It’s time, dear reader, for a brief cooking lesson.
Oh, don’t look at us like that – after all, we’ve all got to eat, and this won’t take long. We’re even willing to bet that you’re going to want to try it again after you’re done. Are you ready?
Take four suave young gentlemen. Now, add in a set of flashy shirts and skinny jeans, and throw in a pinch of hairspray. Then, arm them with guitars, dollop on a shedload of reach-for-the-skies choruses, and sprinkle on enough attitude to put a Gallagher to shame, and what do you get?
The answer, it seems, is Chay Snowdon.
The Bristol-based foursome and their eponymous frontman may only be in their early twenties; but, based on their efforts at the city’s Louisiana, they’ve not got long to go before they’re ready for bigger stages and better things.
Set highlight – and new single – Men Cry Too! is a roaring rallying cry against toxic masculinity, while early track Famous is precisely the kind of anthemic post-indie-rock song that Johnny Borrell has been straining to write since 2009.
As a live performer, Snowdon is electrifying. We’d say that he’s a quiff-brandishing typhoon who doesn’t let up throughout the duration of the set, but that would be over-complicating it somewhat; so, instead, we’ll just tell you that he’s completely and utterly brilliant to watch. Every note is hit, and every opportunity to thrash around the stage like a man possessed is welcomed with open arms – to us, there’s not much more you could ask from a frontman. An honourable mention must go also to the band – comprised of bassist George Roach, guitarist Jack Hawkins, and drummer Luke Westwood – who have somehow managed to channel the vibe of seasoned rock ‘n’ roll session musicians despite the fact that they’re barely out of university.
He came, he saw, and he came perilously close to blowing the roof off of one of Bristol’s premier live music venues – we think you’d be foolish to forget the name Chay Snowdon.