13 September 2018 (gig)
16 September 2018
Apollo Junction blow a fuse while rocking Fest London.
When musicians take a moment to dream of playing venues, most will have at some point dreamed of the bright lights of Wembley, Madison Square Garden, or their acceptance speech at the Grammys. Less would’ve thought about the prospect of playing a small room to no more than 100 people.
Nevertheless, it’s venues like Fest, that, hone a performer’s stage-craft, expose them to an all-important potential fan base, and give them the rungs to climb the ladder of success.
During their short set it’s clear the band from Leeds are making promising progress with a pop rock style. The band has already played the likes of the Isle of Wight Festival, received radio support from the BBC, and have even gained a French super fan who has witnessed an impressive 14 shows in the space of just two years.
Despite, a shaky start with a wobbly sound system on opener ‘In Your Arms’ the outfit is up for a fun and carefree set.
Junction have radio potential with affirming songs like ‘Born for Now’ and ‘Begin’. The latter has a nice synth sound which complements a throaty guitar.
The venue may not be the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame, but the lads make the most of their evening, striking their best rockstar poses, and ensuring their audience get the best possible snaps. Front-man Jamie Williamson gets special credit for trying to get a tentative crowd involved in the fun. Williamson runs to sing and dance with the punters whenever possible and implores them to get moving.
Unfortunately, for those selected to follow, The This Could be the Day singers in a five-band showcase, the chaps’ enthusiastic performance seems to have blown a fuse, leaving later acts in the dark.
This I suppose, is one way to blow your competitors off the stage.
Although the now inadvertently disguised final to acts put up respectable showings, it is their predecessors who proved to be true highlights.
Both Jonny Weathers And Cosmic Scream and Saults make the most of their short slot allowing some nice guitar work to do the talking rather than the lyrics. The former demonstrates some nice riffs while there is a hint of funk to the latter’s work. With the sound cranked up to 11 the compelling musicianship is on display even if it’s tricky to hear the lyrics.
Overall, Fest’s fare is a worthy showing with the top half of the bill the clear standouts. Discovering the words behind the songs was a tad more difficult.
