Live Review: St. Buryan – Think Tank?, Newcastle 27/04/2019

There is a reason why the North East is one of the fastest growing music scenes, not only is it the camaraderie amongst the acts but it is also the quality of the music being released. Both were shown in abundance as St. Buryan and friends turned up at Think Tank? for their biggest headline show to date.

As staples of the scene for some time, it was only fitting that St. Buryan would get the opportunity to showcase their hard work of the last few years in front of nothing short of 250 people.  But before the Tyne-Wear outfit could take to the stage, we had the opportunity to sample some more brilliant North East acts.

First up was Kahuna, personally an unknown entity, but walking into Think Tank? to the sound of trumpets already had me intrigued. What followed was an electric performance met warmly by the growing audience, leaving myself and the rest in Think Tank? electrified for what was to follow.

That was Club Paradise, a group who I've championed for some time, and once again it was a privilege to see their live show. With every passing gig, they grow more and more in confidence, with Ryan Young shaping up to be quite the frontman along with bandmates Jackson Vert, Nathan Hogg, and Harry Webb.

It’s rare to see a crowd sing back the words to a band that are still very much infancy, but their singles ‘Kirby Keger’, ‘Sugar’, and ‘Brother’ got the loudest cheers of the night, with an excellent rendition of Sum 41’s ‘In Too Deep’ truly making it another set of Club Paradise’s to remember.

It would be hard to believe it could get any better from that point, but as the headline act entered the stage and the lights went down you had the sense that you were about to witness something truly special.

Things started off slow with ‘Hooked’ but St. Buryan continued to take it up the gears with the classic ‘Shout’ and latest release ‘Breathe Deep’. An unexpected collaboration arose slap bang in the middle of their set, as Club Paradise remerged for a rendition of ‘Gives You Hell’. As the set drew to a close, St. Buryan had the capacity crowd in the palm of their hand, with ‘Giving In’ and ‘Everything I said’ rounding off what was a truly special night for North East music.

St. Buryan’s latest single ‘Breathe Deep’ is available now on all major streaming platforms.

Words by Danial Kennedy and Photography by Kristoff Furgala