Town Festival: BRITISH BIRDS + very special guests CHINESE GANGSTER ELEMENT +Defender
Schedule
Sat, 11 Oct, 2025 at 08:00 pm
UTC+01:00Location
8 Horton Street, HX1 1PU Halifax, United Kingdom | Halifax, EN
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As part of Town Festival of Music & Words. Full line up at www.thegraystonunity.co.uk.Britsh Birds are performing at The Grayston Unity!
Chorley based British Birds is a musical collaboration with a DIY ethic and nostalgic charm, rubber-banding us back to physical music creation which stretches the listeners ear and snaps them back to a familiar reality. This 4 piece dedicate themselves to the whole package, from the artwork, to screen printing merch, to recording, producing and releasing their own craft.
With a debut album and a 6-track EP under their wings, the prolific band will release their second album in May, with a third album already written and demoed! A combination of jangly catchy hooks, lullaby-like melody and sobering melancholy bring timeless psych-rock with hints of Neutral Milk Hotel, The Vaselines and Ty Segall. The band is made up of frontman Bobby Mambo, Bass and backing vox by Ellie Winstanley, Percussion and Backing vox by Emma Townson, and drums by Mike Ainsley.
Support by Defender
Up next was Defender, an indie group made up the four proudest Yorkshire-men I've ever encountered.
Their sound was undeniably inspired by the likes of the Arctic Monkeys and the 00s indie scene. Lots of dry, witty lyrics, upbeat guitar riffs and pulsing bass lines.
They also did a cover of TLC's 'No Scrubs', which was surprisingly good for a group of white middle-aged Yorkshire blokes.
They were fun to watch and definitely warmed the crowd up for the next act, which is everything you want from a support act.
Chinese Gangster Element needs:
They've never known it and I didn't at the time but me going to see Chinese Gangster Element in 1985 changed the course of my life and I'll forever be grateful..
I had just about finished my college course and had a job offer out of the area and then I saw the Gangsters live. Afterwards they asked me to be their manager, unpaid of course and i decided to scrap the paid job and manage them, if I hadn't of done that I doubt my life in music would not have followed so they mean a lot to me. You've probably never heard of them so let me tell you a bit...
Chinese Gangster Element were a four piece from Halifax (5 eventually), they were kind of out of sync with other stuff at the time and perhaps that's what caught the attention of John Peel. This resulted in them being the only band from Halifax to have a John Peel Radio One session, but not just 1, 3 in total includng a live set from the I.C.A. in London. Record company interest followed but its fair to say the band missed/messed up the interest shown in them by the likes of Rough Trade. By the time i came along the opportunity had probably gone but with the release of a vinyl single that made it into the indie charts at the time they again caught the attention of the national music press, 'McBean Sprouts' was a particular NME live review headline (Fiona McBean being the lead singer). Ultimately though the band came to an end and went their separate ways. Fiona back to her native Nairn, Mick also to Scotland. Andy Greaves continued/continues to be a stalwart of the local scene and Kev his brother still plays drums for The Tragics.
This year is the 40th anniversary of the single release and for only the 2nd time in all the subsequent years they are getting back together for a one off gig, being realistic, probably the last chance to see the Halifax band. They will be the very special guests of British Birds as part of Town Festival on the 11th October.
Members of the band will be having an inconversation at 5pm on the 11th too
+ Defender
Tickets £12 in adv from seetickets/The Grayston
Members £10
OTD £13
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Where is it happening?
8 Horton Street, HX1 1PU Halifax, United Kingdom, 10 Horton Street, Halifax, HX1 1, United KingdomEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
