Simple Things makes its triumphant return with a programme almost too crammed with talent

Simple Things makes its triumphant return with a programme almost too crammed with talent

Posted on: 01 Mar 2024

Simple Things Festival returned on Saturday after a four-year absence from Bristol music venues, returning once again as torch-bearing champions of the UK’s progressive music scene.

 

The multi-venue extravaganza certainly didn’t disappoint, proving to be a dynamic celebration of music that pulled together some of the most exciting names from across the country’s musical spectrum.

 

I knew as soon as my eyes began scanning the clashfinder a couple of weeks back that I was in trouble, there was no way that I’d manage to catch everyone I wanted to see. That’s an immense credit to the festival programmers but a nightmare for me, someone who will stay awake at night after a festival fretting about who I didn’t see – no matter how good what I did see was.

 

 

The Simple Things lineup was no different and clashes between CASISDEAD and The Bug Club, Spectres and Ex Agent, and Flowdan and LICE immediately caught my eye. So, I decided to head out to the festival without a clear plan in my head and give myself a bit of freedom.

 

There was a palpable buzz around the Christmas Steps when I arrived with artists, press and organisers alike all enlivened by the prospect of a fifteen-hour programme of live music. First up was local outfit Quade at Strange Brew, taking a sonic deep-sea dive into the sonic depths of folk and techno. A Quade set has a unique, hypnotising quality that enthrals the audience with spiralling tones – the perfect way to begin the day.

 

From fast-rising Bristol experimenters to veterans of the local scene, next up was Howling Owl alumni Spectres. It’s rare to catch the noise-rock four-piece live in the flesh so it was a privilege to experience their wall of noise assault once again. I’m used to seeing Spectres in cramped, sweaty venues and in the larger space of SWX, the band sounded surprisingly clean, while still retaining their ferocious feedback-heavy power.

Quade (@shotbytia)

 

Despite having the option to skip, I decided to stick with a friend and join a long queue for Bristol Beacon that curled right around to Trenchard Street, meaning that I only managed to catch the final two songs of Wu-Lu. Bringing great intensity to the stage despite the early hour and slightly peculiar choice of venue, Wu-Lu are a real force to be reckoned with – think Rage Against The Machine meets Nirvana.

 

Then, it was back to Strange Brew for a dose of ramshackle indie with South London trio Honeyglaze. Commanding a lengthy queue outside the venue as well as a reverence within thanks to the band’s rattling indie pop power and Anouska Sokolow’s bewitching vocals – the hooky ‘Burglar’ is a particular highlight.

 

I then embarked on my most ambitious manoeuvre of the day. After grabbing a quick bite to eat I hastened to Bristol Beacon for the first 20 minutes of synth pop-inspired rapper, CASISDEAD. An unusual spectacle amid the grandeur of the venue, the mask-wearing MC thought so too, appearing visibly annoyed at the crowd and referring to Beacon Hall as a mausoleum. Onstage, however, Cas was a brooding, urgent presence and I hope that – after I left – the crowd elevated themselves to match the artist’s performance.

CASISDEAD (@olly.creative)

 

Knowing that I’d be seeing CASISDEAD later in the year, I left the venue and hurried through the city centre to catch the majority of The Bug Club’s SWX set. With short, catchy songs aplenty, the Welsh shredders are real festival favourites, scratching the perfect itch and delivering a blistering set that was an immensely fun celebration of pure rock!

 

Next, it was back over to Bristol Beacon for some sugar-sweet dance music in The Lantern with Mun Sing. Local favourite Harry Wright delivered one of my favourite albums of 2023 and this set packed a pure glitchy techno punch, proving a real highlight of the festival. The final song of the set was particularly powerful with Wright ardently enacting the Bjork-esque featured vocals.

 

Space Afrika’s Strange Brew set was one I had pinpointed before as I’m a big fan of the dreamlike electronic experimenters. The set itself did not disappoint with the ground-breaking duo sewing a rich and textural sonic tapestry that filled the venue just as much as the thick smoke and flickering visuals. However, the complex atmosphere being created was disrupted somewhat by the sheer amount of loud chatting, a real frustration in what was otherwise a special set.

Max Cooper (@perry_gibson)

 

I then made an unplanned stop at festival staples, Warmduscher. During the set, a friend leant into me and said: “When they’re up for it, they’re unstoppable” and tonight was one of those nights with the band’s beloved frontman, Clams Baker Jr, bounding all over the stage, igniting the crowd proving once more why he’s one of the best frontmen of recent times.

 

We then took the time to rest our legs, sitting in Beacon Hall’s upper circle, enjoying the majestic audio-visual performance of Max Cooper. It was a true pleasure to witness the sweeping vistas, mind-bending visuals and dazzling lights projected in front of hundreds of dancing bodies in the newly transformed space, a microcosm of what Simple Things is all about – bringing people together to celebrate forward-thinking music.

 

Recent GRAMMY-winner Flowdan followed in The Lantern (as mentioned previously, frustratingly clashing with perennial Bristol favourites, LICE), bringing the energy to a late-night crowd now in full dance mode. The legendary MC was not onstage for long, but his blend of earth-shattering beats, masterful flow and on-stage charisma proved a real winner.

Flowdan (@natashaharniman)

 

My final set of the night was last-minute Beacon Hall headliners, SCALER, formerly known as Scalping. Truly a live force to be reckoned with, the Bristol group's original brand of live industrial techno is always sensational, but seeing them in such a large arena, with their mind-melting visuals projected to a massive scale is something really special and acts as a perfect end note for a near perfect festival – a dynamic celebration of the weird and wonderful corners of music in Bristol, and beyond.

 

Main image: Max Cooper photographed by @natashaharniman

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Article by:

Stanley Gray

Stan is a born and bred Bristolian, recently graduated from studying English Literature in Sheffield. His passions are music and literature and he spends the majority of his time in venues all over the city, immersing himself in Bristol’s alternative music scene. A lifelong Bristol City fan, Stan’s Saturdays are spent watching his team both home and away.