DAMP MATCHES - THE REVERE - SUNNY BONES
Mark Stimpson
DAMP MATCHES - THE REVERE - SUNNY BONES support STAMP OUT SPIKING
The only thing I like more than supporting a good cause is supporting great bands with even better tunes, so it’s no surprise that Voodoo Showroom’s charity gig for Stamp Out Spiking Norwich brought a smile to my face and a hoarseness to my voice (no surprises: there was a lot of shout-singing).
Voodoo’s was well stocked with anti-spiking drink toppers as always, but it’s also great to know that the money raised from this event will go towards providing anti-spiking training to bartenders so that they can support anyone who is spiked, spot potential attempts, and identify the person. As Lorna Street, an ambassador for Stamp Out Spiking and the driving force behind this event, puts it; Norwich is my hometown […] I’ve always felt safe here, so the spiking incidents shocked me. I thought, no one’s doing anything about it, so I’m going to do something about it. […] ‘If people are afraid to go out then they know they can come here and feel like they can have a good time and not have to worry.’ With Lorna thanked, the good cause explored and a drink in hand, it was time to listen to the music.
Enter our bands: Opening we had Sunny Bones, a local duo comprised of Helen Anderson, Ben Asker and supporting friends. Sunny Bones discography has an upbeat, sixties infused sound with a hazy, dream-pop feel, complimented by Helen’s mellow vocals. The frontwoman was clear about her stance on spiking: ‘As a female fronted band, being a woman and feeling safe is something that’s really, really important to me. It’s something we take for granted, how much we have to look after ourselves on a night out […] when we could be in a vulnerable situation. I really wanted to be here and support.’
And support she did; Helen’s bubbly stage presence in interludes between songs melted away to reveal a cool, calm and collected lead vocalist as she skipped from balladic, almost country-infused tracks like ‘Echoes of You’ to the hopeful, feel-good summer sound of ‘Be Cool’. Fans of Summer Salt and the Bahamas may also enjoy my personal standout, Cough Sweet’. This latest single makes great use of a relaxed, reverb drenched lead guitar, accompanying Helen’s warm, dream-pop –esque vocals. This track’s tender, evocative lyrics included the chorus line ‘Please talk gently to me’ - inspiring an almost melancholy tone in the context of the event, and slowing the energetic, happy-go-lucky pace of earlier tracks. Still, this set was thoroughly enjoyable; in Helen’s words, it was a great way to start ‘a bloody lovely evening everyone!’
Following Sunny Bones came The Revere; an all-male five piece hailing from our fine city, comprised of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Matt Williamson, lead guitarist Billy Dunthorne, keys player Ben Tungate, bassist Alfie Britcher and drummer Cameron Britcher.
The Revere’s sound is well-known to venues like Voodoo’s; a rock–infused, alternative indie sound reminiscent of bands like JAWS, Big Foot, and early iterations of The Killers. This band plays as a unit; low, droning bass flowing alongside rising and falling synth and a whining lead guitar across all of the tracks. Fans of Cheshire export Carpet are sure to enjoy the heavier, dirtier flavour of The Revere’s quintessentially English alternative rock sound – a notable choice here would be ‘The Mischief’, heralding the stupidly cheap pub we all know and love.
The chemistry between lead and rhythm guitar was also great to see; lifting the set with their shared energy. The Revere’s members are 'best mates and there’s no secrets between us, so we can talk about anything, like issues like this. They feel ‘it’s important for men to speak up and have those difficult conversations’, and we here at Outline couldn’t agree more
After a quick pause, another spike-proofed drink and a distinct bubbling up of excitement, the stage was set. Enter: Damp Matches.
I’ve heard good things about Damp Matches, but to say their headline set blew my expectations out of the water would be beyondan understatement. The contemporary rock band, comprised of lead singer and vocal powerhouse Helena Lewis, ridiculously inventive bassist Will Calvert, guitarist duo Dom Clarke and Stephen Spiers, and the driving force of drummer Lee Jaggard, slice through expectations of genre, style and who’s playing what: creating a stank-face inducing, intensely entertaining set. The energy coming off Damp Matches’ is insane; Helena brings an electrically energetic stage presence, supported by her equally enigmatic band.
No person fades to the back – Will Calvert particularly demonstrated Damp Matches switching of vocal stylings and pacing t full effect, skipping from heavy scream vocal stylings in a sinister, reverb-drenched cover of Billie Eilish’s ‘Bad guy’ to a playful, fast-paced take on Loyle Carner-esque hiphop in ‘V.O.Y.O’. All the while Dom and Stephen expertly swap instruments and parts, with Helena even leaving the stage to join the crowd in celebrating her band; showing Damp Matches true range and power as a collective instrument of energy and performance.
It’s no surprise that Damp Matches has a dedicated local fanbase who can’t help move and mosh to the band’s viscerally enjoyable music. ‘Like you like it’, a heavy, raging tune, is a clear crowd favourite, alongside an explosive response to an off-the-wall interpretation of Franz Ferdinand’s ‘Take me Out’. This was followed by a stupidly funny (and yet still stupidly good) speculation on what would happen if Tom Cruise and Justin Bieber did actually have that fight. Even comedic takes display Damp Matches’ level of lyrical and vocal dexterity; Helena’s vocal range is all at once spine-tingling and ridiculously powerful, complimented by her unapologetic, commanding stage presence.
This leads us to Damp Matches latest single, ‘Tantrum’, described by Helena as ‘a feminist bop’ that she wrote about the unfair representation of women in the media. ‘Tantrum’ was released on the day of the gig to raise awareness of Stamp Out Spiking’s cause, showing a true dedication to creating inclusive environments – echoed by Helena’s desire to ‘raise our voices, raise some money.’ Guitarist Stephen Spiers puts it simply; ‘why would we not want to support this!?’, and his sentiment is expanded on by guitarist Dom Clarke; ‘we’re also talking about the wider issue of sexual assault and harassment, especially within the punk and rock music scenes … It’s something we talk about, but something there seems to be very little action on.’ But everyone here at Voodoos is taking action; ‘making more noise about these issues, so more people will hear about it.’
Fans of Voodoo’s have come to love the relaxed, welcoming atmosphere of the venue, but tonight felt special - even for Voodoo’s. Every organiser and band member I interviewed gushed about the wonderful staff at Voodoos (shout out Sophie and George on bar, and Martin on lights and sound!), and their capacity to create an inclusive and respectful environment. It felt like everybody in the room got some love: from a shout out to Wild Paths Festival organiser, Voodoo’s venue manager and Stamp Out Spiking supporter Ben Street, to a delivery of thank-you flowers for Lorna. Lorna herself was lost for words during Damp Matches’ thank you, but she still made her gratitude clear:
‘Thank you so much Ben, the bands, everyone…
I want it to be about you guys and about keeping safe in Norwich and …
I never expected you to be so… here!’
On behalf of everyone at Outline, I think it’s fair to say; no, thank you, Lorna, and it’s a pleasure to be here.
See more pictures of the gig here
