“It’s like watching Aretha Franklin fronting The Stooges” is the description promoter Stephen Harland gave when describing Californian rockers, The Bellrays – and it fits them to a tee.
Personally, I heard Tina Turner fronting The Dictators, but whichever way you look at it, The Bellrays’ combination of powerful gospel-drenched, soul-styled vocals, courtesy of singer Lisa Kekaula, over guitarist Bob Vennum’s equally powerful proto-punk riffing, is a winning combination.
Having played Middlesbrough on four previous occasions already, I was curious as to what initially drew Steve to the band. Recalling being contacted back in 2016 by booking agent Rupert Orton, who is also responsible for bringing another crowd favourite in The Courettes to Middlesbrough, Steve states: “We thought we would be crazy to turn the opportunity down.” And having gone over so well, he now has a repeat bookings arrangement with the band. So, when a 2022 tour was announced, it seemed inevitable that they would once again find themselves gracing the stage of the Westgarth Social Club, with Saturday 28th October seeing the band return, having last appeared in what feels like a lifetime ago in pre-pandemic January 2020.
In another similarity to The Courettes, The Bellrays are another female-led rock band to have been taken to heart by the ‘Boro faithful.
As is the norm whenever I chat with Steve, the conversation is interesting and philosophical. When discussing the importance of diversity within the music scene, Steve was keen to point out: “Any band that breaks down gender norms and racial boundaries is fine by me.”
Recalling the impact bands like Bad Brains had when they released their debut album, Steve remembers the groundbreaking nature of black musicians venturing into punk territory back then.
Bands like The Bellrays proudly carry that momentum forward, whilst also paying homage to the rock ‘n’ roll traditions set out by the likes of Chuck Berry and Little Richard decades before.
“Blues is the teacher. Punk is the Preacher. It’s all about emotion and energy, experience and raw talent, spirit and intellect. Exciting things happen when these things collide”, is the opening mantra of The Bellrays’ story on their website, and offers a perfect summary of what the band are all about, both on record and on stage.
This promises to be another proper rock ‘n’ roll show in what has been a remarkable year of gigs at the Westgarth so far.
Tickets, priced at £15.00 in advance, are available from seetickets.com.
