You expect things to be so simple, it’s hot, you’re bored, you go for a drink before the music starts. Naturally you end up getting lost on the way to the shop and lost on the way back but still somehow managing to get to the stage in time to catch the bands that you want to see. Historically Sunday is also the scorcher of Waterside Festival days, and the weather is staying true to form.
Hazy blue lights, Make A Difference and a chilled disposition, it’s the return of Serve Chilled, though this time under the moniker of Grid City Events. The outlay is pretty similar though, a bunch of local acoustic acts ranging from people playing their first gigs down to the more cemented names like Chris Dobbs, Daniela Bove and Final Clearance. Along with the night for a spot of creativity are the Trashion crew too, a bunch of Hendrix/Cobain shirts go down just as nicely.
It’s a bit of a wait with the bands running a little late, but the Craufurd goes a bit lighter than the usual screamo or punk bands, with a more laid back collection of names, Final Clearance are no strangers to the area, though the support is a little new to the area. The Nimblewits are a familiar face to the Final Clearance, already playing with them for a few shows, and Uke’s Not Dead offer something a little different.
Aug.08.09
It feels a bit weird now as I’ve realised that a year of AMPjam really has come full-circle, Live!zone was one of the first “proper” articles I covered and I find myself back at the event once more. Last year cut it close, but this time I was ready for a long day with an actual battery pack and plenty of money for some mochas or any other source of the caffiene I needed. When I finally get myself sorted and waiting for the day to start, there’s not much to do but have a laugh at Oz and the crew going through soundcheck like a band about to play at Wembley, good times.
Just over a year ago Final Clearance had recorded an Ep called “Window Cleaners Of Amsterdam”, it was pretty much what you’d expect from such a package, a good effort that still needed refining but shown the way the band were going. Further down the line, the band have completed a fully fledged debut album under the name of “Teenage Dreamland”. Don’t be fooled by the dark cover though, this album may not be sugar-coated but it isn’t depressing either.
To be honest, Final Clearance have been one of those bands that have slowly grown on me, on first appearance I wasn’t quite so swayed, but as I seen them more they got tighter and I became more open-minded to the fact that they were something quite unique in the surrounding scenes, let’s face it, not many local bands strive to have a hard-rocking edge with a fiddle on board. Here we check out their latest Ep, titled “Window Cleaners of Amsterdam”, and it isn’t too bad at all, you’ll see what I mean…
