Stockton Calling 2016

It's that time of year again and Stockton Calling 2016 is upon us. Year on year Stockton Calling provides us with a stellar line up
across some of the towns best venues. Last year saw The Ordinary Boys, The Spitfires and Neville Staple along with a whole host of quality artists visit the town for the annual gig. This year sees another superb lineup head to Stockton for a day which will go down in Teesside live music folk law.


KU Bar

TOWZER

KU's lineup is again quality and kicks the day off in style. TOWZER will open the stage early afternoon and they're a band you do not want to miss. Formed from the ashes of Sister Rose and Randy and the Handstand Band TOWZER are ready to unleash their fresh set of tunes live for the first time. I'm very excited about the prospect of seeing this lot live as I've been with them from the very start, seeing the tunes develop from early demo's to polished songs which are single worthy. TOWZER take inspiration fro the jangly Indie guitar sound of the 90's from the likes of the LA's and Cast and blend it with modern psychedelic rhythms. They're a band who will carry the working class ethos throughout their tunes and will definitely turn some heads come Saturday!

Social Room 

Another band to watch. Social Room hail from Sunderland and really make up for the cities shite football team! Their tunes are filled with working class swagger and attitude and sound massive! They remind me of early Kasabian and are definitely going in the right direction. "Let Me See You Work It" sounds huge and will get a crowd interested from the first chord. Frontman Matt has the ability to keep an audience with him from the very start of a gig to the very end. Social Room have the potential to be a very influential band and will certainly be worth seeing down at KU.

Hidden Charms

These guys are on later in the day and have been gaining quite some following recently. Being name checked by the likes of Zane Lowe and Annie Mac can't be a bad thing and they just keep building that forward momentum. "Dreaming of Another Girl" has been played many times on my IPod and has managed to get played on various radio stations. Hidden Charms remind me of the likes of Temples and Tame Impala with that added London street edge. Perfect! They take inspiration from the 60's but definitely add their own modern day vibe to that inspiration which makes for a cool, forward-thinking sound. Having supported the likes of The Kooks already the lads are popping up in the right places and are making good inroads into the thriving British Guitar Music scene. Make sure you check this lot out at 8:45!

Blossoms

KU headliners Blossoms are a band I've followed since they began. I have said before I think they were one of the best bands around last year and I'll stand by that comment. Bringing a new level to the Indie/Psychedelic scene Blossoms are gaining huge momentum and are blowing up all over the place. "Blown Rose" is a modern masterpiece and I must have played this record over 100 times since its release. Blossoms remind me of the Mod scene, they are constantly developing and moving forward as a band. In terms of stage presence they are a joy to watch and hold an audience for the entirety of a gig. I've seen Blossoms a few times and they have grown massively over the last year from half filling venues to selling them out completely. When you didn't think music could get any better it did and along came Blossoms. The guitar effects, the keyboard playing, Toms smooth vocal are all just some of the sublime things you will experience if you choose to see this lot. Believe me they'll be one of the bands of the day, get down to KU for this!

The Arc

Reverend and The Makers

When the New Yorkshire scene had packed up and left, Reverend and The Makers remained and continued to lash out their honest, working class sound to the masses. Its 2016 and the Reverend and co are still making good music. From their early beginnings in the small venues of Sheffield to selling out arenas across the UK, Reverend and the Makers have established themselves as one of England's most consistent bands releasing hit after hit. "Heavyweight Champion of the World" struck a chord with me and really made me pay attention to this band. They smash their live performances and the crowds they pull in are always lary and up for it. "Bandits" is another tune off that first LP which always gets me ready for a night out with the lads or a big Boro game! Class! The Rev has been known to take their shows outdoors after a gig playing acoustic versions of their back catalogue on the streets around the venue. This is a huge headliner for The Arc and it will be a great closing artist for a fantastic festival. Be sure to get down early to secure your spot. Also appearing at The Arc on the day are local heroes Kingsley Chapman and The Murder and Lilliput along with some other not to be missed artists.

The Sun Inn

The Tapestry 

One of the highlights over at The Sun Inn is The Tapestry. A band which are good mates of mine and are even better musicians! Taking inspiration from the likes of Bowie, Talking Heads and Oasis The Tapestry and one of the most exciting live bands in this fine country. Their live shows leave an infectious beat in you ear drum that won't go away! With a catalogue of catchy Indie anthems The Taps are making a reputation for themselves which is gaining them new followers by the second! "Take Turns" was always on of my favourite tunes of theirs and it gives you a taster of what they're about. Liam's vocals are spot on and the band are one of the tightest you'll hear at SC. The Tapestry are going to be big and you are in for a treat seeing them playing a venue of this size! Every time I've seen this lot I have left in awe of how good they are! Someone once said that Manchester stopped producing good bands when Oasis split up but they were very wrong and ill informed! The Taps are the future of the Manchester music scene, see them here before you are paying daft money too! Also playing The Sun Inn are Lost State of Dance and headliners Ming City Rockers along with a host of other talent, get down!

Room 21

Alistair James

It's great to see young Ally back on the gig trail and he's playing the Room 21 stage at 5:30. Back with a new lineup and new tunes Ally is looking to make Teesside his own again and believe me the new stuff is sounding great! I've known Ally for a number of years and he is one of the most passionate musicians you will meet, he believes in what he is doing and is ready to break boundaries and play with real attitude. With support slots with the likes of The Enemy and Miles Kane, Ally is used to playing alongside the best in big venues in front of large crowds. Catch him on the next stage of his musical journey at Room 21. Also playing the venue on the day are King Mojo, headliners The Jar Family and some other talented artists.

Above are some of my personal highlights for the day but there are a whole host of other quality artists and bands playing the festival this year! The other stages which will showcase some of this fine talent are; The Georgian Theatre Stage, The Storytellers Stage, The Vault Stage, The Green Room Stage and The Music Lounge Stage. Tickets are available from The Arc, Green Dragon Studios and The Storytellers. For further information on this superb day check the website.

Now what to wear eh?