Reviews

So Southpark Roundabout came on and proceeded to stun the crowd with their ballsy Britpop tunes and they're 90's trench coat and sunglasses style combined with their arrogant swagger- immediately making me fear the worst.

Apparently they're Lincolns premier indie band, a comment that from any other band I would find ridiculous, if not slightly offensive. However Southpark Roundabout have the sort of air about them that makes you actually agree. On first glance they just appear to be 'another Oasis style band', and with my renowned loathing of Oasis I wouldn't normally give them the time of the day. However with Mark and Martin working at music makers and being really lovely guys, I felt I should give them a fair chance. And boy was I glad that I did.

Yes they look like an Oasis band, and yes they're two frontmen both sing with the snear of the Manchester boys, but through Mark, Martin and Johnny's take on the concept, they bring a bluesy edge that immediately makes you think of the best band Lincoln has ever produced, the 22,20s. With an almost angular slant in places the sound doesn't seem outdated, in fact it feels as now as many of the other factionist bands circling the network at the moment.

I'm not going to pretend that they've converted me into one of the parker wearing football yobs that you normally associate with this style of music(Chris is going to kill me for saying that, the bloody Oasis fan that he is), nor am I going to pretend that I'm going to go outside and burn my posters of Jarvis 'the God' cocker and replace them with either of the brothers Gallagher. I am however, defiantly going to see Southpark Roundabout again... I might even pay to get in this time.

Southpark Roundabout at The Theatre Royal, Lincoln.

Southpark Roundabout are a band following in the path of many a great breakthrough act. Their single "Tell Me" has shot straight to the number 1 spot of the digital download chart. I met up with them as they performed at the Theatre Royal in Lincoln.

So here I am backstage at the Theatre Royal in Lincoln with dry ice lapping at my heels and a camera held ready for action in my hands. I've got butterflies for some reason; maybe it's because I know how important performing is to the guys on stage. Tonight I feel strangely 'with' the band.

There is an unusual energy, a silent whisper, amongst the five guys stood facing the downed curtain in front of them. The other-side of that stage curtain is a sold out house. If you were stood here with me now you'd hear the anticipation from the audience. You won't be able to see them but you'll know that they're excited and willing the curtain to rise. And finally, it does and the band whip into their first number and the audience? Yep, they go crazy!

I probably don't need to tell you how vibrant the music scene is in Lincoln at the moment. Some great bands have performed live in the Friday Night Mix studio at BBC Radio Lincolnshire and the first band to bring a full drum kit in for an 'intimate' performance was Southpark Roundabout!

So, when the opportunity came up to not only see the band but chat to them before a sold out audience in their home town I jumped at it. It's an unusual venue for a rock band to perform in but as I arrived with the weather lashing heavily outside it sort of seemed right. Here was a band in the raw, thankfully untouched by rock clichés and eager to share their sound within the pomp and circumstance of a theatre setting. And the storm raging outside was mimicked onstage by Southpark Roundabout’s incendiary performance.

What is great about this band is that they appeal to a real mix of people. At the end of the warm-up acts the bar areas were filled with young teens, trendy young adults and the slightly more mature amongst us waiting for the band to take to the stage.

Southpark Roundabout gave the crowds exactly what they needed and expected. I want to avoid singling out individuals from the band because this night they all worked as a unit. The single, "Tell Me", was a stand out track and the guys relished the applause the audience gave them.

If you like to have a laugh, enjoy good rock music and revel in the opportunity to watch some quality musicianship then Southpark Roundabout is the band you have to check out.

"So I take it when you played at Sincil Bank in front of a sell out it was the biggest crowd you've played in front of?" was my opening question - a fair observation I thought.

"Nah, wouldn't say so, we've played in front of about 15,000 in Wales," was the nonchalant response. And that's the thing about this Lincoln five piece, nothing seems to faze them and why should it when things are going so well?

The band consists of members Johnny on Bass, guitarist Marc, Gaz who takes both backing vocals and percussion, singer Matt and finally Boris on drums. The three main lyricists are Johnny, Matt and Marc. It started out when Matt met Marc hanging around bars and they found they wanted to do similar stuff so began to network. However they did little for the first year until they added Marc's brother Johnny to the band then came across Gaz.

They say their sound is modern guitar pop that’s commercially viable and with the list of influences including the likes of The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Stone Roses, Verve, Paul Weller, The Jam and Elvis it’s easy to see why. The group say they love the classics, the greats but mainly just appreciate good music.

Everywhere the band play they seem to sell out, not a mean feat given they've played at a few festivals in Wales, well away from their home patch. With the Lincoln scene behind them (selling out places such as The Drill Hall and The Lawns) they got a set at Lincoln City FC's Sincil Bank Stadium to play prior to kick off at the Imps' recent home leg of their playoff semi final.

Not only was the stadium full to capacity it was shown live on Sky Sports 1 where the band played 'This Is The One' by the Stone Roses to open the broadcast! Richard Keys is now a fan, as is Lincoln City's Head Coach John Schofield, Physio 'Slik' and players Lee Beevers and Martin Gritton amongst others.

The five piece have been busy working on a CD recently and decided to head off to Louth's Chapel Studios to get it done. With multi-million record selling artists using Lincolnshire's premier facilities the band were always going to be in safe hands. And those hands were Will Bartle and Ewan who aided the likes of The Kaiser Chiefs and The Arctic Monkeys to name but a few. The quartet were reassured with the CV the two men could boast who in turn were impressed by what the lads had to offer. The CD has five tracks and is currently untitled.

Looking towards the future South Park Roundabout want, like so many bands, world domination but the main objective is a record deal. They also want to play in front of bigger and bigger crowds to get used to potential stardom.

After a few support bands, finally it was time for Southpark Roundabout. Despite not ever seeing them live, I do know how most of their music sounds from doing their web site. Being quite critical, I was hoping for a decent performance to try match that what I have heard, if not for my ears sake, then for their own sake, as the BBC and Sun newspaper were both there.

From the very start I was shocked at how fantastic the quality of the band were. I actually realised they sounded even better, even tighter, while playing live. The vocals were decent and the bass and drums provided a really decent back end, but Marcky Wilde was easily my favourite. He is a fantastic guitarist — everything looked simple, no matter what he was playing, and it was tight and performed really well.

All in all the performance was fantastic, and although I’m not one of the many regular Southpark Roundabout fans, it felt good to soak up the atmosphere as they performed many songs I had heard before and a few new ones or old ones I haven’t, and some covers too.

Unfortunately I didn’t get to meet Adam and the band after the performance, but hopefully will finally do so some time in the future. Head on over to their site to check the band out.

IF you think guitar music has reached its peak with the success of THE KAISER CHIEFS and ARCTIC MONKEYS, then think again.

SOUTHPARK ROUNDABOUT are ready to take the game up a level.

Nothing to do with the cartoon - but named after a road junction in hometown Lincoln, the band have been making a big stir in the east Midlands.

This culminated in a sweaty homecoming at the Theatre Royal where over 500 fans new and old crammed into the venue.

Drummer MARTIN "BORIS" COLLINS and bass player and songwriter JOHNNY SMALEC were as tight as the proverbial while vocalists MATTY HUNT and GAZ EVANS belted out tune after catchy tune.

But the undoubted star of the show was DONNY TOURETTE lookalike MARK WILDE.

At least as technically accomplished as the rest of the band, the lead guitarist added charisma and stage presence to the lineup with some quality licks featuring a trademark shuffle.

The set included three covers, several other songs well worth a second hearing and six or seven very strong numbers including single Tell Me (released as a download on June 25).

The only possible criticism was the reluctance of singer Matty to get stage front and really push himself at the audience.

Despite having a good vocal range and the ability to belt out number after number without diminishing in power, he could take a lead from Evans and really sell himself.

Sort that out and the sky really is the limit for these boys. www.southparkroundabout.com

Seasoned Lincoln band Southpark Roundabout are to gain mass exposure thanks to their appearance on national television.

The indie five-piece have been filmed performing and talking about their act for a forthcoming feature about unsigned bands for Channel 4's Transmission music show hosted by Lauren Lavene and Steve Jones.

It has been a hectic past few months for the band, whose line-up is lead singer Matty Hunt, lead guitarist Mark Wilde, bassist Johnny Smalec, guitarist Gaz Evans, and drummer Boris .

On May 17 they played to 8,000 footie fans before Lincoln City's play-off semi-final clash against Bristol Rovers at Sincil Bank, which was broadcast live on Sky.

Back in March they recorded some songs for an EP at Chapel Studios - as used by the Arctic Monkeys - in South Thoresby, near Louth.

And the band, who are all in their mid to late 20s, are hoping to score chart success with their debut single Tell Me, which is to be released as a download on June 25.

They have also been shortlisted to play the Glastonbury Festival in August and are set to enjoy some national newspaper coverage in the Sun's Bizarre music column.

For a chance to see the band closer to home, they are playing Lincoln's Theatre Royal on Friday, June 15.

The band members have been familiar faces of the Lincoln music circuit for many years but only now are they beginning to taste success.

Lead guitarist Mark Wilde (27)said that the band really appreciated that fans had stuck by them through thick and thin.

"Years ago we did covers like the Beatles and the Stone Roses as a pub band," said Mark, who lives in uphill Lincoln.

"We spent so long coming back, coming back, and coming back again and now we're fortunate enough to be getting some recognition.

"The best thing about it all is how people have stuck by us and we are always grateful that we have a great local following."

The band get their name from one of Lincoln's most well-known road junctions near the South Common.

Manager Adam Butler said he had been "staggered" by the quality of the songs on the EP.

"They're great songwriters and musicians but they have got an awful lot more serious about the music business over the past eight or nine months," he said.

"They've got a big following in Lincoln and I'm sure they've got a great future."

The date of the show in which Southpark Roundabout appear is not yet known.

Read an in-depth interview with Mark Wilde in Thursday's Going Out supplement - only in your Echo.

The band played Jester's nightclub in Mablethorpe, in their last gig before heading into the studio. The set featured two new songs; In a Darkness and Tell Me which will be worked on in the studio.

Former drummer Paul Coney guested on drums for the weekend and the set was adjusted for the nights to incorporate some classic covers.

Set list:

Intro, I Wanna Be Adored, Rocks, Come Together, You Really Got Me, Jumpin' Jack Flash, Start, Bring 'Em Home, Waterfall, Break On Through, Should I Stay Or should I Go, Get Back, My Generation, Eton Rifles, All Day and All of the Night, Peacock Suit, Made of Stone, Road Runner, Born To Be Wild, Here We Come, I Feel Fine, Louis Louis, One, Live Forever, Stand By Me, Encores: Go Johnny Go, I Am The Resurrection

Hey Guys

After being cunningly persuaded by Mark in Music Makers to buy tickets to the gig, I decided to go along with two mates to see the band.

When I got there there it was almost empty but as soon as the band started playing the room seemed to fill instantly - move and you wouldve stood on someone. Having never seen the band before this led me to believe that a good show was coming up ... and I was right.

They started off by playing a cover of I Wanna Be Adored by The Stone Roses which gave the crowd something they knew to start off with. I'm a big Stone Roses fan and was not dissapointed by this version of it. I love the way the band's line-up works ... Drummer, Bassist, Guitarist, and 2 different singers - one who does backing vocals and harmonies and a lead vocalist. Bands who harmonise always impress me so I knew after the first track I was in for a good night.

The band seemed to alternate between cover versions and their own songs. Their own songs were brilliant - I cant remember the names of them but one in particular stood out due to the guitar solo and drum beats.

Half way through the first set, the drummer managed to break the skin on his snare drum which resulted in a lot of jokes ("He's split his skin - he's Jewish now"!) and a slight break while a new snare was collected.

When they came back they played a cover of a song (I cant remember the name - something with 'break' in it I think ....) and the guitar solo was absolutly fantastic - compared to the rest of the stuff he played (which was, by no means, average) this solo made the song the most memorable of the night - it was brilliant!

I'm afraid I had to leave at this point so I didnt manage to see the second set, but if it was anything as good as the first song then SouthParkRoundAbout are perfectly in their rights to fight for the spot of top indie band in Lincoln along with others such as The Small Print and Starter!

Well done lads - see you soon!

Adam

Southpark Roundabout returned to the City for the first time in almost a year. The gig was arranged at only two weeks notice and tickets were sold by word of mouth only. Nonetheless, the venue was packed as the boys played two sets which featured there own songs and a number of covers due to forthcoming private functions that the band are booked to play. It would be no exaggeration to say that the Unison Cellar bar truly rocked!

Set list:

Set One: Intro (Theme For Great Cities),I Wanna Be Adored, Feel, Should I Stay Or Should I Go, Thirty Three and Third, Peacock Suit, Kerching, Start, Jumpin' Jack Flash, I Feel Fine, You Know You've Got It, Break On Through, Here We Come.
Set Two: Rocks, Come Together, Bring 'Em Home, Waterfall, Married Bliss, My Generation, Road Runner, Johnny Be Good, Roadhouse Blues, Born To Be Wild, Stand By Me, I Am the Resurrection, Eton Rifles

The band played Grimsby The Venue in a show that was filmed with a view to been screened on a tv show featuring new talent. Accordingly the set predominantly featured their own songs which were very well received by the audience.

Set list:

Feel, Bring 'Em Home,Kerching, Here We Come, Thirty Three and a Third, Married Bliss, You Know You've Got It, Come Together, Born to Be Wild, Break On Through.