A reasonable crowd gathered in the small Lending Room above the Library Pub as the 360 club held host to emerging artists Sam Wilde, Glass mountain, DUSK, and Fighting Caravans to celebrate the nationwide Independent Venue Week. A night that went from the whole venue standing in awe, to half the crowd getting in a mosh pit led by the Fighting Caravans’ frontman himself, the night was an eventful one to say the least.
First to take to the stage was Sam Wilde, a shy looking man with long hair who awkwardly introduced himself over the rowdy conversations of the gig goers. At first I thought this guy was just going to be a typical singer who brings his guitar along to sing some random songs, but it’s safe to say everyone in the venue was blown away. As Sam began his acoustic set, he brought the audience to a hush, captivated by his angelic voice. In his closing song, ‘Last day’, Wilde unplugged his guitar and stood at the edge of the stage to play, describing it as a personal song that he had written about the death of a friend’s dad. The beautiful song sent the Lending room into complete silence as Sam sang with emotion and soul, resulting in a mass of applaud after the song came to an end. With this being his first gig of the year, it is only onwards and upwards for Sam Wilde.
The crowd were soon taken out of their dreamy state when loud Bradford band, Glass Mountain, replaced Sam’s acoustic tones with their ‘cinematic alt rock’. Their set showcased seductive melodies filled with floating vocals that flowed nicely with the choppy guitar chords, sweet splashes of drums and lucid bass riffs. Complete of Harry on guitar/vocals, William on bass, Jonathan on drums and Lewis on guitar, Glass Mountain literally made the drink in my hand shake with their thunderous sound. Having recently released their debut EP, Glacial, Glass mountain have already got their own merch out, just shot another music video, and have a couple of singles being recorded. I don’t think it will be long before these lads are playing on the BBC Introducing stage at Leeds and Reading.
After Glass mountains got the crowd going, alternative electronic band, DUSK, capitalised on the electrifying ambience. DUSK are a band who’s SoundCloud doesn’t do them justice; it’s when they perform live that their mellow yet funky sounds draw you in, and have you gracelessly swaying along to. Smoke surrounded the stage, creating a dreamy atmosphere as frontwoman Holly Mathew’s enchanting vocals drew the crowd in enough to be captivated by Sarah Hayes’ seductive keyboard playing, backed by Dom Reed’s smooth drum beat and Nathan Francey’s charming bass sounds. If you are a fan of London Grammer, then check out some of DUSK’S stuff, they are a perfect band to add to your upcoming summer playlist!
The Lending room turned into carnage as the untamed lads from Fighting Caravans were the final band to perform. As an Alt rock band that are rising in popularity after playing both Leeds and Reading, Fighting Caravans were much anticipated and, as expected, they did not disappointment. The band’s frontman erupted with energy as he busted into some crazy dance moves, tambourine flailing in hand as the rest of the Leeds lads crashed along with him. When Fighting Caravans came to their final song, havoc kicked off as the band exploded with life and fir. The frontman led himself head first into starting a mosh pit with half the Lending room. With some shocked faces and a mass round of cheers, Fighting Caravans left everyone either breathless or speechless as the night drew to an end.
Since 2008, the 360 Club has been showcasing up and coming artists from the West Yorkshire area. An event that takes place in the Lending room above the Library Pub every Friday, it was a perfect ambassador for Independent Venue Week- a great night out with the chance to see some small time bands that might just make it to the big stage one day soon.
Sarah Oglesby
Images: [Sarah Oglesby]