Confyde / Mist Rolling Inn / Nottingham
We headed into Nottingham and up Derby Road to the Mist Rolling Inn, a small, inconspicuous bar nestled amongst the shops. Walking down the side alley and in, then down the stairs to the basement, we enter an intimate music room. As is often the case with small grass roots venues, it may be hidden away and dark, but the care and attention put into shows, and the sound is incredible. Tonight we’re here to see Confyde for their last show of 2025.
A packed bill starts with a short set from local guitarist and singer Jimi Strange. The start is delayed as, when he picks up his guitar the high E string snaps. A new pack of strings brings much hilarity when he finds it has only five strings, and bizarrely the missing one is the high E ! Martin Jackson to the rescue, a new string is found and we enjoy a vocals only rendition of an Irish folk tune as Jimi quickly strings the guitar and tunes it ready.
And what a fantastic start to the night. Jimi is an accomplished musician with a great voice, and he chats at ease with the crowd through the set. The songs are folk inspired, and reflect on life experiences (such as Bluefrom his time working on ships and Mistake his troubles with one night stands), politics with the excellent Beeshow the bees make the honey for free, but then it’s sold for profit.
His short and thoroughly entertaining set ends with the crowd clamouring for more, so he crams in a quick rendition of Dopamine a wonderful, erratic and quirky track, as the subject would make you think !
Fab stuff !
Next up are another local outfit in the Silkrats who are Jen on Vocals, Adam on Guitar, Jon on Bass and Max on Drums. Silkrats play what they describe as luxury rock and are packed with energy. Getting in the festive spirit Jon is in his Guinness sweater, a move he soon regrets as the temperature rises through the set lol.
The set opens with Hellapalooza an absolute balls to the wall, fast and furious rocker, with some great riffs from Adam, while Jen struts the stage delivering some great powerful vocals.
I was really impressed with Silkrat, full of confidence and power, and a wide range of sounds. Perhaps track of the set was their most recent single Stronger Now, which shifts and changes throughout, giving prominence to Jen’s vocals, which alternate between soft and delicate and raw rock power. The track itself blends moments of almost prog-like sensibility with outright raw energy. It swoops and crashes like waves on the rocks. Brilliant stuff.
Setlist
Hellapalooza
Big D
Great Unknown
Mmmmmmm
Stronger Now
Ninja
Future is Now Old Man
Violet
Up next were Stained Glass, who had travelled down from Barnsley just for this, and what a journey that had. Traffic jams on the M1, then diverted over to the A1 to suffer the same, it impacted on their time to set up and get ready, and ultimately led to a reduced set.
However despite the obstacles placed in their path, Stained Glass were a real find ! The Yorkshire heavy alternative rock / shoegaze artists put on a hell of a performance. A dark minimalist set, bathed in The Matrix-like green light, with some white lights creating a strobe effect behind the drummer, the visuals were dark and menacing to match the sound, which is a grungy mix of shoegaze, heavy metal and hardcore Somehow, they manage to be both simultaneously raw and powerful, and yet emotional and dare I say it…. Even catchy. Josh on vocals and guitar gives the tracks that dark hard edge whilst Mollie on synth and vocals adds a layer of delicate balance.
The band’s energy is next level and stays that way throughout, with drummer James, guitarist Hari and Henry on bass creating a rock solid wall of sound behind Josh and Mollie.
They end the set early with a great version of the B-52’s classic Rock Lobster unlike any version you’ll have heard before, giving it a dark hardcore edge.
Setlist
Water
Tongue
YPS 1
Mirror
So That’s Perfect
Church
Shot in France
Rock Lobster
It’s been an incredible night already, but now it’s time for Confyde, the rock project led by Martin Jackson who has developed a rock style that defies being classed as any one genre. Taking and mixing influences from a wide range, Martin skilfully blends them together into something truly unique.
The set was a fantastic collection of already popular hits such as Unashamed and Don’t Lie Awake and an unexpected, and delightful cover of B*Witched’s hit C’est La Vie which sounds unusual and out of place but because it’s so brilliantly executed in Martin’s unique style. Once Broken also went down a real storm too.
The energy in the room was at max with folk dancing, headbanging and singing along throughout the set, as they fed off the band’s energy from the stage.
For me though the highlights of the set were two tracks.
First up, in the middle of the set we get A Coward’s Stitches, a song we reviewed some time ago on the site. It’s complex to play, a real Opeth opus of a track, twisting and turning, it’s erratic and hit like a wrecking ball. Atop the complex music sits Martin’s vocals, which like the song itself, twitch and change, changing from soft and delicate to heavy and chaotic.
Then there’s Once Broken and here the pace slows right down and is an oasis of calm in the heart of the set. The guitars here are fantastic, and have a real fuzzy grunge edge to them, and a real rock elements in there too, like some kind of classic story telling prog rock.
A brilliant set, and special mention has to go to Martin himself, who self-promoted the show, booking the amazing supports and making sure the whole evening ran smoothly, from selling tickets on the door, to making sure sets ran on time.
A fantastic night, showcasing four fantastic bands and showing us exactly what grassroots music is all about.
Setlist
Anti-Human
Cancel Freedom (Featuring Jimi Strange on vocals)
Unashamed (Featuring Jimi Strange on guitar)
A Coward's Stitches
Once Broken
Don't Lie Awake
C’est la vie (B*Witched cover)
Superpowers
Scalper
