OriginalRock.net held A Night In Aid Of The Stroke Association at The Talking Heads, Southampton, as a successful night of rock raised £191.24 for the charity last Tuesday night (26th June 2018). Djuno, Amorla, Porcelain Hill and Torcoda Fray all performed on the night for around 30 minutes each.
Southampton band Djuno were up first and certainly kicked off the proceedings in some style as they began with Thin Ice. Lead singer Courtney Gray ruled the stage from the start and her vocals were really powerful and provided something different that the UK is certainly lacking at the moment. The band played the likes of Electric and No Glass Falls which is coming out soon so it was nice to see this track being played live. Courtney also talked about Stroke Association inbetween songs which was a nice touch and explained briefly how it has affected her and talked about how good the cause is. Wildfire, Howling and Stop were all performed afterward as Simeon Martin, Andrew Colville, Matt Williamson, Pete Sanderson and of course lead singer Courtney all made themselves proud for the opening act and certainly set the scene talent wise. We caught up with Djuno before their set for a quick interview that you can see below!
Guildford based Melodic-Hardcore band Amorla then were next up on the stage as they looked to add a bit of heaviness to the night.
The band started with Crowd of Masks as Mike Guyan’s vocals really shined through and complemented Amorla’s lead screamer perfectly and reminded me of a more heavier A Day To Remember. Empty Sun then followed as the venue were treated to hearing the band’s upcoming EP for the first time. Previous tracks already released were Her Poison and Matches so these were great to hear and see live and you can see every member of the band gave 110% throughout their set. The music then toned down a little with track April as it was more pop rock/metal and gave and showed how dynamic their sound can be. Amorla finished on Sail Alone as I was well and truly blown away from the set and was a much-needed addition to the night. Make sure you remember Amorla’s name as they will be sure to be a huge name in their genre in the coming years!
South Californian Blues Rock band Porcelain Hill also added a much needed old school feel to the night with a modern twist. Consisting of Darnell ‘Big D’ Cole,’Wildfire’ Nathalie Campos, and Jacob ‘The Kid’ Lucero, the trio once again ruled a Southampton crowd having played at their first ever UK show at The Joiners earlier that month.
The band played a track called Jackie but Darnell renamed it Sindija who was a fan in the crowd and even mentioned her name in the song which was a nice touch! At one point Darnell’s mic went out yet he stylishly changed his position to sing over another mic witch proved how professional he was. Next up was Liberty from their latest EP Vintage. They also played Happy Man from their album See It Now as Darnell played his guitar backward, something that is starting to be a signature of his. Another track from Vintage, Love Right Now, was then performed by the trio which was a great addition to their set however they certainly saved their best until last. Porcelain Hill performed Trippy at the end of their set which lasted for around 6/7 minutes which is what it is on the EP as Jacob played in the crowd, alongside Courtney from Djuno and on the floor as the track really showed how good this band really is.
The track itself was very trippy as they also started playing riffs from the Star Wars theme tune and more. Overall it was a great show from these three and the band is in the UK until September so you could be seeing them in a town near you.
Last up was Eastleigh band, Torcoda Fray as they looked to follow an awesome performance. That they did however as lead singer Tom Farmer, bassist Callum Waldron, guitarist Matt Geer and drummer Ben Smith gave it their all throughout their set. The band played the likes of Two Doors Down and Deal which were real hits with the crowd and certainly led the way for the rest of the night.
As Torcoda Fray carried on with Treehouse, Porcelain Hill’s Darnell was dancing and swinging along to the band. Tom’s vocals seem to get better and better with each show and the confidence the band in whole is getting better with each gig. Next up was Lakeside before they played their latest single Turning Wheels which certainly got fans off their feet dancing. Cheap Thrills and Dirty Little Thing followed which had elements of Green Day and The Beatles influence within in it which was great to hear. Torcoda finished on their single Lift up the Sky which was a perfect way to finish a night of rock and certainly gave fans one last chance to have a singalong.
If you would like any information about Stroke Association then please click here.
A photo gallery of the night by Eftychia Lianeri https://www.instagram.com/efleean/) can be seen below!