The Lilacs, The Twang and, finally, The Fratellis brought Madchester swagger, Brummie riffs and a full-blown mosh pit to the Winter Gardens as part of the new Blackpool Live gig series. Amber Archer found Blackpool’s indie crowd in full voice once again and followed their advice to brace herself for what was to come.
At this point I may sound like a broken record, but I stand by it – Blackpool always has a certain buzz when indie bands are playing at the Winter Gardens. The bars and streets fill with gig-goers, and often, long after the encore, the night carries on with groups of friends singing their way through the town.
As we walked into the familiar Winter Gardens, the room was already filling for what promised to be an electric night. After grabbing a pint, we waded our way through the crowd to find a prime position.
The Lilacs, not from too far up the road in Wigan, performed songs from their upcoming album, Keeping Up with the Joneses – an album with an appropriately local connection, as its cover artwork (right) was designed by Blackpool’s Abbie Franks, aka We Are Proper Good Prints.
Frontman Ollie Anglesea’s distinctive voice and the band’s overall sound and swagger, gave a nod to The Courteeners and the Madchester scene before them – but with a Wigan accent.
The Twang followed with a slightly heavier set. Emerging from Birmingham in the mid-2000s, the band scored a UK Top 10 hit with Either Way, which featured in their nine-song set alongside others including Ice Cream Sundae, Two Lovers and Barney Rubble, as well as a cover of Bran Van 3000’s 1997 hit, Drinking in L.A.
With the support acts done, attention turned to The Fratellis. I was reminded of just how ingrained their biggest hit, Chelsea Dagger, is in the cultural fabric of British indie music on the taxi ride in. When the driver asked where I was heading he knew immediately the band I was referring to.
They told us to “stay safe” as the crowd began to brace itself for what was to come.
But The Fratellis are no one-hit wonder. They worked their way through a high-energy set of classics, from Henrietta and Whistle for the Choir to the unexpected rendition of Yes Sir, I Can Boogie.
If the crowd wasn’t already tight-knit, it soon was. A group of lads made their way to the front of the crowd – several of The Lilacs and their pals, as we later discovered. They told us to “stay safe” as the crowd began to brace itself for what was to come.
And then came Chelsea Dagger. Those familiar opening drums triggered an immediate reaction, with the crowd erupting into one final, raucous singalong as a mosh pit formed in front of the stage.
Blackpool Live’s brand new live music series inspired by one perfect day out at the same venue 20 years ago, continues with The Enemy, We Are Scientists, Alex Spencer and Shambolics on 28th August. Grab your tickets here.
