Midas + The Story So Far + Changing Scenes @ Stourbridge Rock Cafe 2000 – 18th July 2008
It’s been a few years since I’ve been to the Rockcafe and it certainly has changed for the better, from just a club that ‘put on bands’ to a more convincing venue for a gig. The bands were sitting making what looked like posters and eating pizza when I walked in, and I was instantly convinced it was going to be a terrible amateur night with a few local bands, but I was completely wrong!
Changing Scenes were up first. Slightly Panic @ The Disco-esque complete with keyboards, lead singer Nigel Passey had a fantastic voice. His voice filled the room, making up for the noticeable lack of crowd. Changing Scenes had some very radio-worthy songs, including ‘Change’ and ‘Why’, and they even broke into a chorus of Leona Lewis’s Bleeding Love much to the joy of the building audience. With a little more confidence and experience on stage they could be an easy contender for a record deal with one of the big labels. Definitely ones to watch.
Hailing from South Wales, The Story So Far were up second. Cheeky front man Nathan bounced around the stage offering a more pop punky contrast to the night. They played many hilarious covers including S Club 7, Backstreet Boys and even B*Witched, which raised many laughs from the crowd. It was a great performance; the only downside in my opinion was there were too many cover songs. They have some great songs of their own, and they needed to play more of them if they want to be taken a bit more seriously in the music industry. Nathan has a brilliant voice and easily rivals that of similar sounding Aled from Kids In Glass Houses, I think it will only be a matter of time before they are offered a contract. They’ve still got many dates left on their tour so go and catch them live now before they get snapped up by a label, you won’t be disappointed!
By the time headline band Midas came on the evening was in full swing. After their chart scandal a few years ago I was quite intrigued to see what they were like live. Now with their own record label Plastic Tank, they are all accomplished musicians and certainly ambitious.
As their set began it was clear why they’ve had so much local success. They had fantastic stage presence and put 100% into every song they performed. Personally I’m not a fan of the synthesiser generally in songs, but it works for them. Although it wasn’t full to capacity, they had drawn a decent sized crowd of what seemed like hardcore local fans. Lead singer Kris has a great ‘rock’ voice, and song highlights were ‘Brainwashed’ and the controversial chart song ‘Red Shoes’. Midas seem to have had a run of bad luck in the past, but hopefully, with an extensive tour booked for the rest of this year plus a support slot with Fightstar, their bad patch is over and they can start making an impression on the public again.
Review and photos – Lucy Pryor