This image: Inheaven
Jordan Worland, from local music website Slate the Disco, selects his must-see gigs in Cambridge during April
Shoegaze icons, doom rockers and a ‘bluegrass AC/DC’; April’s live music offerings in Cambridge are a mixed bag. We start on Chesterton Road where the gritty grooves of The Wytches and their Portland Arms show on 19 April gets many thumbs up from us. The trio released their sophomore album, All Your Happy Life, last year, and there’s no difficult second album syndrome here – it offered up an irresistible slice of black-hearted, comedown psychedelia with a dash of baroque ’n’ roll.
The Wytches aside, there’s plenty more to get your teeth into at The Portland: also grabbing our attention is the bassy, rich and barbed, razor-edged and loud sounds of Part Chimp on 13 April. Welsh indie-roots band Rusty Shackle are in town on 20 April meanwhile, brandishing their distinctive folk-roots sound and armed with an electrifying mix of rampant fiddle, scorching electric guitars, pounding drums, searing trumpet and banjo.
Last year Hannah Peel released an exquisite, distinctive album, full of vibrant, direct colour in the early stages of the record, contrasting with esoteric, dreamscape movements towards the end. She stops by at The Portland on 4 April, while Jesca Hoop, on 3 April, completes our recommendations for this venue.
April sees the Blue Moon host the excellent Sweet Revenge (1 April) and then fuzz noiseniks Thee Telepaths (8 April) as part of their new album tour. Psych-driven fuzz and beat four-piece from Kettering, Thee Telegraphs have an in-the-red sound that fuses wonky electronics, Krautrock and warped psych.
This image: Hannah Peel
A huge month at the Cambridge Junction starts with the seminal Jesus and Mary Chain on 3 April. Fronted by the Reid brothers, Jim and William, The Jesus and Mary Chain first reformed to play the Coachella festival back in 2007. Despite regular touring – most notably a 2015 world tour which revisited their landmark album Psychocandy, which was originally released in 1985 – it took some time before they could agree on a plan to record a much-mooted latest album. Said album Damage and Joy dropped last month, so expect a set that mixes classics and new material.
Circa Waves bring their newly released second album to Cambridge on 4 April. Different Creatures is the grittier, after-dark counterpart to the breezy summer vibes of its top ten predecessor Young Chasers, exuding a new-found swagger. The line-up that night is completed by the exceptional Inheaven. This quartet’s thrashing, no-limits take on pop is well worth getting in early for.
What do you get when AC/DC fans play rock covers in a bluegrass style? Hayseed Dixie, obviously, and they’re back in Cambridge on 21 April. Plus, John Wheeler (singer and all-round main Dixie) has upped his sticks from the US and currently resides in Cambridge, so he’s one of us now…
Hertfordshire four-piece The Hunna are considered one of the brightest lights in indie rock. While The Hunna are essentially a straight-up, high-octane rock band, their guitar-driven sound has a pounding, futuristic edge to it. Having worked with producers such as Tim Larcombe and Duncan Mills, The Hunna have carved out a string of huge songs that already boast over 1.75 million Spotify streams and five million video views. They’re at the Junction on 26 April.
This month’s final Cambridge Junction tip goes down on 27 April when you can see Faithless’s Maxi Jazz return to his roots with funky blues guitar music alongside his new band, the E-Type Boys.
The celebrated Northumbrian band The Unthanks bring their How Wild The Wind Blows tour to the Corn Exchange on 27 April. The project unearths the wistful and intimate compositions of Molly Drake, mother of singer-songwriter Nick Drake. These charming, secluded and melancholy songs offer an insight into the work of Nick Drake, revealing Molly Drake as perhaps the most overlooked influence on the cult musician – and as a fascinating songwriter. Sisters Rachel and Becky Unthank, whose knack for sensitive reinterpretation has seen them tackle everything from traditional English folk to Antony and the Johnsons, turn their attentions to these forgotten songs.
