Greyside/Hello Hawaii/Vixen Eyes

Mr Kyps, Poole

Tonight we are at Mr Kyps in Poole on a Saturday night to launch the debut EP by a relatively new rock band from Bournemouth by the name of “Greyside”. The four piece have been working hard at the Burrow studios with Matthew Musial at the helm to bring us this new 5 track “Balloon” EP. Before Greyside hit the stage we have two local support to entertain us, Vermore have pulled out of this evenings proceedings.

Up first we have “Vixen Eyes” who feature previous members of the band “Eyre” (Formerly Details Below). The 5 piece band start strongly with a two guitar bluesy rock sound. Front man Alex provides decent vocals but sadly is stuck rigidly behind his music stand (one of my pets hates) it would be great to see some more movement and interaction with the audience. Their set consists of some good original material which includes a great tune called “Back on the Streets Again” which shows the band are more than capable in the creative department. They do struggle a bit with some of the song endings which end rather abruptly. The set ends with a couple of crowd pleasers; an energetic reworking of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” and a spirited version of Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along the Watchtower”.

Vixen Eyes 1–2–3

Hello Hawaii have been a staple part of the local music scene for the last 5 years or so and each time I have seen them they seem to show a considerable improvement from the last. The band are incredibly tight and from the opening number, they showed the audience their many combined talents. It is really clear that Wes, Frank, Jake and James have a real chemistry generating on stage between them and really perform each number effortlessly. Wes swaps between electric and acoustic guitars to create a mixture of mellower and rockier tunes. One of the stand out tunes of the evening is “Animals”, a really great song sung from the heart with some a creative guitar sound and clever catchy lyrical content. The band end their set with an eye on the future with a new song called “Edge of Time” a sort of social commentary tune commenting on the times we are living in. These guys certainly deserve to be playing too much larger audiences and with a continuation of this quality output, they should be very soon.

Hello Hawaii 1–2–3–4

Like most people I love surprises and the reason I go to gigs is discovering my next favourite band. I have not seen “Greyside” before or even heard any of their music….but the moment they stepped on stage and started up I had that Goosebumps moment that told me I was going to love their set. They arrive with incredible amounts of energy and a big effect laden guitar which beautifully fills this big hall. The crowd gathered around the stage and seem to lap up all this band have to give. The band are not bothered with covering other people tunes….it is all about their own original material such as the epic “Stage Name Jessica” and the great named “Amsterdamage”. With their hyperactive bassist Aidan pulling shapes on stage left, with front man Brandon’s fantastic vocal range, Sam’s creative drumming and Joe big guitar sound, this band have lots of the ingredients needed to excite.

Greyside 1–2–3–4

The band the generously remember fellow local journalist/DJ Alan Dorey who sadly passed away recently and dedicate a number called “Stage 4” to his memory. The number is a heart-wrenching tune about a Father’s battle with cancer and is sung with so much depth and passion. Another tune from the EP called “Give Me Everything” gives a definite nod to The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” with a slight rearrangement of the catchy guitar part. These though still young this band really know how to put on a show and the Mr Kyps crowd were thoroughly entertained here tonight. I possibly have found my new favourite band.

Set List
Greyside
You Remind Me
Tunnel
Amsterdamage
White Roses
White Lines
Attention
Stage Name Jessica
Would You
Warhol
Stage 4
Toy Story Skies
Give Me Everything
Seaside Cities
Little Town

Hello Hawaii
Nothing
Daydreams
Call The Ringer
Pagoda Moon
America
Pulsate
Animals
Setting Sun
Edge of Time

Videos

Links
https://www.facebook.com/greysideband
https://www.facebook.com/HelloHawaiiUK
http://vixeneyes9.wixsite.com/vixeneyes

Words, Pictures & Videos by Dave Chinery (Chinners)