Room were Pip Blom making the trip over from Amsterdam. A name that I’d heard bouncing around for a few months but had failed to follow up on aside from the occasional radio listen, the Dutch bedroom project-turned-group flew through the first 45-minute set of the day with an impressive amount of energy. Another off the line-up signed to Heavenly Records, they made a well-argued case to check out all the bands on the bill, regardless of previous knowledge, and were possibly my pick for the first day.

Queen Zee followed in the Community Room. Hailing from Birkenhead, the group have been growing in stature since the release of their debut LP in February, earning them a slot before headliners The Blinders. Not my personal cup o’tea, but their pure energy and power was undeniable, and fans of the genre will have had more than their fill with the Merseyside rockers. Speaking of The Blinders, they returned once again to Gold Sounds for a triumphant headline slot. Occupying the main room for a full hour, they powered through tracks from last year’s debut LP ‘Columbia’ with little relent. No strangers to the Yorkshire music scene, top billing at Gold Sounds was just reward for a group that’s climbed its way up through the region’s venues. Unfortunately, those wanting to catch the start of Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs’ closing set had to head off early to the Community Room, but those who did were justly rewarded. The Pigs exceeded all expectations this year and have ended up spearheading a renaissance of British metal. A slot at the end of the day might have thrown them a few curveballs; some of the crowd had clearly indulged a bit too far by this point and presented the band with an audience that is unlike that of a usual Pigs gig, but they handled it well and the crowd calmed down after a telling off from singer Matt Baty. Long live the Pigs.

Hull dream pop/shoegazers bdrmm brought us into the sunny second day at the Brudenell, and hold the accolade for the only band to start on time. Fresh up from a one in-one out show in Brighton the day before, and under the wing of Leeds’ Pizza For The People, they’re turning into a real force within the Yorkshire alternative scene. They’ll be back on 13 th June playing Oporto. With the main room already behind by an hour before the first band, local post-punk group L.D. Moses were up next. They’ve installed themselves rather suddenly in the Leeds scene, and show local influences almost too openly. Vocals could be plucked straight out of Eagulls, and while they’re clearly capable of writing competent post-punk, as they mature hopefully they’ll develop a more distinct sound.

With timings out the window, the next catch of the day was W. H. Lung in the main room. Riding over from Manchester, the group are a month into touring their debut LP ‘Incidental’. Drenched in drum machines and synthesisers, they manage to blend the driven sound of groups like LCD Soundsystem with the more ethereal like DIIV. Another real discovery of the festival. Now for the big guns. Viagra Boys kicked off the degenerate double bill in the main room. The Swedes have been making a real fuss in the international post-punk scene with the release of ‘Street Worms’, their debut LP, last year. A pounding rhythm section brought a surprisingly dancey vibe to the main room, interrupted by violent bursts of saxophone and synth. Singer Sebastian Murphy, a tattoo artist by day, quickly shed his clothes and descended into performed anarchy (I’ve never seen a man crack open Smirnoff on stage let’s say that).

The Brudenell crowd was fully enthralled with the Scandy punks, and hungry for more with the dawn of Fat White Family’s set. Third album ‘Serfs Up’, released on Domino Records, seems to really have gifted the ever-rotating band a new lease of life given the multiple points when it seemed the group was about to crumble. The main room now definitely over-capacity, the seven men, headed up by a nearly-shaven headed Saul, dragged a crowd already teetering on the edge of chaos all the way down. Although a few expected songs from the new album were absent, regardless they exhibited a real tour-de-force, and showed why they have now headlined the festival twice in five years.

Wordsmith: Leo Joslin. Picture Witch: Iona Skye Wood

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