LIVE REVIEW: Fury / Bastette / Pulverise at The Ferret, Preston. 18th April 2024

The spot for tonight’s rock n roll extravaganza is The Ferret in Preston, an enjoyable venue with a good atmosphere and nice staff. It does help when the people running the show seem to enjoy the night and music as much as the punters. The evening kicks off or should I say bounces off with Pulverise. Their blend Of Hip Hop, Hard Core, New Metal, Rap, and Rock feels appropriate on a Friday night. Jojo’s vocal and performance is sharp and entertaining. She skips around the stage with abandon and glee, a feeling that becomes infectious as the crowd begin to sway to the music in front of them. Daz on bass knows his way around a fret board and is not shy to add a death metal growl as backing to his compadre’s singing. Guitars crunch along with Hard Core intent and sit well with the rapping. Vicky Buttfairy sings along to all the words although not mic-ed up. She does have a song called Bitchin dedicated to her though. The Leeds foursome throw in a cover of Cypress Hill and The Ferret goes insane in the membrane. 

A mainly metal crowd has already watched a band that may not have been on their radar before, and things are not about to change, even though the style of music certainly has. Bastette expertly perform their style of soft rock with a hint of Pretenders in it. Carline Kenyon’s vocals, in my opinion back up this comparison. Alongside her silky voice, her sultry dancing and attitude keeps all eyes on Kenyon. The band are no slouches though, with the occasional guitar solo adding to the overall effect. Another band who may not have been on the playlist of many, but this Pop Rock blend with 80’s panache hits the mark this Friday evening. There was every chance both support bands could have been staring out into a sea of indifference this evening, but no. People stayed put, people enjoyed. 

“Preston! Do you want some rock n roll” roars Julian Jenkins as Fury fly into If you Get to Hell First from their recent album Born to Sin. His amazing voice pierces the strobing smoke-filled atmosphere, and The Ferret is rocking! This Rock and Roll Metal band have no weak links Jenkins has amazing vocal and guitar skills, and he is joined on co-lead vocals by signer Nyah Ifill who adds her incredible voice with flair and dancing skills. Drummer Tom Fenn is a powerful machine who can blast with power and expertise.

The relatively recent addition of guitar prodigy Tom Atkinson [Vice] is a perfect fit, he is a guitar God in the making. With the now world-famous bassist Becky Baldwin proving what an asset she is, one realises that there is a lot of talent on this stage this evening and every member makes use of it. Fury race through songs both old and new; all of them go down well, Jenkins takes a solo moment to grace Preston with a folky mystical tale of love, with band members sitting out the early section of the song, only to join further in. 

The infectious smiles of the band are not the only reason the crowd is beaming. It’s the music, it’s the atmosphere. All band members have stage craft, and musical chemistry. Add this to the good sound, and solid venue, a decent night was guaranteed.

Review and photos by Neil 'Thrashtash' Bolton