The Charlatans' Road to V @ The Great Escape
- May 20, 2009
Friday at the Great Escape brought even wetter weather than the day before (it was like Scotland down there!) but once again there was a packed house at Coalition for the second of our Road to V mentor nights, this time hosted by The Charlatans.
Winners of the fan's vote, The Quotes opened the show and made it all look easy with a powerful multi-vocal performance (watched by their proud producer - none other than former Haircut 100 singer and pop sensation Nick Heyward). Welsh rockers The Last Republic backed up their ambitions to be as big as U2 by performing as if the tiny Brighton stage was Wembley stadium.
But the night didn't completely belong to rock boys. Akayzia added a chilled sophistication with a set of beautiful Tracy Chapman-tinged songs, while Paul Dixon charmed everyone with his intimate lo-fi beats, clever melodies and observational lyrics. And the last of the semi-finalists, London's Bleech demonstrated why everyone's been comparing them to the likes of the Breeders and The Pixies, with their big, grungy pop tunes and stunning female vocals.
It was then left to mentors The Charlatans to bring a real festival spirit to the proceedings. To see such a legendary band in such intimate surroundings was a rare treat. Tim Burgess and co didn't stint on the hits, with One to Another, The Only One I Know and North Country Boy leaving everyone singing all the way to the after party where the band mingled and chatted with our Road to V artists, well into the early hours.
