With Freshers Week fast approaching, RPS Shows are putting on three free-entry gigs at The Avondale House, in Bedford Place, to welcome back Southampton’s student population. With headline performances from Johnny Foreigner, The Social Club and This Town Needs Guns, it promises to be the most fun you can have without actually putting your hand in your pocket.
The events open on Thursday 27th September with Johnny Foreigner, who broke onto the scene back in 2007 with their own brand of noisy indie-pop. They hail from Birmingham and have been touring relentlessly around the UK, supporting acts such as Hundred Reasons and Dananananaykroyd and have travelled the US with Cardiff’s Los Campesinos! Their visit to Southampton sees them play a special one off gig in support of their newest album Johnny Foreigner vs. Everything before finalising the details for their return to America.
Support comes from Southampton’s Polio, who play floor-shaking Math-rock in the vein of Pulled Apart by Horses and Blakfish, and the popular Hertfordshire five-piece Scholars. Polio’s recent performances have seen them land support slots with Tellison and Dananananaykroyd, leading you to imagine that it won’t be long before they are headlining these events themselves. Local support comes from Goodbye Stereo, Due Kie and Signals.
On the following Monday, The Social Club return to the venue to play punk-edged pop songs with sing-along choruses. They count amongst them former members of Captain Everything and Fireapple Red and are perhaps the most likeable band you will ever witness. On just before them, the Dananananaykroyd theme is completed in fine fashion with the appearance of Her Parents, fronted by ex-lead singer Calum Gunn. They’re a punk band who are going to blast through a series of one-minute songs and leave you questioning what just happened. Local support comes from Skymarshal, Middlenamekill, Young Attenborough and Southampton University’s Triassic, who have been impressing at AIM society events and will now be looking to build their reputation in the local music scene.
Proceedings close on the Thursday with This Town Needs Guns. Wearing the influence of the Kinsella brothers firmly on their sleeve, the Oxford trio have built up a large following on both sides of the Atlantic. It’s not often that you are offered the opportunity to see a band of this size perform a free gig in a pub and I can only imagine what state the place will be left in the following morning.
The 24th August was Blakfish day and taking to the stage as main support, three-quarters of the now defunct Birmingham Math-rock band will be making an appearance as &U&I. Last time they visited the venue they demonstrated all the experience of a band that had toured Europe with Biffy Clyro and they reinforce that Thursday 4th October at The Avondale House is not a date to be missed.
Local support is provided by Big Fin, who gave a performance at WTFest which left a room full of hardened punks wiping tears from their eyes. Expect folksy vocal harmonies from Matt Reynolds’ new outfit. It’s only their sixth outing as a band and things look very promising at this early stage. Hold The Fight, Waking Aida and Bewilder complete the line-up.
Full details of the festival can be found on the Facebook event, including drinks promotions and full line-up. A list of The Avondale House’s other upcoming free-entry gigs can be found on the RPS Shows page.
