Music festivals don’t have to be stuck in a muddy festival to have connotations of carnage and chaos. This equally applies to all day inner-city ones, as the Karma Weekender at Saltbox proved. Here's what happened on the first day...
Speaking to friends and fellow gig-goers, there is a sense of something not being all too well. One complains, in a jokey way, “not everyone has the day off, you’d have thought it might have been put on later than 3pm!”. I laugh cautiously knowing that earlyish starts come with a risk of low turnout, but having full knowledge that things will be on the up when the evening comes.
Despite being delayed by an hour due to a number of bands pulling out at the last minute, in addition to having an unclear way of entry, Saltbox played host to its annual Karma Weekender - two days celebrating the abnormal, eldritch, and eccentric figures from music who refuse to be boxed in. Ironically, we, the music wanderers and observers, take on the role of taxidermist categorising each artist; placing them in our music manageries. The festival brings together the who's who of Nottingham’s alternative kabal with DJ sets throughout the evening from Dom Gourlay, Sam Shaw and Jimi Arundell. However the main attraction comes from someone more of an abstract idea than man, a man who has spent decades out of the limelight and who, for the most part, is known as the “God of Hell Fire”. While it has been nearly 60 years since his one-hit wonder, Arthur Brown still conjures up the same level of fascination as he did with his Top of Pops performance all those years ago. Granted it is known far better than those of a certain generation, Brown’s mystique attracts the younger generation in a different way. The attraction comes from those who profess to be “born in the wrong generation”. However, the Arthur Brown experience would have to be put off for Saturday.
Karma Weekender is the brainchild of Paul Tuplin who has been involved within the festival since its inception. A keen lover of all things strange. This year, Paul has been committed to keeping things as such by showcasing the fiery upstarts of Nottingham’s music scene, some of which were playing for the very first time.
As we enter into the venue, the controversial duo, Pleasure Island, are doing their final bits of tuning before going on stage. They look as surprised as we are that they’re on stage given that there aren’t many of us in attendance and were themselves a last minute replacement for Ming City Rockers. However, the Liverpool lads are determined to give us a good set. The raw, back to basics Indie rock style is accompanied by the rattly side effects of playing within a building composed of concrete and metal. Even with earplugs, the rattling interferes quite a lot, which makes you sympathise with the band.
Lead vocalist Sean Ekins provides a few cheeky anecdotes that to some ears may be controversial. He openly dedicates a song to “the sexiest man in Leeds who got done from drug dealing on Christmas Day”. Also questioning “Where have all these chip shops gone?” also songs about Accrington Stanley. This performance was more amusing than captivating.
One chap who was very lively was Mickey Callisto. Mickey, from Sunderland, is dressed in a blue tracksuit looking like the freestyle choreographer of a modern-day Billy Elliot remake. His energy is somewhat misleading: Mickey reveals to us that he has only had 3 hours sleep via a flight from Vienna and a transpennine express train from the North East.
Mickey’s musical style floats from soulful melodies akin to 10cc and Hall & Oates to Mac Demarco/ Declan McKenna bedroom pop and Robbie Williams showmanship post-Take That. Mickey’s songs are all provided from backing tracks from a laptop where he recorded each instrument proving he is a jack of all trades. Then, out of nowhere, Mickey dedicates a song to all the f*****g qu***s, even I gulped at that one. It was definitely my top WTF moment. He did reassure everyone that “Before you all freak out, I’m gay myself”. He saved himself from cancellation there. Maybe he was just playing a game with all of us...
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Marvin’s Revenge followed up with a set fit of a hero’s welcome. The lads, who are on the back off a stint in the Big Apple, were keen to follow-up on their fundraiser at JT Soar where they played a storming set. The local trio keep getting better with every set they do, providing intense riffs that are amplified more by the metal and concrete surroundings.
While it didn’t work out for Pleasure Island, the ringing acoustics added sharpness to their sound. By this point the venue was filling up with more arrivals. We were heading into the evening after all. Marvin's have flown the flag for new angsty post punk with Pixies, Dead Kennedys and Sonic Youth cited as major influences. 2025 has panned out very well for them so far and one hopes it is to continue.
Stereopium were here playing their first ever gig. The members, who were an amalgamation from various Notts bands in the past. This dynamic trio sought to prove that first gigs ought not to be frightfully intense affairs. I mean, if you have been in a number of bands previously, who have played numerous gigs, then it should be a walk in the park.
The trio mix up calm psychedelic riffs with warm and cathartic vocals. It is as if Nirvana threw out grunge and came out with a psychedelic album that took everyone by surprise. This attracted much attention as the front was abundant with photographers trying to get a piece of the action. It’s as if the notable Christopher Isherwood metaphor “I am a Camera” was taken literally. Hopefully, this gig will be Stereopium’s new soapbox used for bigger gigs in the future.
Rachel Stamp were a little known band, who over 20 years ago, had a one-hit wonder (sort of) their debut . Having not the faintest idea beforehand, probably due to my age, I thought it was a local solo artist. I mean no offence to the guys, it was my age playing tricks on me and having not looked at the full lineup in detail (oops).
Besides all that, the duo, guitarist Will Crewdson and original vocalist, David Ryder Prangley (keyboardist Shaheena Dax and drummer Robin Guy were not available) played a set with a bewildering strangeness to it. This was made ever so clear with the costumes being spouted on stage. Crewdson in all black and sporting a pompadour like that of cult musician James Chance and Prangley with a wild fedora and silver sequin jacket akin to glam rock meets Midnight Cowboy or Swans frontman Michael Gira.
Nu-Metal isn’t for everyone and some think it should be put back in its early 2000s time capsule. However, you can sense that this is a band who have a cult following in some quarters and this makes them the ideal act for this festival. It defeats the object to put on acts that are universally known amongst the public or who don’t have that cult attraction from some intrigued and hardcore fans.
If that was anything to go by, then having than Hull’s part-time punks, The Paddingtons captured an evening off as Friday’s headliners. The quintet were determined to add a final injection of life into a crowd that had gently started to fill up, despite half of us covered in darkness. The left hand had no light coming through and it became best avoided with cast iron pillars blocking your view in addition to that. Like Rachel Stamp, The Paddington’s have also been going for 20 years and a lot has changed in their image and sound. The Oasis-esque fringes, gazelles and cagoules have gone (they went out of fashion a long time ago in truth) and long grey manes, brash moustaches and beanie hats have replaced them. The upbeat tempo gives us all a last boost and refreshens the jaded minds from front to those on the balcony. An end to an evening of two halves.
Karma Weekender took place at Saltbox on 28th and 29th March 2025.
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