The Fratellis, Scouting for Girls, The Feeling, The Hoosiers, Toploader, and Dodgy

Among the likes of fellow indie rockers The Vines, The Strokes, and The Black Keys, Scottish indie rock trio The Fratellis are the epitome of indie-rockers; just as comfortable commanding the festival stage as they are in more intimate venues. Their lives performances diverge little from their studio albums, showcasing both their talent and their technical skills with seemingly effortless instrumental and vocal performances that are just as energetic as their music. Lead vocalist Jon Fratelli most closely fits the indie-rock persona, frequently donning the token skinny jeans and dark sunglasses while casually moving around the stage, belting out seemingly effortless vocals. Drummer Mince Fratelli rocks out fervently in the background, while bassist Barry Fratelli exudes the stoic and controlled tempo that all good bassists possess. The Fratellis are no strangers to the festival circuit, having played at T in the Park and V Festival, showcasing a variety of music from all three of their studio albums. The crowd sways back and forth to hits like "Whistle for the Choir," while their biggest single "Chelsea Dagger" always elicits excitement from the crowd.
After a short hiatus that saw each member pursue other projects, the band regrouped in 2013 to record their third studio album and continue performing the festival circuit, as well as selling out out venues on their own.

After winning the title of Best British Breakthrough of 2009 at the Brit Awards, Scouting For Girls made their mark in the indie rock charts with their second album Everybody Wants to be on TV. Whilst I have always enjoyed their music, it wasn't until I saw them live, initially as a support act, that I really became a true fan. I knew the music, but not inside out, but it materialised that that didn't matter at all. Their performance was full of enthusiasm, fun, and life, and I found myself singing and dancing along regardless of my knowledge of their material.
After becoming enthused by their live show, I booked tickets to see them headline, and was not disappointed. The entire set was a theatrical performance with fantastic lighting, great sound and acoustics. The band worked together blending their harmonies, whilst maintaining their intense dancing and performances.
The vibe was absolutely fantastic, even people who seemed unsure initially, seemed to be their biggest fans by the end of the show - that just seems to be the effect that they have on you! I'd really advise that you take the opportunity to see them (in a standing venue - because you'll want to dance!) before you miss your chance.

The Feeling were amongst the leaders of the indie pop movement of the mid-2000s. Their soft rock tunes hence instantly transport many, like me, in their early twenties, back to their teenage years. You can imagine my excitement when I found out that they were touring again. My friends and I immediately booked tickets to see them in Liverpool.
The night kicked off with ‘Blue Murder’, a single from their latest album, ‘Boy Cried Wolf.’ On a darkened stage, illuminated by a single spot light, lead-singer Dan Gillespie-Sells generated hush amongst the previously screaming audience. And then the lights flashed on, the rest of the band appeared, and the guitars and drums jumped into life. Despite having faded slightly from the public glare, The Feeling clearly still enjoy considerable popularity, with crowd members singing along to their latest release.
But the audience really came to life with the next song. The crowd jumped and screamed as the familiar intro to ‘Fill My Little World’ echoed around the room. Soon everyone was singing along to the soft-rock tune and I got that teen-nostalgia trip I’d been searching for. A similar effect was achieved later in the show when The Feeling played their earliest hit. Possibly one of the most sickening (but obviously secretly loved by many) chart tunes ever, ‘People in Love’ often proves divisive. Not here though. The Feeling performed with such enthusiasm that even the greatest sceptics, dragged along by their less world-weary friends, threw themselves into singing along.
While it’s fair to say that I most enjoyed the romp through the indie pop classics of my teenage years, the Feeling also didn’t disappoint fans wishing to hear their new releases.

On 15th May 2014 I saw The Hoosiers for the first time at Newcastle’s Think Tank venue. The intimate gig was an interesting way to see the indie pop group. I remember the band’s peak of popularity a few years back and, associating it with my school days, I thought I’d missed the boat with seeing them live. So, I was pretty excited when I heard that the Hoosiers were touring near my university town.
The Hoosiers opened with tracks from their new album, ‘The News from Nowhere.’ Unfortunately, ‘Handsome Girls and Pretty Boys’ and ‘Make or Break’ were met by a fairly lacklustre response from the audience. While I enjoyed the danceable drumbeat of the latter, I could see how the songs’ unfamiliarity disappointed the mainly twenty-something crowd hoping to hear the anthems from their teen years.
When The Hoosiers did deliver theirs hits, they did so in style. Front man Irwin Sparkes took full advantage of the intimate venue. During the encore the singer made his way into the crowd, impressively rousing the audience into enthusiastic participation in old favourites, ‘Choices’ and ‘Goodbye Mr A.’ Treating my neighbours to a particularly out of tune refrain of ‘stop giving me choices’ I imagined how a teenage version of myself would feel to know that one day I’d essentially be joining Irwin Sparkes in a sing along.
The Hoosiers adapted their style to the intimate venue, so I’d encourage you to see what they do in their upcoming gigs.

Toploader’s cover of ‘Dancing in the Moonlight’ - and it is a cover, as is frequently misconstrued, with the original by King Harvest dating back to 1972 - will probably, depending on how old you are, conjure up images of Sainsbury’s, a rather yuppy-ish house party and, most heinously of all, Jamie Oliver; the song rose to prominence when it was featured in an ad for the supermarket chain back in 2000, ending up in the top ten - the highest chart position that that particular song has ever enjoyed - and helping Toploader’s debut album, Onka’s Big Moka, to a number four placing on the albums chart. Despite the fact that the era in question was already fizzling out by that point, Toploader pushed ahead with a Britpop sound, and despite the fact that they enjoyed some chart success and high-profile support slots - they were the last British band to play the old Wembley when they opened for Bon Jovi - they soon ran into difficulty keeping the public interested in a tired sound, and disappeared after album number two, Magic Hotel, met with a scathing critical reception. Their 2011 comeback album failed to chart, but with four original members still present, they continue to tour across the UK, taking in provincial towns and leaning heavily on Only Human, where the temptation to fall back in Onka’s Big Moka must be considerable. They’ve a slew of festival dates lined up across the country this summer, should the mood take you.

A night out to see Dodgy always proves to be an enjoyable one. Not only do you get to hear some cracking tunes but the relaxed atmosphere, cosy venues and great banter always make it a favourite. One interesting twist on the night was that rather than having the same support for the whole tour Dodgy had adopted an “open mic” night type of affair with in our case four acts playing before the main event. The venue we were at was part of the Mary Hare school for the profoundly deaf and so it was appropriate that the first act were from there. The belted out six numbers and were pretty good. Got to give them credit for getting up there in the first place. Next up were a couple of weak solo artists before the final support, Darling Boy, who I had thought were a band but turned out to be an individual supported by others a la Duke Special. He (they?) had a real good energy about them that reminded me of The Zutons. And then it was time for the main event. The tour had been advertised as being acoustic but actually it was semi-acoustic and, somewhat weirdly, no drums, though we were treated to tambourine and “egg”. The music was great but the inter song chats were even better, giving a good insight into the band, particularly when there was a dispute over whether a song was to be played or not (as it was crossed off on the set list)! I also respect Dodgy’s honesty in saying that it gets a bit “tedious” playing the same things over and over which is why we got to hear three songs by other artists that I wasn’t familiar with. If this is what it takes to get them to come out on a Wednesday night to Newbury then I am all for it!