Frequency – at The Bridge Bar (SU Building) on 8th November
For all who don’t know: every second-Monday of every month, the Alternative/Indie Music society (AIM) host Frequency – a night of local and live, indie and alternative rock. So, having missed the first Frequency of the year, I was determined to make the second and see what all the fuss was about; I found myself quite pleasantly surprised.
The Fruit Cellar, a two-piece set consisting of a guitar playing vocalist and a drummer, graced The Bridge Bar with their first ever live performance. Fast-paced, with a solid rhythm to move to, they soon wooed the crowd and warmed the atmosphere into friendly band-to-crowd banter. For a two-piece set their material held its own with the lack of a bassist proving not to faze them; all combining together to win Bridge Bar over.
Soon following, Lyon Street took to the stage. A Southampton based alternative indie band, Lyon Street’s smooth rhythm guitar, pacey bass and drums with the ever energetic lead picked up where The Fruit Cellar left off. With a lighter and more rounded sound Lyon Street gave a spirited performance as, no matter what, they kept on going. A broken guitar string and a bleeding guitarist later, a rock ‘n’ roll mentality left them totally undaunted.
The headline act, Broken Links, brought a heavier alternative rock sound to Frequency. Built on Phil Moulter’s fantastic drumming, Lewis Betteridge’s fluent bass and the electrifying riffs of Mark Lawerence echoed by his haunting vocals, swept their way through The Bridge Bar. Hosting such talented musicians, Broken Links set-up a sophisticated and professional atmosphere, with music you can easily dance, jump around and sing-along too. The band, from Eastleigh, with such influences as Nine Inch Nails and Manic Street Preachers, challenged the previously set tone from The Fruit Cellar and Lyon Street, with a much darker and booming sound. A sound that absorbed the crowd, holding all within its sway as it tumbled and consumed the atmosphere around them. As you sink deeper into the reverberating notes, it’s effortless to get carried off by it. And, with their 2nd EP already released and a studio album scheduled for May 2011, Broken Links are definitely a band to watch out for.
Such a line-up ultimately proved that Frequency deserved all the praise it can get. The quality of local acts AIM pulled together was astounding and the turn-out was equally as impressive. For a student run event, pitched against the subconscious drag that Oceana’s student night and various other clubs hold upon the student body, the size of the crowd created a strong and unified feel to that can never be found when such local acts are introduced to a pub audience; providing both brilliant entertainment and fantastic opportunities to the acts themselves.
So – when the next, second-Monday comes around and you find yourself fancying a change from the squashed-in chaos of night clubs during packed out student nights, Frequency at The Bridge Bar, in the Student Union Building, is the place to be!
If you want to hear the bands that graced Frequency this month, follow the links below:
Lyon Street: www.myspace.com/lyonstreet
Broken Links: www.brokenlinksmusic.co.uk or www.facebook.com/BrokenLinks
Or, head over to AIM’s page on Facebook for all the details you need about upcoming events: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5283429034&ref=ts
