This weekend sees the return of one of York’s noisiest festivals – One For The Road. Taking place over two days at The Fulford Arms it’s not only a showcase of rock talent from York and beyond but also a chance to give a little back to the community through food bank donations. We headed down for the first night of the action.

Review and Photos by Graeme Smith

The night marked the occasion for the first ever gig of a new York band, Texas Forever, who smashed their way through a fifteen-minute set. Though technically new, the lineup featured some very familiar faces in the York rock scene including the ever present Johnny Gill. Though confessing to having only a few rehearsals, it wasn’t evident in their performance which was largely punk but at times straying into emo. One wonders how their sound will develop over time.

Things took a quieter turn with an acoustic set from Jake Jellyfish, who was quick to point out that he was not a children’s TV presenter, despite his name. His music was a display of emotional songwriting, delivered with a gravely, pleading voice. His finished with an audience singalong, abandoning the stage and getting among the crowd.

Up next were Misfortune Cookie, a pop-punk four-piece with country-tinged vocals and emo sensibilities. Genre-wise they were difficult to pin down but it didn’t really matter as what they delivered was so enjoyable. Their track Callambus was an emo highlight.

Sing Ramona Sing are a band probably best known as a duo but for their Friday night performance they had doubled the size of their lineup, adding bass and drums. It gave their folky-rock a bigger sound as they rattled through some fan favourites, including Cut Off My Head, before closing their set with a new song Sally’s Lament.

And before we knew it, it was time for the last act of the night. Hailing from Plymouth, Crazy Arm have been on the British rock scene since 2005. In that time they’ve honed their folk-punk style to perfection.

They sure knew how the work The Fulford Arms crowd, who got livelier and livelier during their set, bouncing, moshing and singing along. Starting with something of a stadium rock sound, with posturing aplenty, they moved slowly towards a folksier sound, leading rebellious chants with the large portion of the crowd who had clearly come to see them. It takes something to build this kind of fan loyalty, and Crazy Arm have it in spades.

A great start to One For The Road Festival. It continues today down at The Fulford Arms. Head down and don’t miss out!

Texas Forever, Jake Jellyfish, Misfortune Cookie, Sing Ramona Sing and Crazy Arms played The Fulford Arms on Friday 18 October 2019.