A New Twist on The Twist

And so it was finally upon us, the weekend of the reopening of The Twist on Military Road. This much missed local music venue is now in the hands of new owners who have invested a lot of money to turn it into a live music destination that can compete with the likes of The Bull on Crouch Street, which has become a mecca for local music lovers, The Judge and Jury a stone’s throw away at St Botolph’s Circus, and of course the Arts Centre. Is there room in Colchester for all these venues? I certainly hope so. More venues means more opportunities for local bands to get gigs, and a bit of competition between the venues to get people away from their TVs and through their doors can only be a good thing for the local music scene.

Friday night saw The Twist’s launch weekend kick off with their own ‘Twist Club Night’ featuring a number of DJ sets, but my mission was to go along on Monday for the second part of the celebration, the ‘Band Night’ featuring Tallowah, The Gulls, Animal Noise and New Town Kings, with Colchester’s very own Mr Cool, Ben Howard, DJing before, between and after the bands.

We arrived just in time to catch Animal Noise’s set. Now, I know I’d seen them just a week before at the Wivenhoe May Fair, but this is one of my favourite local bands and I’ll take any opportunity to see Colchester trio Josh, Jack and Birdy belt out a set of their distinctive bruised, battered and beaten acoustic dance tunes. By the time we arrived the place was already packed, but even though there was a big crowd at the bar it didn’t take too long to get our drinks then find ourselves a spot to stand.

My first ever visit to The Twist was some years ago to see Colchester punk band Special Duties who had recently reformed, and standing in the venue on Monday night I guestimated that even though the place had been completely remodelled since then and the bar moved from the centre of the room to the corner, I was standing almost exactly where I had stood all those years ago. Goodtimes.

Animal Noise took to the stage and immediately it went off, with the band’s loyal followers, and new fans alike, giving it all they’d got. This is a band who look like they are going places, and who only the other week were one of three bands handpicked by Radio One’s Huw Stephens for his weekly podcast. And it’s not surprising why they are getting so much attention, with Josh’s guitar licks and soulful vocals, the imposing figure of Birdy playing the bass for all he is worth, and Jack’s incessant drumming combining to make their music oh so irresistible, and hard for even the most non-partisan members of the crowd not to enjoy. There were some technical problems, but in spite of these issues they played an outstanding set to the delight of a very receptive crowd in a venue that was getting hotter and sweatier by the minute. A set that was over way too quick but left me thinking “That was their best gig yet”. But then I think that after all their gigs because they just keep getting better and better.

You can read my Colchester 101 magazine interview with Animal Noise HERE.

Ben Howard

Cometh the hour, cometh the Kings. New Town Kings to be precise.  And one thing is for sure, they are guaranteed to rock the place to its rafters.

Now, the stage at the Twist isn’t exactly small, but with nine members in the band New Town Kings pretty much filled up every available inch of real estate up there as they set about doing what they do best, belting out song after song to the packed venue. They were as tight as ever, and as we have come to expect from New Town Kings it was fun and energetic, with the crowd dancing, and singing along to favourites like Dynamite and News Stand. They are a hard working band, they play a lot of gigs, and it shows. By the bucket load. And what I like so much at their shows is that as well as the amazing atmosphere they create it is clear they are having as much fun as we are. If not more, so it’s little wonder that this ska/reggae band, who are fast becoming local legends, are so in demand by venues and festivals. And long may that continue as they go on to bigger and better things.

You can read my Colchester 101 magazine interview with New Town Kings HERE.

So The Twist came back with a bang, and Colchester’s music lovers are now spoiled for choice. We have so many great bands in the town, and now another great venue to see them in.

I run Media48, a Colchester based graphic and website design and marketing agency where we know a thing or two about how to market a business. If you would like to find out more about what we can do for your business then give us a call on 0800 756 1470 (we even pay for the call) or email me simon@media48.co.uk