Category: Live Reviews

Selfridges, London
10.03.06

‘When punk first started I wasn’t even allowed in this shop,’ laughs Slits frontwoman Ari Up fixing one of Selfridges security guards in her line of vision. ‘This one’s called ‘Shoplifting’ so go and do it.’

Ignoring the fact that any real punk would rather chuck a petrol bomb through a Selfridges window than buy a new sofa there, someone thought it would be a good idea to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first wave of British punk with a gig within the posh confines of Selfridges. We can argue until we’re blue in the face about what is and what isn’t punk and many do tonight as punk’s original players (Sex Pistols Paul Cook and Glen Matlock are both here tonight) mingle with fans new and old. Whatever, there’s something wonderfully perverse about attending a punk gig in the pillar of consumerism that is Selfridges. But fuck it. The explosion of energy through boredom that started punk is damn well worth celebrating and we’ll never see its like again so a party is indeed in order.

Original punk DJ Don Letts is on the decks playing some top reggae sounds as he did back in London’s first punk club The Roxy. There were no punk records actually available at this point, so Don introduced the young snotty punks to reggae, leading to many bands like The Clash and The Ruts mixing roots reggae sounds with their punk rock attack.

The Slits were another band to mix up styles influenced by Don. The first all-girl punk band, even to this day they still sound unlike any other band on the planet and led by the hugely entertaining frontwoman Ari Up, they blaze through a joyous set of twisted reggae and rock, stopping to play punk anthem ‘Shoplifting‘ twice. Well, they had too really. Not sure if anyone took them up on their battle cry, but I’m sure a couple of sofas went missing along the way.

The Buzzcocks are not a band to wallow in nostalgia. It’s not like they’ve reformed to cash in on past glories because they’ve never really stopped and new album ”Flat-Pack Philosophy’ is up there with some of their finest material. Arriving onstage with more energy and enthusiasm than men half their age, they blast through a short sharp set comprising of some key tracks from the aforementioned album and then proceed to pile headlong through a greatest hits set that includes pretty much every Buzzcocks song you could want to hear squeezed into 30 minutes. Happy Birthday punk rock, here’s to the next 30 years!

James Sherry

Scala – London
08/03/06

There’s a first time for everything, and Gemma Hayes’ sold out Scala show was without doubt the first time I’ve witnessed a chicken and mushroom Cornish pasty being raffled off on stage. Finally…a singer who knows the way to the crowds hearts! And despite London being awash with rain, the venue is packed to the rafters, the party atmosp! here defying the icey old and down right miserable London waiting for us outside.

Following her successful debut ‘Night on My Side’ Gemma reportedly suffered writers block before finally producing one the most beautiful albums of the year, ‘The Road Don’t Love You’ – which goes to show, some things just shouldn’t be rushed, and kudos to EMI for giving her time to grow. Walking onto stage she’s a tiny figure, almost dwarfed by her guitars ( which she changes between every track).

Unassuming, dressed in vans and skinny black jeans she is at first a little shy, obviously taken aback by the packed out venue as she stares down at her guitar. But as ‘Happy Sad’ kicks off the set – Hayes’s voice soars above her backing band, and before long a coy grin creeps onto her face. Her tone is wonderfully husky, her sing song Irish accent rich and reassuring. Tracks like ‘Keep me Here’ and ‘Easy on The Eye’ are hauntingly perfect – the soft lyrics belying the fact that the latter…..well basically it’s a track about stalking.

Fresh from winning a Meteor for Best Female in the Irish Music Awards it’s clear as the set goes on that Gemma’s confidence is at full tilt. Chatting to the audience she deadpans as she tells of the text her sister sent her early one morning ‘ Bird flu has hits the UK..it’s killing old and ugly birds..are you ok?’ with a cheeky grin. A brilliant cover of Reckless Eric’s ‘ Whole Wide World’ is welcomed with rapturous applause, the new single ‘Undercover‘ changes the gear down to a mellow saunter. She has the audience eating out of the palm of her hand, there’! s no arrogance to her performance, and her gratitude is endearing. Walking out for the encore she grins ‘ Ah so you’re still here…that’s a good sign!’.

Ending a great night with the anthemic ‘I Let A Good Thing Go’ she loses herself in a crashing guitar solo – it’s clear that she really is going to be a force to be reckoned with. With her confidence growing but without the ego, she’s an artist that has universal appeal. Even if you’re not into your guitar music, you can’t knock talent. And despite not winning the Cornish pasty and almost being blinded by the lighting (blinding your audience with spotlights is never a good idea) Gemma Hayes charms have won us over. Catch her before she goes stellar.

For more info check out www.gemmahayes.com

Dee Massey

London Forum
05/03/06

It’s a sign of the fickle state of the music industry these days,that bands largely need to work not only hard, but also fast, in order to keep their fans. Lacuna Coil’s forthcoming ‘Karmacode‘ album has been roughly four years in the making, and although a band’s creative process shouldn’t be hurried, their absence from the scene has arguably allowed the likes of Evanescence to flourish in popularity with a watered down imitation of the Italian gothic metal crew’s sound. That said, the fact that Lacuna Coil can sell out the Forum with only the slightest whiff of new material is testament to the loyalty and respect that their fans afford them.

First up tonight are Deathstars, a bunch of Swedish guys who favour the ‘gothic stormtrooper’ look once so beloved of a certain Marilyn Manson. However, vocalist Whiplasher (!) isn’t as given to between-song speeches as the self-styled God Of Fuck, so the band get to work with a set of competent, if unoriginal, synth-laden industrial metal; with pounding beats and juddering guitars in abundance. They’re hardly essential, but they keep the crowd entertained.

Lacuna Coil receive a heroes’ welcome as they take the stage, and as they launch into ‘Tightrope‘, it’s clear that their confidence has never been higher; with vocalists Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro exhorting the crowd to greater efforts. Clearly proud of their latest efforts, the band debut no less than eight new songs tonight; songs which combine their traditional sound with a heavier, more groove orientated approach – all to excellent effect. Elsewhere, there’s plenty of older material to keep the strongly partisan crowd happy – with ‘Swamped‘ and ‘Humane‘ received like old friends – and even a surprisingly good gothic-metal reworking of Depeche Mode’s ‘Enjoy The Silence’ to finish the main set.

It’s the onstage chemistry and stage presence of Cristina and Andrea that helps to make the Lacuna Coil live experience so enjoyable, and they soon return to charm us one last time, with an encore featuring new single ‘Our Truth’ and old favourite ‘Heaven’s A Lie’. With a slot at the Download festival confirmed and the imminent release of ‘Karmacode’, 2006 looks to see Lacuna Coil’s star shine ever brighter. Don’t bet against them.

Alex Gosman

Jazz Café
26/02/2006

As a four piece in their heyday, the Pharcyde produced some of the most chilled and happy hip hop around, and despite losing two members, the reproduction of that music in 2006 still sounds as fresh and as fun as it ever has.

Flanked by a keyboard player, a drummer called Big Sexy and a happy-go-lucky DJ, Booty Brown and Imani Wilcox took to the stage and kicked off immediately with the dancing and smiling that wouldn’t end until every last fan had left the venue smiling and dancing themselves. Even without Tre and Fatlip, their classic tracks brought people ramming closer, dancing and chanting along as Imani showed brilliant stage presence.

Booty Brown’s nasal delivery, most recently heard on the last Gorillaz single, swept through the classic tracks that every person in the crowd sang along to, like the brilliant Ya Mama and the laid back Running Away, vibing alongside the scratching of the DJ and the percussive accompaniment of the ever delighted Big Sexy. A new track was knocked out and this had everyone swaying along, enjoying the new notes of the group.

The show didn’t even lose its impetus during the commemoration of the recently passed J Dilla, who, Imani explained, made the music that helped shape the Pharcyde’s way of thinking. But instead of a minute’s silence for the great producer, a medley of his work was played and Imani, trying hard not to be tearful, danced as if his life depended on it, whilst Booty chilled in the corner, raising his hand up at the changing of each track.

The crowd interaction was on point all the way through the show, not least in the final track before the encore, Passing Me By, which was screamed back at full force by the sell out crowd, and the track that followed their return, Oh Shit. The vocals grew louder and louder, especially after Booty said that he’d told the Icelandic crowd how hyped London was and he didn’t want us to make him look stupid.

As they left the stage, amidst one of the loudest and prolonged applauses I’ve ever heard, it was clear that everyone in the audience was thinking exactly that. Oh Shit! They’d just witnessed a legacy that was still evolving and showing no signs of letting up.

Abjekt

Municipal Waste, The Unseen, Mistress
London Electric Ballroom
28/2/06

It’s Pancake Day today, but tonight the punters in the Electric Ballroom will be – ahem – ‘flipping’ out for an entirely different reason. Hardcore bills as good as this don’t come around very often; four outwardly diverse bands who ultimately share the same musical background and attitude, with one of the genre’s true masters in the headline spot. Unfortunately your correspondent misses Mistress because of London Underground’s incompetence, but apparently the grindcore quintet went down well.

The Unseen are out to take no prisoners with their fast, anthemic blasts of hardcore punk, as they tear across the stage in a blur of tattoos, spiked belts and ripped clothing. Songs like ‘Weapons Of Mass Deception’ and ‘You Can Never Go Home’ may be cut from well-worn musical cloth, but it matters little when they’re shot through with so much vitality and conviction. Livewire vocalist Mark frequently jumps down onto the barrier to share his mic with the devoted few at the front, and by the end of their all-too-brief set, they’ve deservedly won several new fans.

“We weren’t counting on having this barrier separating us from you!” growls Municipal Waste vocalist Tony Foresta as his band take the stage. These four young guys look and sound like something from ‘Wayne’s World’, and they’re clearly up for a party, barrier or not. They’ve brought beer bongs! Boogie boards! Blasphemy! (okay, a song called ‘The Thrashin’ Of The Christ’). Musically, they’re heavily indebted to the 80’s US thrash scene (particularly early Suicidal Tendencies), but it’d take a churlish punter not to smile at the likes of ‘Unleash The Bastards’ and ‘Drunk As Shit’, which keep the circle pit spinning and the crowd-surfers on the boogie-boards. It’s early days for the ‘Waste, but they certainly know how to entertain.

Sick Of It All have been in the hardcore game for 20 years, and tonight the New York veterans prove they still have plenty of life in them yet. Granted, their set list hasn’t changed much in recent times, but there are few people here who’d argue with classics like ‘Call To Arms’, ‘Built To Last’ and – of course – ‘Scratch The Surface’, all sounding as incendiary as ever, and which incite utter mayhem in the crowd. This is hardcore as it was originally intended – fast and furious, yet also passionate and intelligent – and when there are so many ’emo-core’ bands polluting the hardcore gene pool, it’s clear that bands like SOIA are needed more than ever. A triumph, all round.

Check out these links for your relevant thrashing hardcore: www.sickofitall.com, www.unseenpunks.com and www.earache.com

Alex Gosman

OXFORD ZODIAC
28/02/06

Times are getting tough for Caliban. Not only has their recently released Roadrunner sophomore ‘This Undying Darkness’ been met with a lukewarm reception by many, but to make matters worse local lads Chokehold are whipping up a shitstorm just minutes after doors with their devastating 80’s styled thrash-fest.

It’s easy to forget just how long Caliban have been inflicting their once unique blend of metallic hardcore upon our weary ears, but it seems as though such facts may well be conspiring against the German quintet these days. It’s not that they sound particularly bad this evening – the likes of ‘Goodbye‘ boasting soaring vocal harmonies not lost on those in attendance – but rather that onstage the band seem to possess all the energy of a mushroom. The relative few in attendance do their best to keep energy levels on the up, forming a modest but eager circle pit to the sonic battle cry of ‘It’s Our Burden to Bleed’; but with mouthpiece Andy Dorner seemingly more interested in keeping a mindful eye on his neatly quaffed barnet than commanding an audience the set begins to wilt and the audience disperse.

It’s sink or swim, and on tonight’s evidence Caliban are in serious need of a jacket.

Ryan Bird

Islington Academy
01/03/06

Half empty or half full you decide, but when New York’s Diamond Nights amble on stage, after setting up their own equipment, the stage is certainly filled with the ample presence of frontman Morgan Phalen’s larger than life personality. Opening with a great sounding newie they blast through their debut album, Popsicle, in its full glory, and it sounds FAB!

The sound is slick and tight and all 4 members work together without a hitch, but it’s frontman Phalen’s show, chatty and funny between songs and on several occasions jumped from the stage and performed in the audience his voice sounding better than it does on record. They have the songs too in the likes of Saturday Fantastic, current single The Girls Attractive and Destination Diamonds, a perfect antidote to the James Blunt’s of this world and a sure fire band of the afternoon at any festivals they maybe playing this summer.

So buy the album, go see ’em live and be the envy of all your mates who will have to concede that you may well have found the unknown best band of the year way before they did. Are you ready to rock?

4/5
Nelson Bibb

If you would like to reqd an interview with frontman Morgan Phalen on this site, click here.

The Apollo Victoria
24.02.06

Going to see Ryan Adams is a bit of a hit and miss affair. He could be either on the top of his game, or a heartbreakingly shambolic mess – and that’s if he even turns up. The last two times I’ve had tickets to see him he’s bailed, once due to falling headfirst off the stage at Manchester and almost severing his arm in the orchestra pit, and the other time a mysterious ‘illness’ which was reported to be a little too much playtime with class As. Rumours have already splintered off from his UK tour of him appearing dazed, trailing off songs and slurring his words. No one likes to see their hero fail, and so it’s with a nervous reticence that I look forward to the show.

But show up he did. And what a show he laid on for the hundreds of fans at this sold out show. As he walks out on the large stage the applause is thundering and he looks taken aback. Nodding and smiling self consciously he sits down with his acoustic guitar and without a word is off. ‘My Winding Wheel’ is clear and perfect; words perfectly formed and spun out over the audience. ‘Sweet Lil Gal’ and ‘Why Do They Leave’ are poignant. ‘Lover..why do they leave..at the time you needed them so.’ he sings softly. Silence settles. One lone person claps.

‘Oh hell..nice to see I still have a fan. I love my one fan’ Ryan quips..and then he’s off. ‘I’ve been told I’m not meant to speak tonight,’ he tells us, grinning as he lights another ever present cigarette, ‘But I’m drunk, so I’m speaking….’ Every person hangs on his every word, his every look, a raised eyebrow brings howls of laughter, he tells off his guitar for a wrong chord, muttering to himself and the audience react to every word. He strums a few notes then stops to chat again. A favourite topic is the haters online who complain about his live performances being unregulated and improvised “I mean…they should chill out …smoke some week…get some pot…’ he shrugs, reading and then accidentally dropping his notebook.

‘Lighthouses‘ is prefixed with a long, random story of how his grandmother killed herself in an old people’s home by pressing her pain relief morphine drip too many times in protest to moving rooms. Adams quips that if only it was so easy for him…he has to leave the house, get a cab and go find a dealer for his fix. We laugh with him, but it’s an uneasy black humour. The man on stage is dripping with talent, but you can’t help wonder where it’ll all end, the online rumour merchants spin out yarns of serious drug abuse that you hope isn’t true. Can it have a happy ending? But without his demons – would his songs mean anything? Would his lyrics lose their dark humour and bittersweet reality? Right on cue a police siren screams outside and he grins ‘Ah shit…they’re coming for me!’

‘Sylvia Path’ and ‘Shakedown on 9th Street’ are both stripped down to perfection. He fades into an acoustic version of ‘New York, New York’ but gives up. ‘I just want to talk!’ Sitting astride his piano st! ool he’s endearing, witty, earnest and funny. He’s confused as to why his fans are still there for him, admitting ‘I’m baffled…totally baffled why you guys still come out for me. It’s been a difficult couple of years….so thank you.’

‘Call Me on Your Way Back Home’ stands out for me as the track of the night. There’s a solemn break in his voice, a fragility that catches you. ‘Call Me on Your way back home..cos I miss you. And I just wanna die without you..or I just wanna die with you’ – the words hang in the air, for a moment no one moves, no one claps, as though it would shatter the moment.

After over 2 and a half hours he introduces his last track, the wonderful honky tonk ‘Come Pick Me Up’ with it’s rolling melancholy chorus of ‘Come pick me up
Take me out, fuck me up, steal my records, screw all my friends.. they’re all full of shit, with a smile on your face …and then do it again.” Tonight on stage we have a! charmer, the joker – the man with more talent on his little finger than half the acts out there. He makes them look like amateurs. Armed with an endless supply of material his singing is effortless; stripped down to just a piano, guitar and a harmonica he spins out perfect melodies laced with lyrics that stay with you for days afterwards.

Love him or hate him, tonight at least Ryan Adams shines, taking his rightful place as one of the most charismatic and engaging performers of our generation. You take your chances on him, and when the payback is this good..it’s almost worth the disappointment of previous years.

Ryan’s latest album ’29’ is out now on Mercury. For further information knock yourself out at www.ryan-adams.com

Dee Massey

Dogs & Humanzi
Koko – Camden
12th February 2006

The line up is promising, the gig sold out, the queue long enough to built anticipation. The bar as always living chaos! First up are Humanzi who sound quite a bit like Talking Heads and Primal scream in a bitch fight. A 4-piece from Dublin, with a Pete-Doherty look-alike guitarist, play a short but effective set. Check their interview out on this site as they are a band to definitely look out for this summer.

Opening next, a band called Dogs. I saw them open for The 80’s Matchbox B-Line Disaster, and I must emphasise on how much they have improved. They are sounding pretty awesome at the moment! This 5 piece were a great choice for hotting up the crowd with their post Clash mish mash and even have a hit in their set called End of an Era that you can sing along to with the words “…what a wanker, Oh, what a wanker, I’m going away from here” – class.

The Paddingtons have it all, the image, the sound, and the attitude to match. If you don’t know them off hand, chances are you have probably stumbled across their music without knowing about it. They look like something from a Hoxton gentlemen’s fashion mag, but all of that is lost as they start tearing into their tracks. Singing Clash-esque songs, expressed through an almost emo voice, makes it easy to see why this fast up and coming indie band is believed to be hanging out with the likes of Pete Doherty who incidentally was spotted at the side of the stage in a shocking purple shirt! They have enjoyed their fast rate success by touring with the likes of The Bravery and Babyshambles, a fast-paced start for any band and the hard work seems to have paid off.

By mixing influenced sounds of The Sex Pistols, Saints, Strokes and The Clash, they play an energetic tight set with no gaps, just a fuel injected sequence of well rehearsed and well structured songs. The crowd was engaged, they were captured and the bouncers were rushed off their feet managing the crowd surfing situation, especially throughout hits such as Sorry and 50 for a Pound and the cover version of Mollys Lips, not that it bothered the band whatsoever as this is Brit-rock at its finest from the darkest depths of Hull.

They even have room tonight for a few new numbers, Broken Man, Rat Race and a massive sounding track called You and I that could well be a future single. Punk-poet vocalist Tom Atkins works beatnik charm as he swaggers on stage singing, and smoking simultaneously. Considering his manager had to cart him around Soho to get Chinese medicine so he could speak earlier on in the day after the soundcheck, he managed to pull it off with style. Tonight, the drummer Grant Dobs kills the drums topless in the background and with the addition of a violinist in one of the songs these days, the sound has become something else.

There is no mistaking how talented these guys are. The Paddingtons have a sound that is now individual and powerful, yet still swaggers that energy and attitude you want in a band. They finish off with Loser and 21, and the encore of the b-side Yarmouth Town before the sweaty but ecstatic masses are swept out by grouchy floor staff.

The Paddingtons have a full line up in the UK until March, so it’s not to late to catch them, find them at www.thepaddingtons.net.

Niki Kova’cs

Brixton Academy
28/01/06

A huge sense of excited anticipation fills Brixton Academy tonight as the strange mix of goths and geeks await the arrival of the battle of prog rock gods, Thrice Vs. Coheed and Cambria.

The last time Thrice graced our soil was September 2005 and this long wait shows in the enthusiasm of the fans. As the ambient yellow light preys down on the stage Thrice enter to a raucous applause, Dustin Kensrue enters alone to a pre-recorded intro that winds the audience up as they take their time to begin. The quiet slow start soon makes way to enormous riffs and soaring melodies they are famed for. The pit starts to move but the rest of the crowd seem dumbstruck, just staring as the band writhe around on stage, only joining in by nodding their heads to the beat. Past hits such as Artist In My Ambulance start to engage the crowd a bit more, but you do get the impression that everyone is just waiting for Claudio and his cohorts to take over.

So they do with one of the best performances I have seen from this band. Coheed fans are like no other, this is more than just music, this is a way of life. Dragon fly tattoos adorn many an arm here tonight and everyone shows their appreciation by singing along to practically every word. Favourites such as Favor House Atlantic and the huge anthem Welcome Home give this heavy set light relief. Claudio’s awkward shy manner is non existent as he engages the crowd with showman like guitar playing that has now become his trademark. The ten minute finale does slightly take its toll and as the band finally leave the stage, the eerie winged guillotine drops and puts an end to this energetic engaging set. If this was a battle between bands there is clearly one winner.

Victoria Barrio