Rolling on from the Saturday portion of the second annual JT Soar Fest at Nottingham’s Old Cold Store (read about that here), was Sunday’s offering of continued post punk and garage rock music.

While a shorter day than Saturday, with a later start and Crumbs unfortunately having to drop out, the fest continued to impress regardless. Let’s get into the recap!

Science Fiction

Kicking day two off was Science Fiction, a new amalgamation of former members of local acts Wolves of Greece and Grey Hairs (much love to the fest’s lovely programme, which shares this info).

While seemingly nervous to start with (understandably, given it was their first show in this form), the lead singer and co delivered a great progressive-ish noise rock set with whacky, zany energy.

Amidst positively knocking over the mic stand, the five-piece’s contemplative style impressed the Cold Store faithful in attendance.

Buffet Lunch

Next up was another five-piece in Buffet Lunch from Edinburgh- by this, I don’t mean the band performed in a bowl of coleslaw, though that would have been another kind of entertaining.

Living up to their name musically though, much of their repertoire explored food-facing imagery among other humorous tales.

Blending psychedelic-inspired guitar sounds with synthy melody, the fun Buffet Lunch had on stage was truly infectious.

APAtT

Ooooh, now this lot were very striking in musical presentation, even amongst the eclectic mix of bands at this festival.

APATT from Liverpool, complete with all sorts of woodwind instruments (hell yeah), combined electronic elements, and vocals ranging from the chantable to the near-operatic.

While among the most talented acts on the bill over the weekend, the progressive, jazzy art rockers (they’re branded as “avant-garde” on Wikipedia, but that’s what people say when they avant-garde a clue 🙄) didn’t take themselves too seriously, and made the best of the occasional technical difficulty.

The Yummy Fur

Now to discuss The Yummy Fur, a band I was fascinated to learn (given they sounded like them on first impression) had connections to hit makers Franz Ferdinand – three founding members of Franz, including their lead singer Alex Kapranos, performed with the group in the past.

The indie rock prowess of the Glasgow-orginated group stood strong in its own right nonetheless, while also not taking themselves too seriously.

Complete with lovely backing vocals from the drummer, the band brought catchy choruses and rhythmic guitar work.

100 Flowers

The penultimate act on the bill on this night, 100 Flowers came all the way from the Los Angeles, CA area, and are the post punk iteration of the more stripped down punk band Urinals.

Incorporating pop, psychedelic and funk influences, the three-piece group plugged well into material dating back to the early 80s.

Melodic vocals, that on the day reminded me of the Violent Femmes’s Gordon Gano, were combined with jabbing, surfy guitar sounds.

HOUSE OF ALL

Holy shit, there were TWO DRUMMERS in this headlining band!

HOUSE OF ALL’s lineup brought together various iterations of post-punk legends The Fall, and satisfied anticipation built up among many of those at the Old Cold Store throughout the weekend.

These Manchester maestros combined light, groovy riffs with vocally commanding, yet melancholic prose. Vibing inwardly with a backdrop of diverse beats, this proved a truly sterling closing set for the fest.

Closing Remarks

I went into the second JT Soar Fest with an open, intrigued mind with little familiarity regarding the bands billed.

From that weekend however, a new-found, deep appreciation for what post-punk music has been about for the past 50-odd years emerged, and shall remain going forward.

If you are somewhere in the Midlands, and enjoy pub all-dayers with a consistent DIY spirit, I would highly recommend this festival in Notts – hopefully assuming it sees a third edition later in 2026!

Big thanks to Phil Booth and the JT Soar team for their awesome work and hospitality – I’ll be sure to visit the smaller venue, from which the event takes its name, soon.

Of course, cheers to you for reading, and watching the footage comp, as well! Up the Posh, and up the Punx 🤘