Whittles Rock Pub Battle of the Bands FINAL!

This gig is one of the highlights of the bands career so far; they had up to now battled their way through two rounds and had found themselves in the final of the 2012 Whittles Rock Pub Battle of the Bands. The first heat the band sat on a table in the corner of the pub eyeing up other bands discussing how they thought they were all better musicians, I also recall some members of the band saying, “If we go out tonight at least it’s a venue we can say we have gigged”. Shock horror surprise, they went through.

Round two I heard the same, “If we go out tonight at least we’ve come this far”. Surprise horror shock they went through.

THE FINAL, Purge played to a great turn out from their fans, and to a pretty packed pub with six band and all their fans cramming into the building on the night. This may just be me being biased but I think that they absolutely brought the house down, Bob’s on stage presence ripe with the crowd hanging on his every hip movement and every roll of an R. Haiden smashing every solo he was faultless in his technical ability that night, Danny didn’t stop smiling all the way through the gig and Josh headbanging like there was no tomorrow. What a truly electrifying gig.

For me it was only ever going to be between two bands, Purge and a great band named thirteen stars, and this was the exact perfect result Thirteen stars second and Purge in first place the place erupted. 

Check out the video below for the full title winning gig.

St Gregory's Bolton (Naaahhh Phoenix Club is better)

The gig at St Gregory’s Club in Bolton (I prefer The Phoenix Club where the hit Peter Kay series Phoenix nights was filmed) was one of my favourite gigs to attend, this was partly because I was hammered but mainly it was because when Purge got up onto the stage in a packed room, they were not nervous or shy but they were the life and soul of the room. 

Bunch of puddins
Picture by TOMOGRAPHY.

 This was one of the gigs you could look at them and they would all be having immense fun on the stage. This is also one of the first gigs the Purge hip sway was put in to motion if I remember correctly, all the fans gyrate their hips in unison with the band to a riff in a certain song called Song for George (a Purge classic). It makes for a right laugh at every gig. This was also the first time I heard their most successful song in my opinion up to date, Machette.

Go on Joshy La
Picture TOMOGRAPHY

Smiller
Picture TOMOGRAPHY

Picture TOMOGRAPHY

Gulliver's Manchester (Bob's Jekyll & Hyde moment)

Bob nearly collapsed on stage

The gig at Gulliver’s Manchester was one of the first gigs I went to after establishing myself as a follower of the band, this was the gig I discovered the mad front man which was coming out in Mr Bob Hunter. The band played a half hour set to a fairly average audience but this was for me when Bob Hunter started moulding his on stage persona he has today. He was swaying his hips and rolling his r’s at the end of lyrics. This is something Purge fans have come to know and love about the way Bob performs, and so they should as it’s a really unique stage presence. He had to even have a break as he was literally playing himself into a state when he near enough collapsed on the stage.

Haiden McHale (lead guitar)

Break over the band came back and all put on a blistering show the crowd enjoyed as did the band themselves, fusing funky riffs with grunge to do what they do best. Make shit hot music, what a great night they made of an average crowd.

Josh warming up in green room.

Bob looking like a cool bastard and Danny going for it in the background.

My Personal Gig

Unfortunately the first Purge gig that I ever went to I didn’t document that well or remember that much of, due to being completely off my face blind drunk (ahh well,). What I did remember though as I woke up for work the next morning with a thumping headache and a mouth as dry as the Sahara was one riff, all the way through work that day I couldn’t stop humming it. For the life of me I couldn’t remember the lyrics or the title.

Danny Boy

A week later I was invited to sit in on one of their practice sessions at a pub named The Hare and Hounds (Purge’s home), so in more ways than one this was my first real Purge gig. It consisted of a room with three lads I’d known barely a week and one of my mates Haiden (lead guitar, he’s the one who invited me), three guitars with their amps, a drum set, two microphones and me trying not to act like a giddy little teenager in the corner.

 Watching the four of them play facing each other in this dark and dingy pub cellar there was a real sense of fun not only in the relationship they have together but in the songs they were practicing. I recently read a review on their songs which states you don’t know where they are going and they always keep you guessing and this really sums up my own personal initial opinion of the songs.. There was also a relaxed feeling to the “gig” which allowed the four of them to mess around with the music as they wouldn’t have been able to do on a stage. I loved every minute of it!

Haiden (left) and Bob

      

Bob (left) and Josh

By the way the riff I couldn't get out of my head belonged to a song called Club Diarama, click the link at the bottom of this post and find it, wait for it to kick in and you'll see what I mean.

https://www.facebook.com/Purgeband/app_178091127385

Intro to the Band!

Right then this is my first time as a blogger so let us hope I don’t bore you to death. I will be trying to get you interested in gig going experiences, the experiences of one band in particular named PURGE! They are a four piece band made up of Bob Hunter (lead vocals and accompany guitar), Haiden Mchale (lead guitar), Josh Wirth (bass guitar and backing vocals) and last but not least Danny Smith (yeah the drums well done you guessed correct). They hail from the greater Manchester region and will split your ear drums with some lovely funk grunge rock.  They’ve been going for around about nearly two years now (if I’m not mistaken). Their achievements up to date are as follows, winners of the Whittles Rock Pub Battle of the bands 2012, Runners up of the Hard Rock Cafe Manchester Battle of the Bands 2013 (was either second or third place the buggers wouldn’t tell us) and are currently competing in the Castle rock Studios Battle of the Bands 2013 having secured a semi final position. They have played venues across Greater Manchester such as Manchester Club Academy, Ruby Lounge Manchester, Factory Manchester and Blind Tiger Bolton; they have also secured a spot in Mockfest a festival hosted by Real XS radio station. I am an avid gig goer for this band and have witnessed some truly amazing nights and performances. In the following posts I will be taking you through the gigs these guys have had and hopefully you might even come along to one after reading this blog (miracle). Everybody meet Purge.

From left to right: Haiden, Danny, Bob and Joshy Lad.