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Last Exit to Cadishead. 
				by Bob Osborne.

				 

				Pearl Divers, Factory Star. The Plough, Cadishead, Salford. 26.02.10.

				

				 

				Despite the borough engineers attempting to prevent access to 
				The Plough in Cadishead, the use of the by-pass and a small 
				diversion made it possible to access the pub for the first 
				“Indie” night at the venue  - featuring
				
				Pearl Divers and
				Factory Star. 
				For those of you who are hip to these things the two combos 
				 between them contain four ex-members of The Fall – so in 
				essence its a night of “The Fallen”. 

				Despite the damp weather, and the road works, a sizeable crowd 
				made it out on a Friday night to see two great bands in action.
 

				Local to the area, and front man to 
				Pearl 
				Divers is Irlam based songwriter, vocalist and guitarist 
				Carl Lingard, whose melodic indie classics, full of hummable 
				hooks, are the centre-piece of the set. The rock steady, and 
				increasingly tight rhythm section of ex-Fall drummer Mike Leigh, 
				and Eccles based bassist John “Monty” Montague provide a driving 
				beat over which Lingard, second guitarist Jeff Black, and Tony 
				Da Ghost on the keyboards layer exquisite sounds. For the first 
				time, second vocalist and rapper, Ordsall’s Ben “Spilla” Doherty 
				is on stage for the whole set providing a suitable foil and 
				counterpoint for Lingard’s vocals.
 

				The band’s set is made of the four songs from “The Boy who won 
				the world” EP which can be streamed from their website
				
				HERE, plus longer form pieces which build to a climax and 
				deliver real emotion. The high points are the moving “The Deal” 
				and the complex waltz of “Angel in New York”. The class tune of 
				the night is the excellent “White Lines” where Doherty lays down 
				a rap over the “indie” surge of the band. Intelligent lyrics 
				combine with silky smooth music to create something new and 
				exciting. 

				Despite this only being the groups seventh gig they delivered a 
				polished performance.
 

				What followed can only be described as legendary. A short but 
				incredibly powerful set by Factory Star which combined 
				songs by leader Martin Bramah from his days in 
				The Fall, and 
				The Blue Orchids, 
				together with more recent material from his now deleted solo 
				album, was simply breathtaking. Of course any band that has the 
				legendary Hanley Brothers – Steve and Paul - on bass and drums 
				has to be at an added advantage from the get go. Add the surging 
				keyboard sounds of Hop Man Jr aka John Paul Moran and you have a 
				recipe for music of the highest order.
 

				From the stunning opener “Fall of Great Britain” onwards it is 
				clear Factory Star is a band that delivers. Bramah’s 
				songs are transformed into a wall of sound,  with a clear 
				manifesto of a new approach derived from somewhere around the 
				Velvets/Doors , but taken somewhere else entirely. John Moran’s 
				keyboards evoke Manzarek at his most challenging – not 
				surprising as he is a major influence on the Hop Man. Paul 
				Hanley’s lack of familiarity with Mike Leigh’s electronic 
				drum-kit (borrowed for the night to allow for seamless set 
				transition) is a limiting factor but not that anyone would 
				notice other than the band.
 

				The Blue Orchids classic “Bad Education” gets better on 
				every hearing and is given added passion with this band.  The 
				exceptional “Stone Tumbling Stream” with its call and response 
				chorus provides a base from which the band raises the intensity. 
				What is special is Bramah’s effortless guitar which moves from 
				guttural lower string rattles to hyper-tense  high fret runs and 
				slides. The hypnotic nature of this material – exemplified by 
				the moody “Cheetham Bill” – provides a sensuous lure to the 
				listeners.  The trio of “The Hanging Man”, “The Flood” and the 
				riff classic “Angels Steps” is as close to perfect as you can 
				get.
 

				The band close with two Fall classics from 1978: “Rebellious 
				Jukebox” and “Psycho Mafia” leaving the audience calling for 
				more.
 

				It is to be hoped that The Plough repeats these nights as 
				this is a fantastic venue with an intimate atmosphere –OK its a 
				bit of a trek to get there but well worth with ample parking, 
				friendly bar staff and a good selection of ales.

				 

				Thanks to Toby Jeffries for the photos.
 

				
					
						
						

					

			
 
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