By Benji Chapman, Co-Deputy Music Editor
Filling the harbourside with a spread of musical delights, the main stage of Bristol Sounds festival could be heard even from Wapping Wharf over its several days of occupancy. With the tortoise-shell like stage turned away elusively from peering onlookers and commuters, it was impossible to see what resided behind the dome, though the cheers that surrounded it each day suggested that only good times lay ahead.
The festival ran across eight days and hosted a spread of artists who performed inside Canon’s Marsh Amphitheatre. Each headliner to crown the spread offered something different, with Annie Mac preceding The Breeders with upbeat danceability before the festival ended on a grungier note.
With the band’s debut album Pod sitting on Kurt Cobain’s favourite albums list, and lead singer Kim Deal (also of Pixies fame) a close friend of the recent and tragically deceased Steve Albini, there was an unspoken feeling that homage was being paid to the producer who masterfully crafted both bands’ sounds; a master of studio expertise and iconoclast of popular studio techniques at the time that cut corners for time and cost’s sake.
The Breeders headlined the festival's final day and signalled the conclusion of another staple festival for Bristol. The city seems to be continually capable of producing a uniquely stellar lineup every other month. All this is not to say that the opening bands were not renowned in their own right either, nor is it to say that the quality of music on offer overshadowed the main happening of the day: the football score.
CSS
While Squid had unfortunately cancelled due to what I had been told at the merch stand was some rowdy post-Glastonbury celebrations gone wrong, CSS (more formally known as Cansei de Ser Sexy) were more than happy to fill the stage with energy in lieu of the band’s absence. Initiating their set with ‘We Like To Party’ by the Vengaboys being played over the speakers, they declared that their last show in England had been twenty years ago - before following up with the triumphant battle cry: ‘We are CSS from São Paulo and we like to party!’
And party they did. For a band on a reunion tour - and their final ever tour at that - they were not giving anyone the impression that the years have quieted their ferocious attitude. Between sips from a champagne bottle, lead singer Lovefoxxx was captured on stage against the background of various media shown on screen reminiscent of a TikTok scroll; dancing babies, cat compilations, and CapCut edits of the band’s merchandise. Their vivacity and charm were unmatched for a band at the central foundation of the riot grrrl movement. Naturally, the fearless display captured the crowd, dampened only by the knowledge that it would be one of the last times the venerable band would perform.
Ty Segall
I didn’t know who Ty Segall was until I found myself listening to ‘Girlfriend’ sat at a table in The Crown one fateful night. Safe to say, I’ve been a fan of the man ever since. The Californian singer-songwriter has churned out over fifteen impressive solo projects since 2008; each offering packs a psychedelic severe punch. His music is undulating with broodiness: fuzzy slide-guitar leads and tumbling drum-chops underlie his rich vocal melodies that ooze with a truly wicked charisma.
Perhaps it’s because he’s been surfing since age ten, but it’s no wonder then that an artist with so much experience on the waves was cooly level against the tide of sound behind him, which would catapult the bandleader to and from his speaker cabinets towards the roaring crowd below. Dressed in a gaudy leather get-up, the more subdued fingerstyle of his lead guitarist’s playing was also brimmingly red-hot, humming with ferocity that reared its head during louder passages when the hammer was brought down. Segall rejoiced in the swelling volume with extended improvised solos before candidly swishing away his golden locks to return to the microphone.
The Breeders
Taking the headline slot following an English football victory, The Breeders did not present themselves boastfully on the stage despite these facts. The group combined their haunting sound with humility and cheeriness, that met harmoniously in the middle with Kim Deal’s persistently cheeky grin. Chipper as ever despite their long journey from Glastonbury that had preceded the set, as bassist Josephine Wiggs mentioned: ‘It was a scary road from Glastonbury.’
Conjuring up their own mood of fearfulness, the group utilised eerie violin sounds adjacent to booming assaults of high-watt electric guitar that have been a staple of the band’s dynamic song structure with their quiet verses and loud choruses. In many ways, the band are responsible for influencing much of the popular alternative rock that blossomed in the ‘90s who followed this songwriting style - yet the group proved that they were still masters of the form. As their candid demeanour and curious remarks suggested however, their esteem would not reduce a humble presentation as they thanked Bristol for ‘The best crowd we’ve had so far’.
Instruments were passed between members as if the group were family: in the case of Kim and Kelley Deal this was a blood-truth, but their seamless movement from song to song suggested an extension of this fact, as all members of the band juggled roles on bass, vocals, guitar and keyboards. Filling every sonic nuance with the utmost artistry, the band concluded proceedings with a cover of the Beatles' ‘Happiness Is a Warm Gun,’ a sardonic reminder of their playfully dark tendencies, before the festival was adjourned and the group vanished backstage for a well-earned rest.
Featured Image: Archie HurmanHave you been to Bristol Sounds before?
