A few weeks ago, after posting a tweet about how happy I was that one of my favourite bands (The St Pierre Snake Invasion) were playing a local gig in Rhyl, I got a cheeky little tweet from The Storyville Mob telling me that I was wrong because they were playing a show in Capel Curig in July. Admiring their attitude, I gave them a listen and was suitably impressed so decided to make the trip up there to catch their show.
Opening act Bob & Annie (5/10) were more of an acquired taste. I perhaps would have enjoyed them a little more if I was more familiar with the songs they covered, but it almost felt like I was watching a karaoke act. Still, it was a good way to start things off for the evening.
Next up was duo The Beaten Track (6/10). I was blown away by the opening track, which featured some stunning keys and lively vocals, but the majority of their set featured songs of a slower pace which was a little disappointing because they had shown such promise beforehand! I was very impressed when their vocalist stepped up to do an entirely acapella song because that took guts, but overall it would have been nicer if there had been a few more energetic songs thrown in because their style in that opening was quite unique and distinctive!
The third act of the night was Mick Marsh (7/10), who was a solo acoustic act, playing singer-songwriter type music. Whilst there was nothing out of the ordinary within his set, he did put on a great performance of some laid-back acoustic songs, peppered with a few cover songs for good measure. I particularly enjoyed his cover of Whitesnake’s Here I Go Again – it was a great interpretation of a classic! He kept the slowly-growing crowd entertained and there was a good atmosphere by the time he finished his set.
Headlining the show was The Storyville Mob (8/10). I know I shouldn’t complain, as it was a free show, but they weirdly enough felt like the “odd band out”, as they played a fast and noisy mixture of ska and punk which was quite a contrast to the other three acts and I did feel a little disappointed that the supports didn’t match the headliner as well as I’d hoped.
At the start of the set, a nice little dedication for the British & Irish Lions was given in honour of their win over Australia, which got a massive reception! The good vibes continued throughout the whole set, with their track Granny Is A Killer going down a treat with everyone in the room. I also really enjoyed their cover of Monkey Man. Although it is a song that has been covered a lot over the years, I would go so far as to say that it was the best rendition I’ve heard of it!
The set ended with news of plans for gigs to be held at Caffi Moel Siabod on a semi-regular basis, which is certainly great news for the North Wales scene! However all was not finished, as the whole room ended up calling for an encore, which The Storyville Mob duly played – playing their most popular track Granny Is A Killer for a second time. A lot of promise shown from a band that will surely be going places in the future. Keep an eye out for them!
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Delighted that you enjoyed the show Natalie. We’re working on some new songs at the moment with a view to putting an album out in the near future. We are dedicated to supporting the live music scene in North Wales and gig regularly. We’re due to play the Well Inn Music Festival in Holywell on 17th August. Hope to see you there. Many thanks.
Damo, (The Storyville Mob).
TVM Natalie, nice review. It is unusual for me to play that kind of gig as I generally only frequent the North Wales folk scene and I run a music(acoustic) night at the Meadowsweet Hotel in Llanrwst which is held on the first Tuesday of every month. You are quite right though, any amount of live music in the area area is a good thing…..
Cheers. Mick.