Avalanche Party

Artist - Winter Gardens, Highdrive and Avalanche Party

Venue - Wedgewood Rooms

Town - Portsmouth UK

12th March 2025

 With Portsmouth playing at home it was a bit of a struggle getting to Southsea and the Wedgewood Rooms but no harm done as was just in time to take position for Winter Gardens to start their set. On lead vocal was Jasmine Ardley who with her striking other worldly presence sang the ethereal songs beautifully. With Guitar, synth pads and sweeps blending with the drums there was a shoegaze dreampop mix that drifted along interspersed with occasional louder bursts of guitar. As common with this genre, to pick out the lyrics can test your listening capabilities, that said I will take to the web to try out their music fully.

Winter Gardens

Winter Gardens

 Highdrive who were next up played a new song towards the end of their set which was for me the stand out song, it had the “drive” plus hit you in the stomach with a full on sonic punch. Not to say the rest of the set was lacking, all delivered with clarity and volume control plus a growing confidence as they played.

Highdrive

Highdrive

 Headliners were Avalanche Party a group who have recently unleashed a banging album Der Traum Uber Alles and were there to demonstrate these new songs in their energetic robust manner. All the band members have their individual characters which as the show proceeded you got a feeling of them as personalities, this really helped you buy into this band. For those of us who hadn’t seen them before they completely won the room over.

 Avalanche Party

Their music ebbs sonically between serene to a tank busting wall of sound played superbly on the night, though loud at times the control was evident… these guys know how to play together and an undercurrent of edgy attitude fits into the whole package.

 Avalanche Party

With Jordan Bell, Avalanche Party have a perfect frontman, sincerely believing every word he sings and a belief in the band around him, this came across in spades.

Avalanche Party