Kate HeslopGillygate is undergoing something of a renaissance of late, with a fabulous collection of new independent stores and eateries springing up. One such store is pop culture haven The Inkwell.
Yesterday The Inkwell put down its vinyls to host an evening of live music at The Basement at City Screen. Bands Burning Fences and The Falling Spikes headlined, intersperced with Inkwell’s owner Paul on the decks.
On the evening, Paul said: “The shop is going really well and a night like this is really amazing. I used to run a night down here so it’s nice being behind the decks after a long time not doing it. And this is a bunch of bands who are what the shop is about. The bands have been very supportive of the shop.
Burning Fences have long been at the forefront of the York music scene, with lead vocalist and guitarist Simon running the Basement during the Fuzz club days and other members once belonging to The Federals. Paul is friends and fans of the guys saying, “I will rep hard for the Federals. They were a hell of a band and I’m happy to have them here tonight.”
The Basement is the perfect venue for Burning Fences, a band with a 60’s psychadelia that sounds at its best in an intimate space. The Federal’s youthful indie punk has matured into something edgier, stronger, something that bands stopped bringing a long time ago. They’ve found that vintage grunge rock thanks to Simon’s vocals that is often overlooked in favour of modern indie. They are hard rock versus the more distilled softer vocals, their songs bringing distortion and hazed vocals that nod to Spiritualized and Sonic Youth, with a Stooges punk feel.
With each gig they get better, their set is tighter. There is that quiet transition from one song to the next where you wonder if the rest of their set is going to mellow out, until a gut-busting riff blares from the amp. What they have is loose precision, a laid-back but perfectly strung-together set. It looks effortless, but makes more sound than you thought three musicians could make, lacking a bass, but only in image.
The Falling Spikes are made up of six musicians, large by average band standards, with a big sound in a small venue. Their music has the potential to fill academies and club venues; their layered rock resonates through the speakers, with each song soaked in depth. When a telecaster meets maracas with some 80’s synthesizer thrown in, that is The Falling Spikes.
Mellow vocals echo through spaced guitar riffs with copious symbol and synth. They will either have you tapping your feet or swaying your entire body or you will find yourself sitting in a peaceful daze, only brought back by their piercing riffs. They appeal to both types of audience, ones who want to quietly listen, observe, admire and appreciate the mechanics of their music, and the ones who want to move. One listener suggested they sounded like “The Black Keys on sedatives”, rock but distilled. Their fuzzy rock gave a slight resemblance to early Manic Street Preachers, with the vocals and guitars sounding like The Verve, that Richard Ashcroft slur clearly present.
With Paul behind the decks, you can expect everything from Bo Diddley to the Beatles to the Top Cat soundtrack. His alternative and diverse range of music represented everything that The Inkwell is. It is one of a kind, but it’s for everyone.
In his own words: “Tonight was about making more people aware of the shop as possible…having local bands being involved, I want to reach out to the local music scene…a place for them to go, talk about good music and stock their CDs”
Looking to the future, Paul insists he wants to “put the shop in the middle of the York music scene, where it should be.” With a night as successful as this, with a store that has grown and matured into its own brand, we think it might already be there.
