It’s been some years since Rick Hewitt has stood on the stage of The Underground, if my mind serves me correctly, it would have been late 2017, early 2018 as Rinse performed one of their final shows. The band’s ex-frontman, Josh Hollingworth, was in the crowd to support his friend and former bandmate in his latest project – Johnny Nice Painter.
He’s joined onstage by Joe Fowler, who provides the electric embellishments to these otherwise acoustic tracks that are worlds apart from their previous musical projects, but offer a refreshing change of pace.
The cathartic set saw a series of mellow and laid back tracks, including singles Read The Runes and Constellations. Wistful melodies made for a cohesive and mindful listen, with finger picked strings glittering through personal and emotive lyrics.
Johnny Nice Painter is still in its infancy, but have gathered pace with a string of singles and support slots within the scene, so I’m looking forward to watching them grow. They saved their latest track, Demons, until last, with meaningful verses paired with rugged guitar, bringing a coastal indie vibe to the stripped back set.
Read more: Demons is the relaxed and rugged third single from Stoke’s Johnny Nice Painter
Also making their Underground debut was KOALA, who again, are no strangers to Stoke-on-Trent’s music scene, with members forged from the kiln ash of former Potteries outfits like Alfa 9 and The Get Alongs. This powerhouse trio stomped through a set of rumbly, bass-driven tracks, with Cy Walker and Chris Hilman taking it in turns to take to the mic while Jack Hilditch thrashed the kit.
Already, they’ve released singles Early In June and Under Your Skin, and have an arsenal of tracks under their belt ready to unleash into the digital world, but for now, the only place to hear them is live. In person. Physically.
Hearing the full set, there’s still those late 90s/early 00s influences throughout, as seen in Under Your Skin, bands like Kasabian coming to mind, but Chris in particular has a very Miles Kane quality in his voice, making Koala the ultimate playlist addition for fans of The Last Shadow Puppets. And with Miles set to perform at The Sugarmill later this year, perhaps they’d even be a great support choice.
Read more: KOALA release second single that seriously gets ‘Under Your Skin‘
Headlining on Friday evening, Don’t Call Me Ishmael made a triumphant return to the city – their first of 2023, but certainly not their last. The band have been performing together for the best part of a decade (I make it eight years?) and are working on their fourth studio album, due for release early next year.
Gary Wilcox is the ever-charismatic frontman to this stalwart of a Staffordshire band, entertaining through comedic anecdotes and witty one-liners, bandmates offering banter and showcasing that Don’t Call Me Ishmael are more than a band – they’re a family – quite literally, with siblings Jack and Sophie Tasker forming two fifths of the outfit.
As with any band who have been going a considerable amount of time, DCMI has undergone a number of lineup changes over the years, but currently, Gary and the Taskers are joined by Tom and Ian on bass and a third guitar.
For an hour, we were treated to tracks from the Ishmael songbook, which spans three albums, six EPs and countless rambunctious pop singles, some more tongue-in-cheek than others.
With three guitars, bass, keys and drums, Don’t Call Me Ishmael are an incredibly full-sounding band with a larger than life personality, but my favourite part is the glittering vocal harmonies between Jack, Gary and Sophie amid a backdrop of explosive strings.
Their Saint Ishmael album turned four this week, which is home to some of the band’s best work, in my opinion, from the titular track to Blood Is Thicker, with nods to 80s artists like R.E.M and The Smiths woven into their sound.
Throughout the set, the musicians proved their multi-skilled talents, Tom swapping from bass to drums, to guitar, Jack swapping from guitar to keys and bass, and Sophie ditching her sticks to step up to the front of the stage to lead vocals on a couple of tracks towards the end of their set.
Sophie’s vocals are extremely powerful and highly impressive, she’s got such a stunning tone that works so well with Gary’s voice, but is equally as captivating on her own. I adored her solo project, Futurewife, back in 2018/19, and would love to see her produce another EP under the alias, alongside her work with the Ish.
Nothing Can Kill My Love – the band’s newest single, released last week and reviewed on The Leopheard – was a set highlight, and is a promising insight into the band’s forthcoming album. Could LP number four be DCMI’s finest work to date? I didn’t think anything would beat Saint Ishmael, but this soaring single is definitely one to get a bit giddy about.
Earnest and exciting, Don’t Call Me Ishmael’s pop music is full of heart, warmth and charm, underpinned by heart-on-the-sleeve romanticism, hooky melodies and heaps of soul. I’m very much looking forward to catching glimpses into their latest album over the next 12 months, and their latest headline proved they’ve got no plans to slow down any time soon.
