OCTOBER DRIFT

October Drift, bring you their headline tour in support of thier recent second album release I Don’t Belong Anywhere, with support from Minds Idle & Low Girl at The Leadmill, Sheffield, 26 October 2022

October Drift are four best friends from Taunton, Alex Bispham (bass), Chris Holmes (drums/vocals), Dan Young (guitar) and Kiran Roy (vocals/guitar). A kinship that started many years ago, the band were previously known as The Darlington’s until they became October Drift.

What drew me to see October Drift was the release of their latest single Walzter, a raucous, wistful number that developed in my ears as sounds of post-punk, and on further listening, I decided they reminded me of Weezer, the Pinkerton era! A lot of people would go for the Nivarna Vs Biffy Cyro comparison, and musically they are probably right but vocally…..River Cuomo sprang to mind!

Low Girl

The opening act tonight is Low Girl, fronted by Sarah Cosgrove and her bandmates Toby, Tom and Brad.

The melodic indie alt. rockers Low Girl bring you reggae beats and jazz bass lines infused with summerish guitars. It’s noted that the bass player also acts as a guitarist when the singer/guitarist/bassist Cosgrove is playing bass and needs those riffing sounds. The four-piece has a good sound and Sarah has the voice of an angel, clear and passionate…think Florence and The Machine without the resonance.

http://www.lowgirl.co.uk/

Minds Idle

Retro local band Minds Idle, hailing from Sheffield are the main support. Bringing the fabulous and bizarre with their piano-based musical euphony from the mellow to the outrageous. I can’t peg them to the genre ‘absurdness’ maybe?! Their singer (who I can’t even source his name) has swallowed the book on being eclectic but their love for quirkiness works well.

Think John Barrowman does his best David Bowie cover, and you get that exuberant vibe on Harry. I don’t think this band will be sad and lonely for long!

https://www.mindsidle.co.uk/

Starting at the back, we are in the small room of the Leadmill and it’s packed! A mike stand passes from the stage through to the back of the crowd and the opening bars of Lost Without You is the first song from their new album I Don’t belong Anywhere as singer Kiran Roy makes his way to the front and onto the stage.

The pulsating nu-metal intro on Losing My Love is a crushing crescendo of electric guitars, with singer Kiran wearing his guitar holstered high upon his chest, now, you can make those Simon Neil (Biffy Cyro) comparisons, from the vocal styling to guitar playing, that aside, this is a shilling piece of perfection!

October Drift has two albums to their name and Don’t Give Me Hope is from their first album ‘Forever Whatever’. With its dreamy hopeful lyrics. Bringing down the energy it gives the enthusiastic crowd time to get their breath.

Did I mention from the start to the end of the show Kiran Roy, is like a surfing Jesus, dressed all in white, who dances on the barrier like a ballerina and then launches his trusty body into the crowd, who feed him back and forth like a loom. Roy rides the wave to the back of the crowd, who then bring him forth to the front of the stage. I think it’s safe to say he’s done this a few times, and it’s great it was a packed audience, as we didn’t want to see him slump into his fans!

Playing their latest single, Walzter is perfectly placed in the middle of their set. Kiran can’t stay away from his audience as he plays his guitar along the steel barrier for effect.

Raising it to another level, the bass line provides the throbbing beat as the explosive Airborne Panic Attack knarls its way at the crowd, the band play in unison, like a pile of mad thrashers!!

Thanking the crew and the crowd, the latter break into a Yorkshire chant, come on, we are in Sheffield! The band love it, as they launch into the sophomore Forever Whatever, which to me has warped undertones of Breakfast At Tiffany’s!

Kiran goes back into the crowd for one last time as they close with Old and Distant Memory.

SETLIST – Lost Without You – Losing My Touch – Webcam Funerals – Just Got Caught – Don’t Give Me Hope – Parasite – Waltzer – Bleed – Insects – Airborne Panic Attack – Come & Find Me – Forever Whatever – oh The Silence – Old and Distant Memory

Links – https://www.octoberdrift.com/