Post-hardcore, screamo, scene, metalcore... call it what you will, there's a music style coming over from America that in its own quiet manner is claiming a substantial and obvious fanbase over here. At best, it combines the powerful spirit of American hardcore punk and combines it with the technical meedly-meedly flash of metal. At worst, it squeezes the messiah complex of hardcore and the egotism of metal into the aggression shared by both scenes.
I felt slightly out of place among the queue given that I've toned down my 14-year-old sartorial dabblings in emo/scene as I discovered goth, whereas many people were there in their hairsprayed fringes and skintight neon/black ensembles. After slightly too much time in the sun, we flooded into the Underworld, which I'll happily list as one of my top venues on accounts of being small, independent, and above all, nicely air conditioned. Slightly treacherous due to the lack of light, but that's all part of the charm of a reputable metalhead sweatbox, as you'll agree.
The first band up were Lower_Than_Atlantis, a young band that is very much part of this emerging scene, embracing its questionable incorporation of internet-inspired namings. They had some problems with their instrument tunings at first, but were acceptable enough once they got going, provoking a rather impressive circlepit with their chugging guitars and habit of jumping. Musically they were entertaining if unremarkable, but I'll readily say that their drummer was impressive, taking fast-paced hammering and adding a little zing and showmanship. If they find a way of breaking into an individual style, they could be worth keeping an ear out for.
Next were Confide, who are the epitome of scene - a five-piece ensemble of near-total androgyny and technicolour tattoos, most of whom shared vocal duties to some extent. The guitars were chugging like Megadeth on a caffeine rush in between rattling off your typical metal solos to the crowd, and the impassioned screaming about being different provoked more and increasingly violent circlepits. As a sidenote... I'm not a fan of metalcore moshing - it seems to involve a lot of showing off and attention-seeking and very little in the way of respect for others. If you fall on the floor here, it is entirely your own lookout, even if you were pushed over, and a lot of people will insult one another, which is something I haven't really encountered anywhere else. However, that said, there are nice people to be found here and there, and I'm not here to review the crowd. Confide, for all their posturing, noodly guitars and "we really mean it, man" left me unimpressed. I would say it was the use of an ironic basketball shirt, and say that they are in truth talented individuals whom I do not understand, only I have an issue with anyone who decides that their fast-forward drummer isn't quite fast enough and so their breakdown involves a lightspeed drum machine and bewildering techno happenings.
The first two bands left me with a punched ear, a feeling that I may be losing touch with "tha kids" at the ripe old age of 17, and worryingly, a sinking feeling that the gig may continue in this vein.
Eyes Set To Kill are one of the more established bands of "post-hardcore", and are in all honesty an intriguing band. Yes, they have the obligatory drummer than sounds like a cymbal being machine-gunned, as well as the caffeinated Megadeth guitars and a lot of Godzilla vocals. However, they've got a certain flair and individuality incorporated into their sound that may be a byproduct of having been around for a while, but it is enough to hold a crowd together without feeling the need to beat the snot out of one another, and the biggest selling point of Eyes Set To Kill is in fact the vocals. For all intents and purposes they have two vocalists: one does the screaming and the other does clean vocals and guitar. This leads to some interplay and overlap between the two, and this contrast actually works. They played their known songs, including 'Darling' and 'Liar In The Glass', which the crowd ate up, and for their last song the female guitarist/vocalist was left on her own to do a quieter solo number. This proved to be a rewarding moment of beauty, as she has a soulful voice that, while flawed, is able to carry a tune with a passion normally reserved for acoustically-inclined songer/songwriters. This versatility in being able to switch between snarling rage and soulful solo numbers along with some inventive musicianship and a genuinely good stage presence from the two frontpersons left me in a much more optimistic mood.
The headliners, I Am Ghost, occupy a darling space in my heart as they were one of my earliest "favourite bands" as it were. At the time they incorporated a violin, choral chants, duelling guitars, screaming, male and female vocals and generally played all the bells and whistles set to broodingly teenage and poetic lyrics about death and vampires, somewhere between Byron's little-known emo phase and Bach's lesser-known metalhead years. However this lineup rutured and they rearranged themselves as a much purer blood and thunder metallic band with a tendency to dress like vampires, leaving aforementioned bells and whistles behind for a sound that is like a classically-rooted cross between a more intellectual Aiden and a louder modern AFI, with rumbling ominous bass and angry, angry guitars. And many cymbals.
However, as much as they have indeed put out some gubbins in their time, they are able to form a huge rapport with their audience, putting on one hell of a show while making sure that people feel they are played to rather than at - the guitarists and bassists throwing shapes and grinning/glowering at the crowd like their lives depended on it while their frontman Steve Juliano thoroughly engaged with the front row to the point of practically being a part of it, allowing people to sing into the mic, holding hands and hair of those he could reach and generally making sure those near enough felt as though they were part of the show. It has to be said... Juliano is not in possession of the world's most tuneful voice, but what he lacks in range he makes up for in ability to utilise the notes he can hit, and an impressive capacity for screaming.
The rest of the band are equally good at their chosen tasks, with Chad and Timmy the guitarists duelling and harmonising with equal skill, and Ronnie doing his usual trick of spinning while rattling off heavy bass, and Justin drumming a sturdy backbone into the affair.
The set was one that was built to please fans from across the eras, including the unhinged hardcore-influenced 'Eulogies And Epitaphs', the poetic singalong 'We Are Always Searching', 'Dark Carnival Of The Immaculate' - a personal favourite of mine with an atmosphere think enough to suffocate a lesser human, and the arguable juvenile yet hard-rocking and intense 'Smile Of A Jesus Freak'. The biggest surprise of the setlist was the inclusion of 'This Is Home', their only "true" love song that lifted many members of the crowd into a state of euphoria.
Throughout their set, crowdsurfers and stage-divers were coming in thick and fast, often pounced upon by a bandmember before being thrown back into the periodically seething moshpit. This reached its inevitable climax in the final song, where the crowd flooded the stage, your intrepid reviewer included, and the band, valiantly playing on after having redeemed the evening, were lost in a sea of moshing fans.
If you ask me, the bill was a little mismatched, but one and a half years on I Am Ghost still have the ability to deliver a blinder regardless.
So. This new scene of ours. It thinks it is big and it thinks it is clever... and for all its embarrassing features, if it springs more live bands like I Am Ghost, it may just have a point.
21/05/2010
17/05/2010
Gig: Voices Of Masada 15/5/10
And so somehow in the course of a day I had managed to rehearse Sartre and follow fashionistas around Brick Lane costume shopping for a pencil skirt, and now found myself in the Electrowerkz/Slimelight, a venue that is almost like Fight Club in that if you don't know about it, chances are you really don't know about it.
I'm perching on a cushioned seat, looking warily around this room and for the first time in a long time I am the least gothic person in the building, which is about right. The whole place is done up very... goth, with lighting fixtures that look like a razorblade, a candelabra and a fluorescent tube had an orgy, mirrored walls and a crazy green scribble projection, and the DJ is playing a mix of Gene Loves Jezebel and Specimen. Oh, and there is an unclaimed half-pint of milk sitting on a ledge.
The bands in question were as follows: Nightporter, The Mumbles, Luxury Stranger and Voices Of Masada. I was, for all intents and purposes there to see The Mumbles, although I'd done my research on the other bands playing too. This was Voices Of Masada's last ever UK show.
First band up was Nightporter, who had supplied their own lights, and had enough effects pedals to outfit any self-respecting shoegaze band, leading to a guitar sound that was... well, it was in many different ways. Musically, they're not exactly my do as it does get goth-by-numbers, however they were having fun up there and what audience there was that had shown up for the opening act were dancing away. I suppose that if you imagine Fields Of The Nephilim via Specimen (or vice versa) you've got a half-decent idea. The main gripe here was the sheer amount of technical problems: the backing track was producing evil levels of humming and feedback and more than once they got the songs mixed up. Also, the guitar wasn't working for a while. However, they soldiered on nonetheless and played their set with any shame and self-consciousness left firmly under lock and key at home, so I'll tip my hat where it is due: good on ya, brave men, long may you continue having fun and making people dance.
Second were The Mumbles, and I will admit to probably having a rather biased opinion on them (lovely, lovely people, very good music) so I'll try to remain objective as I can. I suppose that if I was to try and describe their sound in a nutshell, they took the song '1959' by The Sisters Of Mercy in the sense of utilising keyboards/piano-driven melody and deep vocals and made a band out of it. In the process they've carved some interesting and individual facets into that sound. Their stage presence is a little out of the ordinary given that they are two guys and their iPod, but they make the most out of this, and can hold an audience well enough with an understated power in their music and a sense of confidence and unity. Their more minimal sound (keyboard, vocals and backing track) was also a lot easier on the venue's rather beleaguered PA system and so the sound was clearer for their set than most of the others. They're still a young band, but they show promise in their rather unique take on goth music and assured stage presence.
Third were Luxury Stranger, who were the only band of the evening to have a drummer, and so didn't have backing tracks, which made the boozed-up rocker that lives in my head happy as he/she wasn't too keen on the people always fiddling with their gadgetry before each song. The rest of me then promptly smacked him/her over the back of the head and told them to sit quietly in an out-of-the-way synapse.
Anyway, the band... another X via Y combination would have me place them as 'Faith'-era Cure via Motörhead. I have not seen such guitar shapes thrown by goths outside of a 69 Eyes gig, and this is quite a different school of goth. Recorded, their songs are actually very good - I'd enjoyed them and put them as firm second favourites as I have a strong weakness for gothic post-punk type sounds. However someone had decided that the venue's sound system could handle going up to 11 and so their set was drenched in NOISE OF THE HIGHEST ORDER, which fair do's, I would not normally complain about, but it seemed out of place and in such a small room proved to be an uncomfortable volume. The band themselves played on, seemingly oblivious to this. Shame, really, as they seemed like kind of band that if at audible levels could prove good.
As a result, I watched Voices Of Masada's set from a bit further back to give my ears a chance to recuperate without losing out on the show. Unfortunately my being short meant I couldn't see sometimes. As for sound, Voices Of Masada could be closely compared to Rosetta Stone. Their set was very much a bidding farewell to their crowd, with smiles and that little extra bit of show thrown in for good measure. Their cover of 'Cuts You Up' was a poignant moment, and there were some islands of people in their own emotional worlds among the crowd of dancers. 'Shine', their closing song, was majestic in its own low-key manner, and the music and atmosphere meant that its position as the band's favourite was well-deserved, as the set closed with a lift that comes when a song is loved by both band and audience. And as their music presence fades into the goth music afterlife of dry ice and eyeliner, I am left feeling that even if a massive resurgence isn't happening, the goth scene is far from dead.
I'm perching on a cushioned seat, looking warily around this room and for the first time in a long time I am the least gothic person in the building, which is about right. The whole place is done up very... goth, with lighting fixtures that look like a razorblade, a candelabra and a fluorescent tube had an orgy, mirrored walls and a crazy green scribble projection, and the DJ is playing a mix of Gene Loves Jezebel and Specimen. Oh, and there is an unclaimed half-pint of milk sitting on a ledge.
The bands in question were as follows: Nightporter, The Mumbles, Luxury Stranger and Voices Of Masada. I was, for all intents and purposes there to see The Mumbles, although I'd done my research on the other bands playing too. This was Voices Of Masada's last ever UK show.
First band up was Nightporter, who had supplied their own lights, and had enough effects pedals to outfit any self-respecting shoegaze band, leading to a guitar sound that was... well, it was in many different ways. Musically, they're not exactly my do as it does get goth-by-numbers, however they were having fun up there and what audience there was that had shown up for the opening act were dancing away. I suppose that if you imagine Fields Of The Nephilim via Specimen (or vice versa) you've got a half-decent idea. The main gripe here was the sheer amount of technical problems: the backing track was producing evil levels of humming and feedback and more than once they got the songs mixed up. Also, the guitar wasn't working for a while. However, they soldiered on nonetheless and played their set with any shame and self-consciousness left firmly under lock and key at home, so I'll tip my hat where it is due: good on ya, brave men, long may you continue having fun and making people dance.
Second were The Mumbles, and I will admit to probably having a rather biased opinion on them (lovely, lovely people, very good music) so I'll try to remain objective as I can. I suppose that if I was to try and describe their sound in a nutshell, they took the song '1959' by The Sisters Of Mercy in the sense of utilising keyboards/piano-driven melody and deep vocals and made a band out of it. In the process they've carved some interesting and individual facets into that sound. Their stage presence is a little out of the ordinary given that they are two guys and their iPod, but they make the most out of this, and can hold an audience well enough with an understated power in their music and a sense of confidence and unity. Their more minimal sound (keyboard, vocals and backing track) was also a lot easier on the venue's rather beleaguered PA system and so the sound was clearer for their set than most of the others. They're still a young band, but they show promise in their rather unique take on goth music and assured stage presence.
Third were Luxury Stranger, who were the only band of the evening to have a drummer, and so didn't have backing tracks, which made the boozed-up rocker that lives in my head happy as he/she wasn't too keen on the people always fiddling with their gadgetry before each song. The rest of me then promptly smacked him/her over the back of the head and told them to sit quietly in an out-of-the-way synapse.
Anyway, the band... another X via Y combination would have me place them as 'Faith'-era Cure via Motörhead. I have not seen such guitar shapes thrown by goths outside of a 69 Eyes gig, and this is quite a different school of goth. Recorded, their songs are actually very good - I'd enjoyed them and put them as firm second favourites as I have a strong weakness for gothic post-punk type sounds. However someone had decided that the venue's sound system could handle going up to 11 and so their set was drenched in NOISE OF THE HIGHEST ORDER, which fair do's, I would not normally complain about, but it seemed out of place and in such a small room proved to be an uncomfortable volume. The band themselves played on, seemingly oblivious to this. Shame, really, as they seemed like kind of band that if at audible levels could prove good.
As a result, I watched Voices Of Masada's set from a bit further back to give my ears a chance to recuperate without losing out on the show. Unfortunately my being short meant I couldn't see sometimes. As for sound, Voices Of Masada could be closely compared to Rosetta Stone. Their set was very much a bidding farewell to their crowd, with smiles and that little extra bit of show thrown in for good measure. Their cover of 'Cuts You Up' was a poignant moment, and there were some islands of people in their own emotional worlds among the crowd of dancers. 'Shine', their closing song, was majestic in its own low-key manner, and the music and atmosphere meant that its position as the band's favourite was well-deserved, as the set closed with a lift that comes when a song is loved by both band and audience. And as their music presence fades into the goth music afterlife of dry ice and eyeliner, I am left feeling that even if a massive resurgence isn't happening, the goth scene is far from dead.
12/05/2010
Review: Black Sugar Transmission
So I'm sure most people who have encountered me are aware of my love for Acey Slade in his various musical incarnations and projects, and if you're in most rock/alternative music circles you'll probably have heard of him anyway. Anyway, moving on... via his latest project, I got introduced to an intriguing guitarist by the name of Andee Blacksugar. His approach to music struck me as being an neat take on things, and so I looked into his other projects and discovered his mostly solo project: Black Sugar Transmission. So here I go with the 3-year-old (how current am I?) self-titled release, 'Black Sugar Transmission'.
The Review
This album opens with the fist-pumping Shock My Blood Into The Bitter Sun, a genre-bending piece of glittery punk metal many artists would give fingers to have made, complete with a fist-pumping chorus and a drums that are begging to have people from all walks of life feeling an irresistible urge to jump and headbang. Compliment all this with melodies so infectious they are likely to cause an epidemic very soon. This melts seamlessly into the chugging Bangin' The Door. While perhaps not as visceral as its predecessor, it is a great showcasing of Andee's talent for merging sarcastic, up-yours punk rock with a sense of fun so glam it sneezes glitter.
An abrupt stop brings us to Slide, a tongue-in-cheek track featuring a distortion sound Nine Inch Nails would be proud of and a loop to end all loops, over which Andee's unique vocals drawl another tale of wasted efforts. It has to be said that Andee's vocals are something you either like or hate, and perhaps given another music setting might prove irritating (bearing a similarity to Perry Farrell), however here it works very nicely. Kiss The Ground brings back the heavy-boots pogo stamp drumming of the first track, hybridising it with something that could be tentatively referred to as disco-funk with jangling guitars, a dancy bassline and a chorus melody that flirts playfully with pop falsetto, and the guitar solo is a great example of Andee experimenting with more unusual melodic forms (is that a harmonic minor interval I hear?) with an almost metallic framework. The Burning Wreck Of Love drops the disco to rock out with its devil horns shamelessly on display, yet keeping the seductive X-rated pop sound of its predecessor, which works well with the dark lyrics, Andee happily unleashing one hell of a chorus that while not exactly singalong is a fantastic collection of words to have going through your ears, and yet more of his guitar mastery is hiding just below the surface.
Gotta Be On Top Of Me slows the mood to a pretty little drumkit, guitar and keyboard interplay for a pop number that once again gives Andee's melodic side a chance to shine as the pace picks up again. Things do get repetitive towards the end though, and you find yourself waiting for This Is The Night which, after a momentary dip into the surreal world of what can happen with vocals and editing tools, is a sharp-toothed guitar-driven rocker with a sense of urgency in the tense lyrics and the up-and-down guitar solo. Wind It Up is a manic hybrid of industrial and pop, skipping about rhyming words with carefree abandon to drums a metal band would be proud of. A fine piece of distortion-pedal sunshine for the boys and girls to enjoy.
Girls Gone Wild takes the decision to suddenly spring a techno song on the listener, and if it weren't for Andee's distinctive vocals and subtly aggressive lyrical style, you'd swear it was a different band. This makes for a slightly jarring moment in an otherwise fluid album, however it does manage to find its glittery DM booted footing in time to tiptoe into Nine Butterflies, which once again shows Andee's exploration of melodic forms unusual in American rock music, fusing a distinctly Oriental scale form with gritty synths, and distorted guitars. The lyrical content is a little confusing, however it is poetic and slots into the song nicely.
Dressed And Desperate careers wildly into chaotic drums and desperate guitars, channelling Jane's Addiction here to good effect, occasionally teetering into copycat territory, however never quite falling in, being much more contained and focused, and keeping its individual stamp on things even when Andee's guitar playing is almost wearing a sign saying "Hello my name is Dave Navarro". Mary Jane Child Interlude is pretty throwaway, however it is a nice enough way to spend a minute, if a little confusing as to why it is there other than to perhaps lead into the grinding closer Losing My Mind which gives a sound so heavy it is like lead on a neutron star, pounding any notion this album has given way to commercialised pop into the ground. Andee's vocals sound like they are underwater half the time, whereas the other half of the time they are very raw. A NIN-esque synth provides the rusted icing on the iron cake, and the only issue is the confusingly abrupt ending.
So I suppose if you wanted to know what would happen if you put the 1991 Lollapalooza lineup all in one band, this might be a good estimate. It gets confused in places and some tracks seem superfluous or cut short, however it is overall an interesting little diamond in the rough that deserves recognition in a market flooded with identikit this that and the other outfits. Andee, we salute you and your relentless drive to do something unusual.
8/10
(And if that isn't enough to pique interest, the disc not only looks like a vinyl record, but is textured too.)
http://andeesvault.com/index.html
This album opens with the fist-pumping Shock My Blood Into The Bitter Sun, a genre-bending piece of glittery punk metal many artists would give fingers to have made, complete with a fist-pumping chorus and a drums that are begging to have people from all walks of life feeling an irresistible urge to jump and headbang. Compliment all this with melodies so infectious they are likely to cause an epidemic very soon. This melts seamlessly into the chugging Bangin' The Door. While perhaps not as visceral as its predecessor, it is a great showcasing of Andee's talent for merging sarcastic, up-yours punk rock with a sense of fun so glam it sneezes glitter.An abrupt stop brings us to Slide, a tongue-in-cheek track featuring a distortion sound Nine Inch Nails would be proud of and a loop to end all loops, over which Andee's unique vocals drawl another tale of wasted efforts. It has to be said that Andee's vocals are something you either like or hate, and perhaps given another music setting might prove irritating (bearing a similarity to Perry Farrell), however here it works very nicely. Kiss The Ground brings back the heavy-boots pogo stamp drumming of the first track, hybridising it with something that could be tentatively referred to as disco-funk with jangling guitars, a dancy bassline and a chorus melody that flirts playfully with pop falsetto, and the guitar solo is a great example of Andee experimenting with more unusual melodic forms (is that a harmonic minor interval I hear?) with an almost metallic framework. The Burning Wreck Of Love drops the disco to rock out with its devil horns shamelessly on display, yet keeping the seductive X-rated pop sound of its predecessor, which works well with the dark lyrics, Andee happily unleashing one hell of a chorus that while not exactly singalong is a fantastic collection of words to have going through your ears, and yet more of his guitar mastery is hiding just below the surface.
Gotta Be On Top Of Me slows the mood to a pretty little drumkit, guitar and keyboard interplay for a pop number that once again gives Andee's melodic side a chance to shine as the pace picks up again. Things do get repetitive towards the end though, and you find yourself waiting for This Is The Night which, after a momentary dip into the surreal world of what can happen with vocals and editing tools, is a sharp-toothed guitar-driven rocker with a sense of urgency in the tense lyrics and the up-and-down guitar solo. Wind It Up is a manic hybrid of industrial and pop, skipping about rhyming words with carefree abandon to drums a metal band would be proud of. A fine piece of distortion-pedal sunshine for the boys and girls to enjoy.
Girls Gone Wild takes the decision to suddenly spring a techno song on the listener, and if it weren't for Andee's distinctive vocals and subtly aggressive lyrical style, you'd swear it was a different band. This makes for a slightly jarring moment in an otherwise fluid album, however it does manage to find its glittery DM booted footing in time to tiptoe into Nine Butterflies, which once again shows Andee's exploration of melodic forms unusual in American rock music, fusing a distinctly Oriental scale form with gritty synths, and distorted guitars. The lyrical content is a little confusing, however it is poetic and slots into the song nicely.
Dressed And Desperate careers wildly into chaotic drums and desperate guitars, channelling Jane's Addiction here to good effect, occasionally teetering into copycat territory, however never quite falling in, being much more contained and focused, and keeping its individual stamp on things even when Andee's guitar playing is almost wearing a sign saying "Hello my name is Dave Navarro". Mary Jane Child Interlude is pretty throwaway, however it is a nice enough way to spend a minute, if a little confusing as to why it is there other than to perhaps lead into the grinding closer Losing My Mind which gives a sound so heavy it is like lead on a neutron star, pounding any notion this album has given way to commercialised pop into the ground. Andee's vocals sound like they are underwater half the time, whereas the other half of the time they are very raw. A NIN-esque synth provides the rusted icing on the iron cake, and the only issue is the confusingly abrupt ending.
So I suppose if you wanted to know what would happen if you put the 1991 Lollapalooza lineup all in one band, this might be a good estimate. It gets confused in places and some tracks seem superfluous or cut short, however it is overall an interesting little diamond in the rough that deserves recognition in a market flooded with identikit this that and the other outfits. Andee, we salute you and your relentless drive to do something unusual.
8/10
(And if that isn't enough to pique interest, the disc not only looks like a vinyl record, but is textured too.)
http://andeesvault.com/index.html
05/05/2010
Gig: Ash 4/5/10 Electric Ballroom
Yes, I have branched out into gig reviews. Might as well have a stab at it. What could go wrong? (Don't answer that.)
So. Ash. I'm pretty sure that most people have encountered Ash at some point in their lives, and they are so sci-fi that having been in space for the past seventeen or so years is not an excuse.
They're one of those bands who are well-known for their hit singles as opposed to whole albums, although it gas to be said that with songs like 'Girl From Mars', 'Burn Baby Burn' and 'Return Of White Rabbit' among a huge list of great stand-alone songs, you don't really need albums to justify them. So they've recently taken a very logical approach to their music by deciding to release a series of singles over a period of time as opposed to a whole album all at once.
The Electric Ballroom is a great venue as it is neither too small nor too big to pose any real issue, although they sold this show out and had to book another at the Koko, and the sound capability of the place is definitely up to standard.
First support act was Joe McAdam (thanks for the name reminder, Emma). It was centred around the frontman and they did a nice line in semi-acoustic songs of the vaguely blues/folk thing that is sweeping indie music right now, although it was far from a bandwagon act. Out of the two support acts, I think they suited the venue much better, and were more enjoyable as they connected with the audience much better. Remember folks: Joe McAdam.
The second support band were the Parlotones, who are a massive stadium band in South Africa according to the music oracle that is my friend Will. This was very evident as they put on one hell of a show, however it has to be said that while the music was enjoyable, it was much less of a connection between band and audience. I got the sense that being in a smaller venue cramped their style somewhat, especially the frontman, who had an almost messianic approach to being on stage, as well as some rather impressive eyeliner. Musically, they weren't half bad. I'll admit that I'm not a huge fan of that Killers-esque style of rock, but it was good to watch and nod along to although I passed on making a note of getting anything to seriously listen to. If you're into The Killers you'll like them, and if you get the chance to see them in their arena/stadium environment it might be worth going, but it was a bit lost in translation on a smaller stage.
Ash completely blew them out of the water, as they should. They're possibly one of the most pop bands I'll admit to listening to on a regular basis, however live they are surprisingly heavy, even their more gentle and casual listener-friendly songs having a grunge edge to them that really helps hit home exactly how good they are as a live band. In addition to this, they are loud. Incredibly loud. In fact, I can honestly say from barrier experience of both that they could quite easily give Motörhead a run for their money in terms of volume.
Their stage presence is that of a truly gifted and passionate rock band, with all the moves and attitude combined with a rapport with the audience the the Parlotones could take a note of and all the skill that comes from doing this kind of thing for most of your life. Adorable enough is the fact that they are at heart still nerdy teenagers, of course greeting the audience with "May the Fourth be with you", and the fact Tim Wheeler seemed to be constantly switching between an effortlessly cool rock frontman expression and a massive grin.
The setlist itself was a blinder, combining songs from all through their considerable career, and they treated both new and old material with the same explosive energy. The audience were slightly more receptive to the familiar songs, going absolutely crazy during 'Kung Fu', however the band's massive enthusiasm for every single song they played was contagious, and there wasn't a single low moment for the whole set, even though it lasted for nearly two hours. This alone is a testament to Ash's gift for writing great songs that are able to stand as great songs outside the context of an album. Yes, they can vary the tempo and mood with the best of them (the aforementioned total chaos of 'Kung Fu' easing into the emotional and soaring 'Arcadia' without a single awkward moment) but there was no "okay you can go to the bar now" songs that many bands slip into the setlist to retain some of their better standalone material for later. No, this was solid. This came at the cost of not being able to play everyone's favourites, but I don't think anyone could possibly be disappointed. Except perhaps the bloke beside me for the latter half of the set, who was totally motionless and looked abjectly miserable. However, he is definitely the exception as the whole crowd from the punks to the indie kids to my vaguely gothy self and beyond were all jumping around and having fun. And in the end, what more could you want from an Ash gig?
After all these years, Ash are still able to pull off a truly fantastic gig, and with their music as fresh and interesting as you could hope for, now's a good a time as any to get yourself their songs, and get yourself down to a gig ASAP.
So. Ash. I'm pretty sure that most people have encountered Ash at some point in their lives, and they are so sci-fi that having been in space for the past seventeen or so years is not an excuse.
They're one of those bands who are well-known for their hit singles as opposed to whole albums, although it gas to be said that with songs like 'Girl From Mars', 'Burn Baby Burn' and 'Return Of White Rabbit' among a huge list of great stand-alone songs, you don't really need albums to justify them. So they've recently taken a very logical approach to their music by deciding to release a series of singles over a period of time as opposed to a whole album all at once.
The Electric Ballroom is a great venue as it is neither too small nor too big to pose any real issue, although they sold this show out and had to book another at the Koko, and the sound capability of the place is definitely up to standard.
First support act was Joe McAdam (thanks for the name reminder, Emma). It was centred around the frontman and they did a nice line in semi-acoustic songs of the vaguely blues/folk thing that is sweeping indie music right now, although it was far from a bandwagon act. Out of the two support acts, I think they suited the venue much better, and were more enjoyable as they connected with the audience much better. Remember folks: Joe McAdam.
The second support band were the Parlotones, who are a massive stadium band in South Africa according to the music oracle that is my friend Will. This was very evident as they put on one hell of a show, however it has to be said that while the music was enjoyable, it was much less of a connection between band and audience. I got the sense that being in a smaller venue cramped their style somewhat, especially the frontman, who had an almost messianic approach to being on stage, as well as some rather impressive eyeliner. Musically, they weren't half bad. I'll admit that I'm not a huge fan of that Killers-esque style of rock, but it was good to watch and nod along to although I passed on making a note of getting anything to seriously listen to. If you're into The Killers you'll like them, and if you get the chance to see them in their arena/stadium environment it might be worth going, but it was a bit lost in translation on a smaller stage.
Ash completely blew them out of the water, as they should. They're possibly one of the most pop bands I'll admit to listening to on a regular basis, however live they are surprisingly heavy, even their more gentle and casual listener-friendly songs having a grunge edge to them that really helps hit home exactly how good they are as a live band. In addition to this, they are loud. Incredibly loud. In fact, I can honestly say from barrier experience of both that they could quite easily give Motörhead a run for their money in terms of volume.
Their stage presence is that of a truly gifted and passionate rock band, with all the moves and attitude combined with a rapport with the audience the the Parlotones could take a note of and all the skill that comes from doing this kind of thing for most of your life. Adorable enough is the fact that they are at heart still nerdy teenagers, of course greeting the audience with "May the Fourth be with you", and the fact Tim Wheeler seemed to be constantly switching between an effortlessly cool rock frontman expression and a massive grin.
The setlist itself was a blinder, combining songs from all through their considerable career, and they treated both new and old material with the same explosive energy. The audience were slightly more receptive to the familiar songs, going absolutely crazy during 'Kung Fu', however the band's massive enthusiasm for every single song they played was contagious, and there wasn't a single low moment for the whole set, even though it lasted for nearly two hours. This alone is a testament to Ash's gift for writing great songs that are able to stand as great songs outside the context of an album. Yes, they can vary the tempo and mood with the best of them (the aforementioned total chaos of 'Kung Fu' easing into the emotional and soaring 'Arcadia' without a single awkward moment) but there was no "okay you can go to the bar now" songs that many bands slip into the setlist to retain some of their better standalone material for later. No, this was solid. This came at the cost of not being able to play everyone's favourites, but I don't think anyone could possibly be disappointed. Except perhaps the bloke beside me for the latter half of the set, who was totally motionless and looked abjectly miserable. However, he is definitely the exception as the whole crowd from the punks to the indie kids to my vaguely gothy self and beyond were all jumping around and having fun. And in the end, what more could you want from an Ash gig?
After all these years, Ash are still able to pull off a truly fantastic gig, and with their music as fresh and interesting as you could hope for, now's a good a time as any to get yourself their songs, and get yourself down to a gig ASAP.