This year’s Vault Hidden Bar headliner Rolla come well recommended by some of Manchester’s muso elites as well as being championed by the likes of Louder Than War. Describing themselves as pure rock and roll and taking influence from the likes of Fontaines DC, The Verve, Twisted Wheel and Idles, the swaggering five-piece are already veterans of the festival circuit including (*deep breath*) Isle of Wight, Y Not?, Rewired, Neighbourhood and The Great Escape. Get your shades on for latest single, It Ain’t Easy, a rollicking romp through the trials and tribulations of growing up in a latter-day Northern town. Fiercely working class, tracks like We Owe You Nothing and What Kid, might not be blurring the boundaries of any guitar rock genres, the likes of Ease My Mind and Hey You at least provide a welcome change of pace and showcase a band who genuinely know their way around their minor chord guitar scales and middle eight melodies; and you better believe the self-assured five-piece will own the Storytellers stage and get everyone at the back dancing on the tables. You gotta Rolla with it. (Steve Spithray)
One of this year’s ones-to-watch are undoubtedly St Austell-via-London’s The Velvet Hands. Channelling all the energy of The Clash, Cribs and Libertines they already have a royal flush of punk-through-the-ages and enough bolshy, brash, rabble rousing energy to blow the Stockton roof off. 2023’s Sucker Punch album was 10 tracks of shout-along anthems (Telephone Love, Holiday In My Head) and pop swagger (40 Up 40 Down, Devil’s Tail) all set at breakneck speed to ensure a blink-and-you-will-miss-it set of radgie punk polemic. (Steve Spithray)
Formed in Derby in 2021, young indie-rock band Marseille are bringing the party to the North East. Drawing from a diverse set of influences from the 90s Madchester scene, to psychedelia and 60s Merseybeat. With a line-up of Will Brown, Joe Labram, Lennon Hall, Tom Spray, and Will Sabey, the band have made it their mission to challenge the expectation to fit into one genre. With punchy guitars and thrumming bass beats, their sound blends multiple genres to create something new that showcases every member of the band. (Kate Relton)
Beginning her music career in a punk band she claims to have styled around Avril Lavigne’s breakthrough album Let Go, Harriet Rose has grown into a prolific multi-instrumentalist. Gigging since the age of 12, she returned to her hometown of Sheffield for a headline show last year. Blending a range of influences from The Smiths, to Beautiful South and Fairground Attraction, her sound is a powerhouse blend of indie Americana. Drawing the audience in with the vulnerability and honesty of her lyrics, she’s gained a substantial following and has already supported The Libertines’ Peter Doherty and The Lotter Winners. (Kate Relton)
Newcastle’s Isle of Wight Festival veterans, The Avelons, should be familiar to many a Stocktonian gig-goer having recently supported The Covasettes at KU in February for Independent Venue Week. With nine singles already under their belts the Geordie rockers should start getting the festival crowd whipped up with a combination of toe-tappingly catchy riffs and big choruses such as The Prequel, Blondie and Gallows from their most recent single released in November last year… (Steve Spithray)
Citing influences as equally diverse and obvious as Shame, The Strokes, The Prodigy and Chemical Brothers may seem counter-intuitive but when you have the intense, brooding and hopeful new Mersey sound of Liverpool post-punks Wull why not cut straight to the quick? Borne of a late-COVID frustration, the five-piece released their debut EP in August 2023 and have since gone from strength to strength with a string of singles including Amber and In The Dawn, whose darkly poppy atmospherics showcase a lot more depth and thoughtfulness to the band’s sound than their influences first suggest. See ya down the front, yeah? (Steve Spithray)
Glasgow band Brielle have been pretty active for the last couple of years, with a batch of singles and some impressive gigs and festival slots (including the Isle of Wight Festival last summer). Fronted by Beth Simpson – who has a strong rock voice and a lot of charisma – Brielle have a big AOR sound (their recent cover of Alanis Morissette’s You Oughta Know should give you some indication of where they’re coming from) and they seem destined to hit big on mainstream radio, the sort of band you might hear on a Radio 2 Drive Time show if you happened to be driving from Glasgow to Stockton, say, to appear at Stockton Calling. (Lee Fisher)
They say all the best band names have gone but when you are so refreshingly thrilling and brilliant as Leeds’ The North sometimes you need something that does exactly what is says on the tin. The hard hitting indie (with a side of punk and shoegaze) three-piece channel the punk energy of early Britpop (with a dash of My Bloody Valentine) but distil it into something more refined, thoughtful and creatively realised. Think reverb soaked guitars, soaring melodies, pint of lager and a packet of crisps. In’t T‘North brilliant! (Steve Spithray)
Line-ups are subject to change.
Vault Hidden Bar is a late night basement bar located in the heart of the town centres nightlife. It’s a modern bar which creates an intimate atmosphere making it the perfect venue for an unforgettable time.
Access information
Basement level only, accessible by stairs. No ramp or lifts available.
