By Simon Shoulders, Rock At Night London
Venue: Dingwall’s, London-Rock Against Violence – Dingwall’s, Camden 12/10/2018
Rock Against Violence is an annual event that’s been running since 2011 to raise funds for Solace Woman’s Aid. This years event saw five bands take to the stage to support the event: Noise Noir; Lazybones; After London; Himalayas; and Ms.Mohammed.
Solace Woman’s Aid is a charity that works to prevent violence and abuse to women and girls as well as providing services to meet the needs of survivors of abuse. The money raised from Rock Against Violence will go to help fund an incredible range of services from the 19 refuges across London for women and children made homeless through domestic or sexual abuse, through counselling for the survivors of abuse, to training and consultancy to help organisations improve their response to domestic and sexual abuse. Their free advice line takes 200 calls a week…
The event itself was driven by eCubed, a volunteer organisation that raises funds to support Solace Woman’s Aid and other charities by organising local music and charity events. This year Roadkill Records teamed up with eCubed to put on a night of music at Dingwall’s in Camden.
First up were Noise Noir, a new and exciting London desert-rock four-piece. Their sound is satisfyingly heavy with some glorious blues hooks thrown in for good measure. Kelly Chard who fronts the band (also runs We Can Do It records and promotions!) delivers her vocals with the sort of sultry snarl that demands attention. Definitely a band to keep an eye on!
I’ll be honest, Lazybones blew me away and were, for me at least, were the musical highlight of the night. This Brighton three-piece blend thunderous drums, fuzz-laden bass and amplified organ into a thrashy, trashy, punkish sound that’s packed with an incredible amount of truly infectious energy. It’s a sound that’s unapologetically raw, fuzzy, direct, and a hell of a lot of fun! Candi Underwood’s vocals and performance at the organ were dynamic and packed with passion making for a utterly engaging and enjoyable set. Lazybones’ debut EP “Bang Bang” has just been released and is well worth checking out.
After London play some beautifully catchy indie-rock and there’s clearly a world of chemistry between the band members on stage. That’s not surprising given that Francesca Ward (vocals/rhythm guitar), Will Ward (lead guitar), and Byron Ward (on bass guitar) are all family! Sadly Rock Against Violence only got the four-piece version of After London (with Jake palmer on drums), normally they’re a five-piece with a violinist! There’s a depth and richness to Francesca’s vocal style that I really enjoy and she has plenty of tone and texture in her voice to experiment with. This is not a band that limited by the vocals and I’m really looking forward to catching the full-phat five-piece version of After London with the added strings!
Himalayas were an unusual pick in that they were the only all male band of the night. Hailing from Cardiff, this four-piece produce a slick, melodic indie-rock sound that oozes a brash assurance. Himalayas deliver plenty of catchy hooks that were clearly a big hit with the crowd.
The last act of the night was Ms.Mohammed. Music with plenty attitude and edge, and oh those drums… If that drumming didn’t get you moving then you you need to check for a pulse. The Trinidadian soca-rock fusion was certainly exciting stuff and had an addictive mesmeric groove that was driven along by a fantastic beat. A cracking way to finish the evening!
Rock Against Violence, eCubed and Roadkill Records put together a great evening’s music in support of a very important cause. There was a great atmosphere throughout and as far as I could see, a great time was had by all. I’ll let Josh Cooper from Roadkill Records have the final words on the night because he summed it up perfectly: “I’m very proud that Roadkill has been given the opportunity to work with the wonderful team behind eCubed in their mission to raise vital funds for Solace Women’s Aid, it’s a more important cause than ever. We wanted to make sure the line-up reflected the movement by giving mostly female musicians the stage and this year we saw some amazing performances from them. We’re already planning further events with RAV and hope that we can continue to help make a difference in any way we can”
PHOTO GALLERY
Noise Noir: Facebook
After London: Facebook Soundcloud
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