Last of the Summer?

 

Nowhere! Somewhere in Holmfirth.

It's easy to forget that the whole summer hasn't been a cold, dank affair with low, forbidding battleship grey skies. Back at the end of June, the 27th to be exact, it was a joy to be cruising through the unfolding landscape above Glossop in the evening sunshine, sunglasses on, with Marjorie the Satnav leading the way through stunning ancient Pennine valleys and over Holme Moss towards Nowhere Bar in Holmfirth.

Filter Zombies is someone I've wanted to see again since I caught him at our first outing to Derby in February. His sound is a complex one, melding house, post punk, techno, Soft Cell and even Cocteau Twins! A wild and accomplished ride. Check him out at a future event.

Filter Zombies, proving guitars have a place in EMOM!

After a couple of issues with sound, multicoloured Mho was up next. He always has as much going on visually as he has musically, and did not disappoint on either front. Call me crazy, but sitting around a corner, I was getting influences of Jarre, Vangelis, The Orb, and even an obscure Polish band called Tulia all in one slick package. 

EMOM veteran Mho doing the business.

 

Dr Glitch was next. He's a new one on me but had brought a small entourage to cheer him on. His energetic performance, however, needed no such assistance. It was madness in a good way. Techno, distinct Les Rhythms Digitales vibes, Kraftwerk and Nitzer Ebb all blending into a finale of dystopian industrial proportions. Add to this AI vocals on the trials of modern technological life and a hot commercial sound ensued.

The madness of De Glitch!

After the break, we were up next, and some appreciative latecomers had started to fill up the seats at the front of the performance area. Despite the organiser being initially confused about the Libby part of Jon And Libby, all became clear during her introduction. When Libby announced the premiere of a new song called "Why Make Music When Nobody Cares?" a lady on the front row shouted "We care!", which was lovely. It's always a good sign when the final chord of the final song comes to an end and Libby delivers the last line a cappella, and the crowd is already applauding. I've started doing a bit when we're taking the applause where I motion the crowd to clap the laptop, then I kiss the webcam in appreciation of Libby's marvellous singing, and this got more applause. Job's a good 'un.

The view from this week's office

Now, either I'm following him or he's following me, but next up was Me Am Mad Cat. I've gigged with him a few times now and written about his dark, hard, banging house set a lot of over the past few months. I don't know if he does festivals, but he should. He should be rocking the tent. 

Me Am Mad Cat and his deep house vibes.

And finally, a man I've wanted to see since I first clicked on a link to a Youtube video and first discovered his fast, literate, angry world: Jimmy Andrex. A mix of John Cooper Clarke and Sleaford Mods without the overtones of violent frustration, his vocals weave vivid scenes of society, life, politics, and above all truth. They should teach him at GCSE. They really should.

Jimmy Andrex telling us how it is

And then it was time to head home, this time along the famous Woodhead Pass through to Hyde and Denton, onto the bleak nighttime boredom of the M60, and back to Darkest Cheshire. We'll certainly be back. Great venue, great acts and an organiser whose dancing to drum and bass was so energetic and expressive during the break that he received rounds of applause. It really is something to be seen! 

Was this the last good weather before the inevitable crash into autumn? Hard to say, really, but one thing's for sure, EMOMs are a great way to stay out of the rain. Next time, it's back to Todmorden and a loud, loud room!