CWL4, Lockdown Blues, Bristol, and plans for 2020-21

So it seems like a hundred years since our last show back in February, and a lot has happened! This Coronavirus lockdown has been pretty devastating for loads of bands, businesses and the general public (and especially the elderly), and while it has had some upsides for those well and able to stay at home, it has really hit our pubs and venues hard. Tough times indeed, but we seem to be coming out of it now.

Going back to the pre-Covid era, CWL IV was great fun down at the Hope & Anchor. The crowd was good, the energy was great, and the bands put on another impressive night of grunge. The people who come along to these nights are starting to get to know each other more every time, and there is definitely a solid ‘hardcore’ of people involved now, which is just what I wanted when I started this thing up. It’s also been great to see some people from other bands & supporters of the wider scene turning up, even if they’re not playing etc.

Stoneflies gave me a small heart attack by missing soundcheck (tube delays) but arrived just in the nick of time and brought a blistering set of raw dark grunge in the vain of the Melvins which was very welcome to the ears - I want to see where their songwriting goes in the next couple of years, as they definitely have something goin on. The ever enthusiastic Imaginary Dreamers followed this up with an energetic set of their own grungey hard rock, and Kevin showed his stage experience by really getting the crowd going, many of whom had turned out specifically for them. Shockpowder were great, a bit more shoegazey but with heavy riffs, grooves and beats under melodic vocals. They had very few supporters of their own in the crowd that night but managed to convince the Civil War crowd in the course of their set. Lots of potential there and they are quite uniquely haunting for a heavy band.

Finally, our friends Desert Clouds delivered a big headline set, despite a number of the band battling heroically through bouts of the flu… (just normal flu then I think…right?). As a band theyy achieve a great balance of rawness, technical skill, songwriting craft, and a no bullshit down-to-earth attitude which makes them so well-appreciated in our scene. Top marks to them, and to their colourful and supportive crowd.

We are one month away from our next show, but honestly I don’t know if we’ll be able to run it yet, that’s why I’ve held off making the announcement. We’ve got four great bands ready for it, but if we can’t get away with Friday 5th June then we’ll knock it back a month or two, and the people behind The Hope & Anchor are happy to do that free of cost, which is solid of them.

Since I last posted, I was sorry to learn of the break up of one of our first bands, Elbrano, who have called it a day after a number of years on the scene. They have, however, just put our their final EP ‘The Gift’ as a parting shot, and it is a relentless, powerhouse of an EP - moving right to the verge of full metal. Nonetheless, it was great to have a bit more of them to remember. They put in a real shift at our maiden show at the Unicorn that I’ll never forget.

On the plus side, we had our first Civil War Bristol show take place before the lockdown (which is being taken on by Dave from Superseed), and while a few had to be cancelled during the coronavirus lockdown, we look forward to seeing much more from our squad in Bristol once things are back up and running.

I’ve got more announcements coming up, with a potential reviewer joining the team, as well as a good friend & familiar face also joining us to help run these nights (more to follow on that). We are also taking advantage of this downtime to get organised for shows later this year and in 2021, and we are contacting some fresh new bands to come and play for us. Lots going on!

Most exciting of all potentially, is that we are going to run an all-dayer soon, and then a full weekend single venue festival in 2021. That’s the plan. I’m thinking of going with the name ‘Uprising’ which pretty much sums it up as as a way of showcasing the best of the talent we have surfacing in this scene.

Get in touch if you want to get involved, or just to let us know what you’re up to!

Cheers,
CWL