Saturday March 8th was the date, The Depo in the heart of Plymouth was the venue that played host to the Sound Factory Festival, an all day sonic extravaganza that featured 11 bands and 2 DJ sets. The day started at 12:45pm and ended at 2:45am the next morning, leaving just 15 mins for the security team to usher everyone out into the wild before the clean up exercise began.
The day kicked off with FLETCHER CLIFT, a local musician who has had the pleasure of playing with a band called The Rhodes on a couple of occasions in Plymouth which he said really helped to put him on the map with the locals. He has 2 tracks available on Spotify and is planning to get more out this year. He played a great acoustic set which left no room for error and I can safely say that it was flawless. It was the perfect way to kick off an all day festival and it was great to see so many people who had decided to come early to catch his set.
Falmouth based COSM were up next and took no time at all to win over the room with their unique blend of shoegaze and psych. I chatted to the band after their set and asked them about which genre they preferred and I think the answer was that they will continue to sit on the fence and dip their toes into each camp going forwards. Their set was great, dreamy, deep and at times, quite hard, they really spanned the entire spectrum and with the COSM EP available both physically and on streaming platforms, you have no excuse NOT to check out this incredible band.
I've seen HAYTOR a few times in Exeter over the past few years but their performance today took things to a whole new level, with their indie rock approach, they wowed the room with an exciting, lively and upbeat set which saw many people really getting involved. Their latest track 'Almost Brothers' was released non Valentine's Day and whilst not as lively as their other offerings, really allowed people to stand back and respect their songwriting skills which really shone through. If you are new to HAYTOR, give them a follow as their future is bright, you may need shades!
After chatting to frontman Tom from THE RHODES a few weeks back, I was keen to catch them live again. The last time I saw them was in Torquay when they opened for Tom Meghan (ex-Kasabian frontman), killer show and I struggled to believe they could top it. Fast forward to today, they took to the stage and literally owned the entire venue, with their kick-ass attitude to music and immense display of showmanship, this is a band that are fast becoming a favourite on the local Devon circuit. Catch them if you can as it won't be long until they're off on tour and sharing their goods with people outside of the area!
HUNNY BUZZ are a band that I was set to see in 2024 but owing to some issues, the gig never went ahead, so I was over the moon when I saw them on the bill for today's shindig. Their opening couple of songs saw them stick to a traditional 4-piece setup, guitar, bass, drums and vocals, they reminded me of a late 90's female fronted indie band, having learned from the formative years of Britpop, they peddled their polished indie rock to an adoring crowd who lapped up every note. They have just finished a 7 date run of shows which culminated in a gig in Paris at 'Supersonic', a venue steeped in history and is certainly a credit to them to be associated with it. I doubt they'll be on the road anytime soon so the next best thing will be to check them out at a festival, keep your eyes on their socials for more details as they are announced.
LISSY TAYLOR and her band had driven to Plymouth from Stoke-on-Trent, a nice 5 hour journey to set them up for the day and chatting to her before her set, she was excited and keen to get out there and play her music. She sounded superb with a set full of alternative rock bangers which showcased her tremendous vocals and delivered a master class from her band who hit all the right notes. Lissy was sticking around for the rest of the festival and had a hotel booked in the city centre and it was great to see them letting their hair down and mixing with their fans for photos and drinks at the bar. If you missed her, you can catch her in Manchester at the O2 Ritz on 30th May.
THE ENTITLED SONS arrived en masse (5 of them) and from what I gathered during the on stage band introductions, they are all siblings and their father is the bass player? How cool is that, a bit like a British version of the Jacksons but without the dis-functionality that made The Jacksons....The Jacksons! They performed a killer set, full of boot cut denim, audience interaction and some killer guitar licks which maintained the energy levels at fever pitch. I was hoping to have a chat with them after their set but things got hectic and beers were consumed so I hope to catch up with them in the near future for a full interview feature. With a slew of tracks available on the streaming platforms, keep a close eye on these guys as they have what it takes to be massive and I'm sure it won't be until they are!
Chesterfield 5 piece THE CROOKS bought the swagger, the attitude and the skills to pull off a set of pure rock n' roll which had the audience engaged from the first number. Their songs were catchier than the common cold and were bursting with energy which quickly spread to the audience who processed it and sent it back to the stage, urging them on even more. Their latest single 'Carry On' landed at the end of February and I hope to see more material from them as 2025 unfolds, maybe even an album? (No pressure guys!) Catch them in Sheffield and at The 100 Club on London's Oxford Street in June and at Y-NOT Festival in August, other dates can be found on their socials.
THE LILACS are a band that I have heard of (I don't live under a rock) but have never heard, so I was keen to see them in action. The fun started in the green room (it was actually a red room) as they were tuning guitars and getting ready for their set, there was a blow-up doll sat next to the guy tuning the guitars, I figured it was a friend of his but he 'claimed' that he knew nothing about it. I was considering blowing up said doll and throwing it from the balcony as they launched into their set but as the contents of the red room hadn't been touched for circa 15 years, I didn't like the thought of applying my lips to the valve, nuff said! Their set was as lively as I thought it was going to be, plenty of fists punching the air and the odd 'Lilacs' bucket hat bobbing about in the audience. They asked the audience who had travelled the furthest to be at the festival and someone shouted out "Scotland" to which the room erupted and the band congratulated them on their dedication (I hope they weren't travelling back straight after the show...) Their fan club seemed to have taken over the entire balcony and I missed some interaction between them and the band, someone did ask if anyone had a video of it so I guess it must have been something important?! With their 'The 395 (To Forever)' EP released on 21st March and a 9 date tour spanning from 27th March to April 12th, you've got plenty of opportunities to catch them on stage, doing what they do best!
I bumped into Dan and Tobey from THE VELVET HANDS in the red room ahead fo their set, no blow up doll shenanigans here, though I did have fun watching Dan consume some lamb and chips from the food stall outside of the Depo, it wouldn't have ben as funny had he not been wearing a pair of white trousers, he did a sterling job of NOT spilling any sauce down himself which may have resulted to him performing in his underwear had there not been an emergency pair of strides available on the tour bus! Their blend of garage rock and indie rock was infectious, following The Lilacs was always going to be a tall order but they managed to win over the Plymouth audience with their killer tracks which saw Tobey dodging and weaving around the stage as the band produced the goods. Their latest single 'Caller' went down a treat, as did many of the tracks lifted from their 2023 long player 'Sucker Punch'. They are revving up to release their new 'Caller' EP which will be released on March 20th on extremely limited edition vinyl, pink cassette, and CD, get 'em while you can....
Owing to not feeling 100% and having to rely on public transport, I sadly missed THE KâS who I understand were a little under the weather as well. They played at Wells (Somerset) on Friday night and mentioned that they were suffering with colds and I guess a day spent on the tour bus might have done them good ahead of their headline slot at the Sound Factory Festival. I'm sure that their show was off the scale as usual and judging by the amount of K's fans in the house, I'm sure they weren't short of people to get involved and sing along with their stadium sized choruses and anthemic tracks which have helped them to get where they are today. Their sophomore album 'Pretty on the Internet' is available for pre-order now HERE. They're hitting the road in April and May to promote the record, many of the shows are sold out already, if you want to go, get involved and buy a ticket, as you may well miss out if you leave it too long.
The one and only BEZ was on top form, he had been sighted earlier in the evening at the bar, chatting to people and posing for photos, his DJ set was, as expected, a colourful affair, with him dancing about whilst his man spun some top tunes for the room to let loose to. After winning the celebrity jungle thing and appearing on GoggleBox, Bez is fast becoming a national treasure, who knows, he may even take the crown from Jessie J if he carries on at this rate!
Closing the festival was Greta and Isaac, better known on the circuit as NORTHERN GROOVES with their very popular DJ set which consisted of some killer Northern Soul which did the trick and kept The Depo bouncing until throwing out time. I chatted to Greta ahead of their set and she told me that she lives in Leipzig which has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023 and is the eighth-largest city in Germany (every day's a school day folks!) Had the punters had a bottle of talcum powder with them, I'm sure they 'd have been throwing some killer shapes on the floor including the splits, handstands, spins and other moves associated with the Northern Soul movement, instead, people just boogied their hearts out until the lights came on and they were ushered out of the door to seek another venue to carry on partying the night away.
The Sound Factory Festival for me was great, a chance to get a bunch of bands and DJ's together in one space, across one day to perform to people lucky enough to have tickets, what more could you ask?
A massive thanks to George Shelton who arranged some pre-event interviews for me with some of the acts and for providing access to the green/red room to conduct more on the day, the technical team (sound, lighting, riggers etc.) who did a marvellous job in keeping things running as close to time as possible, the friendly security team, the bar staff, the merchandise sellers, Nikita (probably spelt that wrong) for being the 'hostess with the mostess' and introducing each band ahead of them taking to the stage, the team of photographers and videographers who all did a sterling job and lastly, Anna Leader (go check out her portfolio on Instagram - link below) for allowing me to use her wonderful photos that she took throughout the day.
I'm up for the same next year, assuming Sound Factory are able to put it on and YOU lovely people buy tickets, keep an eye on their socials for more local events as they are announced.
Words - Steve Muscutt
Pictures - Anna Leader
