Tucked away in the Wiltshire town of Trowbridge is an absolute gem of a music venue, called The Pump. Walls adorned with instruments, rafters covered in the graffiti of bands that have passed through, pride flag hung proudly, regulars streaming in. It’s not especially big but it certainly is mighty and the home of a grassroots music scene that grows stronger by the day.
Tonight’s line up is extremely well curated, it consists of three artists all of whom perfectly compliment each other. The first artist of the evening was solo act Brightr (Laurie Cottingham) who delivered a passionate, heartfelt performance that far exceeded my expectations of what one man with an accoustic guitar could achieve. He brings his own brand of gloomy emo pop, powerfully showcased and all consuming. Brightr has been playing solo for around 10 years now after his previous band came to a head.
I got a brief chat in with him before his set, he spoke of playing larger scale sold out shows in Italy and then to smaller crowds in Reading stating he really enjoys the “juxtaposition of chaos” between the two scenarios, juggling parenting and music, championing female and trans musicians and the inequality he’s witnessed toward them as he’s supported his wife through her musical career. I will arrange a full interview with Brightr in the future but for now pop along and see him if you get the chance, fair warning he has one of the best merch table set ups I’ve seen for a long time so expect to leave with treasure. You can find him over on Spotify, where he has some new releases on their way.
Next on stage kicking it up a notch was 4 piece band Wreckship. Wreckship is made up of Jay (Guitar/Vocals), Mark (Guitar), Sam (Drums) and Dan (Bass). They played a well recieved set with a range of songs from a fast aggressive punky sound to a more bouncy melodic emo riff based tracks and even had some nice big sing along choruses. They too have some new releases on the way, having already been scooped up by BBC introducing they are definitely a band to keep an eye on.
Our headliner for the evening is the freshly reformed Hark! A Shark! The revival of this band has been a long time coming. Originally formed in April 2010 the band ceased to be after their split in 2016, thankfully they have been back together and rehearsing since August 2024. I have been patiently waiting to see them since I got this news and frankly they did not disappoint. Not only are they the best Jaws themed band you may ever see, they are pop punk legends in the making. With original songs and bass lines that authentically take me back to the days of Blink 182, plus sharks and wrestling what more could you ask for.
Female fronted Hark! A Shark! is Greg Thomas (Bass/Vocals), Gregory Burke (Guitar/Vocals), Craig Butterworth (Guitar), Matthew Lawrence (Drums), lead by the phenomenal goddess of a woman that is Natalie Cottingham (Lead Vocals). The band treated us to a surprise cover of Ramones version of ‘Happy Birthday’ to celebrate singer Natalie’s birthday. Aswell as a cover of 90’s boy band Five’s classic hit ‘Keep On Movin’, hilariously put together and squeezed in between their own awesome original songs. This is a band that doesn’t take itself to seriously and instead offers a joyous, fun filled, booty shaking evening. They have a handful of dates you can catch them at this year, find them on socials to find out when and where.
