It’s in midweek gigs that you find the rarest gems, I think, and that goes double when the gig it at The Fulford Arms.

Review and photos by Graeme Smith

The venue proudly boasts the names, big and small, that have played there with chalk on their walls. I always wonder what will happen when they run out of space.

We had three gems there on Wednesday night, two local, and one touring. York’s Messy Eater kicked things off with songs from their upcoming EP, Southern Fried. Regular readers will know the name from our extensive coverage of the act, who deploys Gorillaz-like illustration to enhance their aesthetic. The live version included plenty of cardboard cut outs of Pete Bott’s drawn characters.

Speaking of Gorillaz, the guys dropped a cover of their Feel Good Inc. which warmed things up nicely.

Prize for the most eclectic looking line-up of the night went to Ceejay. The bassist wore a Henge t-shirt. There was a guy with a trombone. Ceejay wore a kilt and fur jacket and (presumably) nothing else. What was I going to hear?

Well, it was a mix of things, fitting to their ‘misfits’ label. We had folk, soul, reggae and more during an indefinable set. There were lyrics about connection, sticking it to the man, and being ‘neurospicy.’ Ceejay has a magnetic stage presence, and the overall performance was a lot of fun. They’d go down well at a festival.

The visiting High Points are on tour at the moment, self-funded through busking which also proves a clever advert for the show to passers-by. They’re making the model work and certainly seemed to have gained a following based on some of the enthusiasm in the crowd. Latitude Festival was a recent gig.

Their sound is soft rock, with hints of psychedelia and soul. It’s mesmerising really, and they’re not afraid to do things differently. An as yet unheard song was sung exclusively in French. Yet, as the set was coming to its close, we got covers. Chic’s Le Freq was a crowd-pleaser, perhaps some had recently seen Nile Rodgers perform it at The Museum Gardens.

All in all, it was an advert for coming to the show, even if it’s in the middle of the week.

Messy Eater, Ceejay, and The High Points played at Fulford Arms, York on Wednesday 6 August 2025.