The Tyde is High and I’m moving on. It is common logic that when the tide is high you have to move on, leave the beach and move inland or you stand a pretty good chance of getting washed away. Last night, the tide was at its highest at 8.24 pm and, thanks to winning a guest list retweet competition I moved inland from the Ferry across the Mersey to Studio 2 in Parr Street. The tide had got there before me in the shape of Brighton four piece, High Tyde, who had surfed in, bringing with them two great support bands and an assortment of fans and music curiosos and aficionados. The gig had just sold out and there was a good buzz about the place. The band have had extensive airplay on Radio One from the likes of Annie Mac and Clara Amfo and been on MTV Rocks, so it was no surprise to see the place full.
The first band on stage were local LIPA band, Idle Frets, (Ben-vocals and guitar/Erin-drums and backing vocals/Dave-guitar/Luke-bass and backing vocals) originally from Chester, who had a really good turnout for their set. First, and indeed second, supports often play to just a handful of people, but there were at least fifty there at the beginning and this increased as they played. The audience stood tentatively to the sides, leaving a big black hole in the middle but Ben encouraged them to move forward, which they did, filling the hiatus. The songs are immediately head-boppable, foot-tappable and body-moshable. You only had to look around to see that this was more than just friends and family here and they were really enjoying the show. The songs are propelled by some incredibly effervescent, kick ass, driving drumming. As I said recently about the Orielles, it is really good to see a highly accomplished female drummer in a male dominated profession. Erin can definitely hold her own with other indie drummers around. The backing vocals add texture and colour and harmony to the songs, as do the bass and guitar runs. The single Aftershow, has an infectious funky, summery vibe while Now You’re Back has vocals and a melody that are like an updated version of some 1980’s rock acts such as German band, The Scorpions. They threw in a new, as yet untitled, song, which again went down well. Idle Frets can only grow in stature and popularity. I would recommend seeing them live. I certainly intend to.

The second band to grace the very low stage were Clay from Leeds, who played the BBC Introducing stage at Reading and Leeds last year. Like being a middle child, this was probably the hardest spot to fill, in between the local band and the main headline, but they did it well, giving all their energy to it. Their latest single Stay Calm is certainly radio- as well as live-friendly and has a memorable indie pop melody. There is a certain soulfulness to Joe’s vocals too. With only three songs on Soundcloud, it will be good to hear more material as it is released and see how the band evolve in the coming year. There is a hint of the band Jungle (keys and harmonies), especially on songs Oxygen and Sun Dance and a certain similarity to some of the songs that Blossoms are currently releasing, mainly due to the keyboard riffs and the vocals. Their local following will grow into a national one as they gain more exposure.

Last up was, of course, High Tyde, and the crowd moved forward in to prime moshing position. The band have supported Little Comets and Peace but now graduated to their own headline tour, thanks to their increasing fanbase, the radio and MTV Rocks airplay and the songs of course. You get the sense that this is a band who will keep developing, moving in different directions, experimenting with new sounds, styles and beats. Their sound is already a fusion of different genres and styles, incorporating traditional indie idioms and vernacular with hip hop rhyme and rhythm. Current single, Dark Love, starts off gently for a few brief seconds before your brain first engages with the riff that hooks you into the song and keeps you rocking there until it ends. When you try to imagine what they sound like, think those fast paced Catfish and the Bottlemen or Franz Ferdinand songs. Add in some Anthony Kiedis, a pinch of Travie McCoy and the occasional Santana guitar solo. Then add a lot of High Tyde into the mix. You can hear the influences but when they are fused together you get a unique new sound that is totally them. Cody is a good frontman, frequently interacting with the audience between songs. At one point a young fan shouts out of the moshpit, “You’re brilliant!” Cody asks him his name and then tells everyone to “big it up for Jason!” This obviously made Jason’s night as it did for another fan who got a birthday dedication. The crowd are exhorted to wave their right arms in time to the hip hop beat and willingly oblige. High Tyde are just one of the bands coming out of a thriving Brighton music scene at the moment and can only get better and better. They have a great energy and enthusiasm that drives the songs forward. In addition their merchandise is some of the best I have seen for a young band. The designs are simple yet very eye-catching and stylish and would not be out of place on the fashion high street. When the indie-hop Tyde is High in your town make sure that you too get yourself swept along by its infectious rhythms!

All three bands have songs on Facebook, Itunes, Soundcloud and Spotify.
In addition the following may be helpful:
High Tyde: www.wearehightyde.com Twitter: @wearehightyde
Idle Frets: www.idlefretsofficial.com Twitter: @Idle_Frets
Clay: Twitter: @ClayWeAre