WAM Live presents The Clause with special guests The Zangwills and Uno Mas at FC2, Warrington 

Thursday 28th April 2022 

It’s another stellar lineup from WAM tonight in Warrington at FC2.  This is really becoming a destination for ‘must see’ live music. It’s a great, smaller venue. Starting off next door in Friars Court pub which is adjoining to FC2 (Friars Court 2), it’s already full. People are keen to see the Clause, but many are sporting The Zangwills and UNO MAS t-shirts. From speaking to a few people, it seems ‘The Clause‘ impressed when supporting ‘The Slow Readers Club‘ at Parr Hall, and many have come to see more after that set. Of course, support is very strong tonight, both the Zangwills and Uno Mas tour and headline all over the UK in their own right. This is gonna be a good one!

First support: UNO MAS

Olly Thornton – lead vocal/guitar 

Dan Whitelegg – guitar, Tom Pearson – bass, Lewis Roberts – drums 

Warrington based, 4 piece indie band, Uno Mas, are up first. It’s packed in here now – Uno Mas have a fair few followers who are raring to go – straight into their set, no messing, very enthusiastic start (which doesn’t falter throughout, I might add). Real fizzing indie vibes. People are instantly dancing, it’s a great atmosphere. All original material, it’s upbeat and feel good. Lots of crowd interaction, frontman Olly (Thornton) encourages the crowd to move forward and bounce – the crowd happily obliges. There’s a very soft, retro feel to this sound but it’s punchy and snappy, musically concise and crisp, very well played, and a great performance. It’s high vibrational and a happy feeling set. Performance wise these guys go all out and it’s nonstop from beginning to end. 

UNO MAS_Credit: Warren Millar

Olly is often on his knees, playing guitar or bouncing off monitors or standing up on amps, his energy appears limitless! Guitarists bounce around on stage, it’s great to watch. Olly’s vocal is mellow and light with that Northern indie feel running through it; guitar sounds with a sugary, effervescent feel, with hard hitting bass lines. The beats are skippy and light for the main part. The whole feel is of soda floats on a summer’s day with a real danceable vibe running throughout. It’s honestly a great live sound and this performance is worth seeing.  It’s a 100 mph set with real exuberance – think EMF back in the early 90s energy wise. 

The crowd are up to the barrier now and Olly is off stage, singing and dancing right up to the barrier. Ending in a blaze of guitars and drum smashing, this was one fast paced, full on set and very well received. Smashed it, guys! Well worth checking this band out…thanks guys…up the Uno Mas!

Setlist: Don’t you know, SFSE, Glue, High, We Believe, Jungle, SKF, Bored

Second support: The Zangwills 

Jake Vickers – lead vocals/guitar, Sam Davies – guitar, Ed Dowling – bass, Adam Spence – drums.

It’s no secret that I love this band (wearing their t-shirt is probably a huge giveaway too). The Zangwills are another band that attracts a huge and loyal following. It’s well deserved.

We have a lineup change tonight as, sadly, bassist  Ed Dowling isn’t well and is unable to play, so playing bass tonight is Adam Spence who usually drums, and drumming tonight we have Danny Hall of the ‘32 Tens‘ (another epic band worth checking out). Also joining the Zangwills to provide backing vocals is Jess Lees. 

It’s another fast paced set from the off. With an epic crashing intro of guitars, the feels instantly go up a notch – straight into ‘Could I?’ The crowd loves it. Jake’s (Vickers’) vocals truly are something special: raspy, gravelly, then clear and full…real goose bump inducing. It’s a multi dimensional sound, guitars are shimmery with clever riffs, soaring bass lines, and complex, pounding beats. It’s as ever a very tight performance. As a frontman Jake is Mr. Cool… eccentric and charismatic, he’s quite captivating…we can’t take our eyes off him. The crowd are bouncing, screaming back the songs, it’s gone up another level. This is the Zangwills’ effect. Lyrics are witty, cool, and quirky, songs are ‘must hear again’ earworms!  It’s so catchy and infectious we just ‘wanna hear more. 

The Zanwills_Credit: Warren Millar

The sound is incredible, each song different in style, but all distinctly their own and easily identifiable as theirs. Real indie pop/rock, guitar driven but with electro in some songs with the addition of keys. The layering of the sounds is incredible, as the songs keep coming they drown us in waves of euphoria, the whole feel resonating brilliantly with the crowd. Each time I see the Zangwills they just keep getting better and better.

Adam on bass and Danny on drums worked seamlessly.  Sound wise you’d never know any different…nice one guys…both smashed it! Jake commands the stage, guitar swinging, high kicking, and gesticulating…as a crowd we lap it up. The musical tidal wave that can only be the Zangwills has once more engulfed us and it’s brilliant! For something original and different, an ultra cool vibe, very current, uplifting, and anthemic in sound, you just can’t beat these guys. Bloody brilliant performance yet again…thank you! And our thoughts are with bassist, Ed Dowling. You were missed and we hope you’re feeling better soon.

The Clause_Credit: Warren Millar

Setlist: Could I, The horrors of sobriety, Sunlight at midnight, New heights, 212, Judas on the dance floor, The feeling, Never look back.

Headliners: The Clause

Pearce Macca – lead vocal/guitar, Niall Fennel – drums, Johnny Fyffe – bass, Liam Deakin – guitar

So for our headliner tonight we have the deliciously indie, Birmingham based, 4 piece rockers, The Clause. Arriving on stage to manic screams and the crowd surging forward, these guys sure have got that swagger!  Looking like utter rock stars, they start to play and the energy explodes, the audience spontaneously combusts…into flames of pure excitement. It’s a really refined, perfectly executed, alt rock/indie rock sound, very tightly performed, and a surplus of energy. It’s a delight for the musical senses, ranging from very current, up to date, indie feels to more psychedelic sounding, late 60s vibes and also an early 60s raw, basement, rock n roll feel. It’s amazing, it’s buzzing. There’s a real vibrancy to this. It’s going off. The mosh pit effect has taken hold, beer is sloshing everywhere, and people are pogoing. It’s gone mad…off the Richter scale, musical mayhem type mad…it’s bloody fantastic! 

The Clause are playing so hard and fast it’s an electrical storm of music and creativity, the heat level has risen and the feels are up more than you’d think possible…crunching bass lines vibrating through our chests, rip roaring, 60s feeling guitar, but with that jagged edge, modern day feel.

Brilliantly long, guitar fuelled intros with glistening lines, and a dance feeling beat, reminiscent of 90s Madchester sounds. I’m getting real rock n roll vibes, it’s such an eclectic mix of genres cleverly interwoven to create such a fresh and exciting sound. It’s inspiring, it’s brilliance.

I cannot convey how good this band are live, the effect they have had in here is unprecedented! We now have the wildest mosh pit I think I’ve ever seen outside of a huge festival or stadium setting. It’s ferocious, people are bouncing off each other, it’s a swirling typhoon of musical carnage, engulfing everyone! The abundance of energy on stage is a pleasure to watch, it’s of epic proportions. The drum kit is getting hammered, guitarists are positively bounding about on stage, and frontman, Pearce, is a force to be reckoned with. The onstage presence is phenomenal. The songs are upbeat, ‘feel good, fast, and loud and the audience are feeding off them. Hooks and choruses are more than catchy with mammoth instrumentals. It works sublimely well. Often down on one knee, swinging guitars about, or hopping on one leg around the stage, the Clause have whipped this venue up into one hell of a frenzy.

Crowd_Credit: Warren Millar

It’s utter chaos now, the floor is drenched, people are surging back and forth, dancing wildly, and the noise levels between songs have peaked to an all time high. This band have created an absolute storm. What a night! What a gig? What a band!  It’s honestly up there with my best gig experiences. I urge you to go see the Clause.  The vocal is melodic with a real 60s feel, smoothness even but a raw rock n roll edge to it…one hell of a sound. The Clause certainly made their presence felt tonight and I cannot wait to see them again!  

Another wild, brilliant, nonstop feast from the music gods tonight.  Thank you, the Clause…you rocked out tonight…we’re all left feeling slightly dishevelled, beer soaked, and will be aching from bouncing tomorrow…but my God we’d do it all again in a flash!  Out of this world! 

Thank you WAM Live for yet again creating the wildest gig in Wazza !

Review by Janet Harding

Photography Warren Millar

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