Category: Live Reviews

Koko – Camden, London
10-02-2006

The gig was sold out, the queue snaked around the corner of Koko. What bothered me was touts selling ticket at 2 for £5, and 6 girls just giving their tickets away…it made me wonder about what to expect. What did they know, that I didn’t…thankfully f*ck all! As I walked in the doors I could immediately feel the sardine syndrome. The venue was packed, you couldn’t move, and trying to get a clear view of the stage became a never ending battle. The bar in itself was a moshpit of elbows!

Silence fell through the entire room. People react in 2 different ways at gigs, they either go completely off their heads or stand in silent appreciation. This gig was the latter. The crowd was a mixture of all ages, and people who were clearly into various types of music other than rock, which made it interesting.

Being compared to the likes of Modest Mouse, My Morning Jacket, Arcade Fire, Talking Heads and even Interpol. It is easy to make the mistake in thinking this band has no smack of originality, and that their publicist is a living legend. They manage to throw all these influences into a melting pot and pull it off in their own hippy-go-lucky way. They strangely exude a Krishna procession vibe as they scuttle around on stage and clap, and dance to their own songs. I have never seen anyone quite enjoy playing the tambourine so much!

What struck a chord with me was how the drummer pulled all the eclectic sounds together. He was on top form, while the rest of the band swapped instruments, and moved themselves around. Great harmonising led by Ounsworth, had the crowd staring in dumbstruck awe. Satan Said Dance was one of the few tracks that got everyone to close their gapping jaws and shake it! It was great to watch such a random mix of people have such a great time together. Koko was a perfect venue for this type of band-the sound and lighting are always superb and I have never been a let down!

They played all their songs-they had to! They only have one album. For their encore they saved about 3 songs. I am a firm believer that as a new band you should have a stash of un-released covers up your sleeve to dish out to the starving crowd for encores. It was heartbreaking watching everyone come to realisation that the 1 hour set was indeed over, and no amount of hanging around the stage was gonna change that.

With a self-produced, self-released, self-titled debut album behind them. CYHSY stand as icons of hope for many aspiring bands. This band will leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside!

Even their website is cute!

Niki Kova’cs

Brother Ali
Scala
09/02/06

Going to see your favourite group is always great fun, but sometimes you get that nagging doubt in your gut that maybe they won’t be able to live up to your expectations, and you get a little apprehensive about the whole thing.

Well Atmosphere, and their support, Brother Ali grabbed that apprehension, kicked the shit out of it, tied it up and cemented it under a patio at the Scala, delivering the greatest show I’ve ever been to in my life.

After his DJ BK One‘s groove-ridden warm up set was over, Ali strolled on stage in shirt and baggy jeans and a smile on his face. Those that knew of the albino MC went crazy immediately and it only took those who didn’t know about him beforehand about 30 seconds to follow suit as he ripped into his set rapping over a selection of random beats before launching into Room With A View and then spilling a new track, which instructed the crowd to Listen Up. Ali’s beats, produced by Atmosphere’s Ant, are always feel good on record and the live show only reinforced that, as the happy summery melodies floated around the venue gliding around the crowd who swayed from side to side in approval, especially during Self Taught.

The remix of Champion, from his last EP blew the roof off, even with Lil’ Kim’s last beat starting if off, but it was Forest Whitiker, the ultimate feel good tune, which surpassed everything else from his set. He flowed over the organ, explaining that even though people might think he looks weird, when he looks in the mirror he sees “sexy ass me”, and had the entire crowd in the palm of his hand as the chorus of la’s echoed around him. Another one of his pretty tracks followed in the form of Rain Water, before he hit us with a spoken word piece about how beautiful his son is, which was so unerringly heartfelt that no-one in the crowd could have not felt something special about the words.

He finished off his set with two bangers, Bitchslap and Star Quality before knocking out a beatbox which had every head in the house nodding. It was as good as set as you could ever hope for from a support act, and it was made all the more great by his admission that after only 7 minutes, he’d already decided he wanted to come back here soon.

So then it was time for the main event, and it was started with the band, who were playing live in place of a DJ, taking up their instruments signalling the arrival of frontman Slug, complete with parka and furry hood to take the stage. The acoustic Always Coming Back Home To You seemed an odd opener, as it was usually saved for the final number but it fitted perfectly, as if he were letting us know that he was glad to be back in London after 2 years away. That immediately leaned into the unmistakable bassline of Party For The Fight To Write which was sung aloud by almost the entire front 5 rows, which seemed to be made up completely of hardcore Atmosphere fans.

Slug might have been knackered after a gruelling American tour at the end of last year and a whirlwind tour of Europe already this year, but he didn’t let it show as his energy bounded all over the place, and when the awe-inspiring afro’d keyboard player start to play the intro to God Loves Ugly, arguably their most loved song, Slug took it to another level, spitting out the words, giving it as much personality as he could and carried it on through Lovelife and the superb non-album track The Abusing Of The Rib, depicting a relationship with someone addicted to drugs.

From old to new and he fell into Pour Me Another from their last album, lamenting the fact that people have to turn to booze to get his mind away from all the problems in front of them. The applause for the awesome rendition of the track only subsided because of the cheering for the introduction of The Woman With The Tattooed Hands, a which sets imaginations running wild and hormonal boys blushing. After Between The Lines, Slug threw off his hoodie and revealed a Murs t-shirt advertising the Mickey Murs Club and asked the crowd if anyone knew of Murs and Felt [the duo of Slug and Murs] which was receieved with a huge “YES”, allowing Slug to begin Morris Day from Felt’s second album and continuing into Say Hey There, which allowed the band to showcase their talents by giving them a chance to take the ending of the song into their own territory as Slug got a breather.

The biggest shock of the setlist followed though with the inclusion of a song I never thought I’d hear live – God’s Bathroom Floor. This track really allowed the old school heads to enjoy the moment as a group of us sang along amidst fluttering stomachs and delirious smiles, whilst Slug told us he had a date with divinity but she wouldn’t let him fuck. Touching track Little Man came afterwards before arguably the best track of the night, a heavy guitar-led Shrapnel, closed the set. The crowd’s energy went from top gear to a level only NASA would be able to understand as the crunching guitars threw their weight over the chorus signalling Slug’s departure.

The encore came almost immediately after, with Slug returning and telling the crowd it was time for that one song that every band has, that the band themselves hate but everyone in the crowd seems to love more than any other, and proceeded to belt out Trying To Find A Balance, the track which first got them any kind of recognition in the non-hip hop world. To finish off, Brother Ali bounded back on stage, his red face ready to suck every last drop of sweat out of the crowd as the booming Cats Van Bags cracked itself onto the heads of everyone in the venue.

So, when you get two of the best acts in the hip hop underground, a live band who can mix it up better than most guitar bands and a crowd that were baying for more even after over and hour and a half of the main set, you end up with a show so full of character, talent and moreover, fun that you couldn’t help but sit back and admire just how much hip hop brings people together. Rhymesayers aren’t just the best in the Twin Cities, they’re now officially the kings of the world.

Take a mosey to www.rhymesayers.com for all the latest news from the label.

Abjekt

Camden Underworld
31.01.06

Canadian pop-rock quartet Sloan were still relatively unknown in the UK even at the peak of their media attention when they were signed amid the flurry of major label activity that swallowed up and spat out alternative music in the wake of Nirvana in the early nineties.

They played at this very same venue some fifteen years ago to about the same amount of people as they do tonight, which isn’t exactly what you call progress. But then again, it’s fair to say that Sloan haven’t overly ‘worked’ the UK! This is the first time they’ve been here in five years and prior to that their attention to this island has always been sporadic. But then it would be. Sloan are absolutely huge in Canada and quite deservedly so.

You see, Sloan are officially better than most bands, fact! ‘How can you prove this is an undisputed fact,’ you may ask. Well, the proof is in the chemistry. Sloan contain not one, but four different singers and song-writers amongst their ranks. And each and every one of them is great. Jay Ferguson. Andrew Scott. Chris Murphy. Patrick Pentland. They all swap instruments, the all sing lead, and they all write the songs. And because of the fact (yes, get ready for another fact!) that they’ve been playing and living so tightly together for so many years, every song comes out sounding one hundred per-cent Sloan.

So, tonight is a rare ‘for fans only appearance’ by Sloan. There’s no support bands, the majority of the audience is Canadian and/or hardcore fans and the whole evening belongs to Sloan and Sloan only. They play a fast moving set that takes in old favourites amongst new tracks and rarely played tunes from their past. And they don’t leave us hanging around for two long before wheeling out the hits. Second song in and we’re getting hammered by Underwhelmed, their biggest hit from back in the day when grunge and terms such as ‘alt-rock’ ruled the world. It’s not hard to see why.

They pack the punch, dynamics and glorious pop-sensibilities of Nevermind era-Nirvana combined with the best of seventies pop-rock ‘ala Badfinger, Big Star and later on, Red Kross. The real joy is Sloan play with an enthusiasm and conviction that could almost fool you into thinking it’s the first time they’d ever played their most famous song. In the UK at least. Unsurprisingly, it gets the biggest cheer of the night.

From then on, it’s a blur. Although the band rarely sits still and constantly swaps instruments, the energy levels never dip, the harmonies are never less than spot on and the crowd, a room of singing and smiling faces, are having the time of their lives. You’d have to be a horribly sour human being not to enjoy this. Damn near pop perfection.

James Sherry

The Dublin Castle
31/01/06

Up until now, the most famous thing to come out of Loughborough were sports stars from the university, but all that might be about to change. Taking to the stage for their first London show, Loughborough based four piece The Voom Blooms seem to exude a quiet confidence that makes you sit up, shut up and take notice.

Visually the easy comparison is The Libertines, but aurally they veer more towards Bloc Party with a healthy dose of produce energetic, melody saturated wonderfully guitar rich tracks that spin off the stage with ease. Brooding frontman George Guildford barely addresses the crowd but looks out with a steady gaze, drawing listeners in as if he has something you really need to hear. Tracks are edgy without being pretentious, rich with catchy hooks and unexpected turns. Every so often there’s a glimpse of vulnerability about the band, which is both engaging and just adds another layer. Politics and Cigarettes (to be released as a single in March) is just one of the tracks layered with edgy guitars, unbound exuberance – the push me pull you between on stage between Guildford and guitarist Craig Monk only adds to the pressure cooker of a set. Thought of Rena, Just Like Spies spin out with raw energy – The Voom Blooms perfectly showcasing their talents which have secured them supports slots for The Paddingtons and Babyshambles.

Whilst same same indie bands are flooding the music scene at the moment, The Voom Blooms have combined a very british sound with some great song writing, a quiet confidence in themselves and spot on live performances. As previously mentioned, this was there first London show – the first of many I’m sure. They can return to Loughborough safe in the knowledge they’ve gained a new batch of fans.

Do yourself a favour and check out their site at www.thevoomblooms.com

Dee Massey

Astoria
04/02/06

Metal detectors, extensive bag and pocket searches and security and police everywhere you looked.

Was I in an American airport with an Iraqi passport? Was this the introduction for a new series of the Krypton Factor?

Or maybe this was an elaborate Government plan to rid the country of hooded young ‘uns? In fact, all this was just to make sure Kano didn’t have to cancel another show due to the threat from outside of firearms. A shame that this sort of thing has to happen, especially to someone as amiable as Kano, but still, once in, it mattered not.

Kano strode on to Home Sweet Home and from the very first beat, it was clear that he was here to take over, to have a good time and to show everyone that nothing was going to stop him performing. After the mobile phones had returned back to pockets, Kano decided to mix things up a little right from the off and threw in The Mitchell Brother’s Routine Check, which he has a guest verse on, and turned it into a karaoke show with the crowd rapping the chorus over and over whilst he filled in the verse. His part in the remix of The Streets’ Fit But You Know It was a definite crowd favourite too but it was the track sandwiched in between these two, his truly grimy anthem Boys Luv Girls, which cranked the Astoria into the cruising gears.

Davinche’s ear drum splitting bassline of Ps & Qs raised the already skyline reaching roof as hands pumped the air and Kano strode confidently around the stage, as if he were a different man to the one that had to grow into his role only a few weeks back at the Carling New Kings show in Islington. After the garage infused Nobody Don’t Dance No More, Kano brought out Dangermouse, Demon and Ghetto to add the next dimension of the show as the beat to the awesome grime compilation Run The Road 2’s first track, Get Set, blasted out, pouring sonic frenzy over the audience.

All 3 newcomers bring something different to the stage, Dangermouse’s low but head snapping delivery, Ghetto’s schizophrenic spitting and dancing and Demon’s almost screeching rhymes and Demon set it alight when he dropped his verse from Lethal Bizzle’s underground anthem Forward Riddim before flowing with his opening rhymes to Gangster Toyz.

After Demon had unveiled a new track in which both Rio Ferdinand and Alex Ferguson were name checked, the guest MCs disappeared, to be replaced by Leo The Lion as Kano delivered Nite Nite. He made the show more personal during this part of his set, talking to the crowd, going down along the front row and allowing himself to be at one with his fans whilst Leo sang the chorus to his last single

When the guitar-led Typical Me was played, it meant a return for the 3 henchmen, which signalled the start for Ghetto to really show what he can do. His final verse on Typical Me pulled no punches before Mic Check played out and his near-epileptic stage presence brought out multiple cheers and screams from the people in the pit.

Throughout the good natured set, when it was thought that nothing could top what was just heard, Kano pulled out anthem after anthem, none more apparent that the Ps & Qs remix of Damian Marley’s Welcome To Jamrock which got the one finger skanking hype and the booties shaking. After crowd favourite Ghetto Kid and Reload It, Kane told the crowd it was time to wrap it up because of the security curfew, and asked if we wanted him to be arrested like [Ms] Dynamite, to delighted whoops.

The encore was a more laid back affair with a track lifted from his recent mixtape Beats And Bars and the chilled out Brown Eyes. But his set was anything but laid back and chilled over all, he was great on the mic throughout the entire show and he was backed up not just by other MCs who were friends of his, but 3 MCs who each had their own personality and gave something to the show instead of just cluttering the stage. Curfews or not, this was a hot show, and the diversity of the set list made it even more enjoyable, instead of just relying on the material that made him big. He gave it back to the old school fans and kept it as grime as he could. Spot on.

For more info on Kano, go to www.ka-no.com

Abjekt

Mean Fiddler
24/01/06

Having formed a few years ago in their native Canada, it was only last year that Bedouin Soundclash made themselves known on this side of the pond, providing the soundtrack to last summer with the excellent reggae-rock stylings of the Sounding A Mosaic album. Following a successful support slot with the Ordinary Boys back in October, they’ve returned to London for the last night of a sold-out headline tour, and the level of anticipation is almost tangible.

Credit to the band for bringing along a genuine reggae legend as support; Vernon Maytone, formerly of 70s reggae duo the Maytones, whose song Money Worries was covered by the Soundclash on Sounding A Mosaic. So who better than the boys themselves to play as his backing band? Ever the charismatic performer, Vernon leads them through renditions of classics such as Hurry Up and Mr. Postman, clearly winning a few new fans in the process.

Half an hour later, Bedouin Soundclash return to play their own material; and great songs they are, too, with the Mean Fiddler’s unusually excellent sound accentuating the band’s highly danceable rhythms. A shame, then, that the majority of the crowd remain statuesque throughout the set, although the late airing of previous single When The Night Feels My Songhelps to get people moving. The set is culled mainly from Sounding A Mosaic, but also features a couple of promising new tracks, as well as a few choice covers (most notably, a welcome snippet of The Clash’s Guns Of Brixton‘ and U2’s New Year’s Day)

The real treat, however, is saved for the encore, when Vernon Maytone returns to help out with vocals on the aforementioned Money Worries; complete with loud crowd participation and a funky, improvised coda. It’s a great finale to a superb performance, from one of Canada’s most promising new bands. If you missed out this time, then watch out for future tour dates – because on this form, Bedouin Soundclash won’t be playing intimate venues for much longer, especially when the new album drops this year featuring guests such as Money Mark.

www.bedouinsoundclash.com

Alex Gosman

Jazz Café
01/02/06

When you go to a Killa Kela show, you know you’re in for a treat. The beatboxer extraordinaire was on form at this Camden show which was played out in front of a sold out crowd, including Madness front man Suggs, who seemed to be enjoying himself throughout.

After a couple of opening numbers, Kela brought out the crowd pleasing beatbox and after the crowd were hyped enough, he brought out his backing group, Spit Kingdom, and introduced the small orchestra to his left, which included some very pronounced and effective violin players. A smooth rendition of Rave Of The Future followed by Supergrass showcased Kela’s talent as a singer rather than just be known as a beatboxer.

The Spit Kingdom’s vocalists both came into the fore throughout certain songs, MC Trip hyping the main man to good effect and the female vocals were especially good when Kela was providing a vocal rendition of track’s percussion. Standing In The Rain was a definite crowd pleaser with a nice reggae vibe bouncing along as the crowd got increasingly into the sung stuff, but it was what followed that really made the show a belter.

Kela started off by battling the drums on the stage, mimicking and improving on what the real kit was playing, and then broke out some human scratching. After Secrets, the first single from his album Elocution, the real beatboxing extravaganza came out. So sure was Kela of the greatness of this part of the show, he told people to get out their mobiles and record the whole thing! Mixed in with double time drums and feeding off shouts from MC Trip to do snares, then bass, then kicks, the reloads, were renditions of Kelis’ Milkshake, J-Lo, Jay Z, Kanye West and Snoop before Trip reeled off his own little spiel which included the golden line “I’ve got more rhymes than Kate Moss has had lines”.

The set finished with Jawbreaker which built up a bassy beat before finally exploding into a Drum n Bass backing as everyone on the stage got hyped and this passed out onto the crowd, all of whom were bouncing along quickly to the beat. This was a great ending to a good set, but it was a little disappointing that the set only lasted about 35 minutes, especially since there had been no support on the night. Still, Kela certainly has talent, an abnormally high voiced talent, but a talent nonetheless.

You know the drill, go to www.killakela.com for all the official jazzmatazz.

Abjekt

Camden Barfly
18/01/06

There’s nothing like a good hardcore show to perk you up after a tiring day’s work. Let’s not forget that beyond the legions of in-vogue,’metalcore’ bands, there are still plenty of bands doing things in the true spirit of
hardcore – not least the likes of South Carolina quintet Stretch Armstrong, whose current two-week UK tour involves local promoters, intimate venues and – best of all – dirt-cheap merchandise prices.

On record, With Honor play excellent melodic hardcore in a similar vein to Rise Against; alas the Barfly’s PA doesn’t do them many favours, reducing much of their sound to tuneless bludgeon. Still, they’ve clearly got several fans here tonight, and therefore give it their all anyway.

It’s left to Stretch Armstrong to show how invigorating stripped-down hardcore can be. There’s no recycled old-school metal riffs or macho posturing here, just shedloads of enthusiasm (from both band and crowd) and a clutch of hard-hitting anthems that bring to mind Sick Of It All stealing a few notes from Hot Water Music’s book. Frontman Chris McLane is obviously happy to see so many people here on a cold Wednesday night, and frequently offers the mike to the fans going crazy at the front, as the band rip through old favourites and gems from new album Free At Las’.

It all ends in suitably chaotic style, with a stage invasion for the last song. With their current profile, it’s unlikely that we’ll be seeing Stretch Armstrong on the likes of the Taste Of Chaos tour in the near future, but on tonight’s evidence, they more than deserve their small-but-loyal UK following.

www.stretcharmstrong.net for all the trimmings.

Alex Gosman

Astoria
30/01/2006

It’s often said you can tell a lot about a band by their audience. In Fall Out Boy’s case it’s made up on identikit scene kids with 80’s hair and skinny fit girly jeans. And that’s just the guys. Alongside the mullets, the ‘new Busted’ – Son of Dork are signing autographs at the bar, various MTV presenters are milking the attention, and James Sherry is looking shifty on the balcony. Downstairs it’s an undoubtedly young crowd which is confirmed by the anxious looking parents loitering outside the Astoria.

Fall Out Boy have been bubbling under for the last few years, steadily gaining a solid fan base with their Warped Tour antics and their pop punk, saccharine sweet teenage tunes. With their first single from their third album Sugar We’re Going Down enjoying solid airplay and running non stop on MTV -they’re riding the crest of a new surge of fans. The screams are deafening as their backdrop is revealed on stage, and by the time they bound onto stage the crowd are at fever pitch. Fall Out Boy are like wind up toys who’ve been over wound, they zoom around the stage, jumping, leaping, swinging their axes round and round until your perversely hoping that one o! f them mistimes it and smacks themselves in the chin – but they never come close -they’ve honed it to a fine art.

Diminutive front man Patrick Stump, cap pulled firmly down over his eyes, belts out lyrics that could be about love and girls and heartbreak, but are drowned out by the crowd. Sugar We’re Going Down is met with a wall of sound, Dance Dance has the crowd doing just that. Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner is a high point, with lines ‘I’ll be your best kept secret and your biggest mistake’ spat out. With bassist Peter Wentz and guitarist Joseph Trohman leaping off the drum riser, balancing on amps and do theses weird ballet spins every seconds – it’s like the emo circus has just bounded into town. Add in a bare chested dancing roadie to the mix – and it’s a proper little skit they’ve got going on.

Pop punk has been done, and it’s been done well. Bands like New Found Glory, Bowling for Soup and Blink 182 have taken it as far as it can go, and you might say Fall Out Boy seem to be just following in their footsteps. They have the crowd eating out of their hand with their on stage antics and melody drenched tunes, but you can’t help but wonder if their leaping bounding high kicks really add to the show. Can they be taken seriously with the overstated poses and Darkness-esque spins? And with well written songs and intelligent lyrics – do they really need the stage show?

Fall Out Boy have one huge thing going for them. Their fans completely idolise them. The singalongs are astounding – every word candy covered lyric is sung back word perfect. But fans can be fickle, and how long before the myspace generation fall for the next pop punk heroes who come striding into town? Here’s hoping the bubble doesn’t burst for Fall Out Boy just yet.

For further info check out

www.falloutboyrock.co.uk

Dee Massey

Astoria
30/01/2006

The packed out Astoria were all here for Fall Out Boy, that much was clear. But support act and friends of FOB, Gym Class Heroes stormed out onto the stage and despite a few fans on the balcony infront of me giving it the 50 Cent handsignals for no apparent reason, they had the crowd bouncing around to their fun and friendly tracks.

Opening with Pillmatic and then going into their single, Papercut, frontman Travis bounded around the stage with his hood up and leaned forward into the crowd as his band mates bobbed around behind him. He won over the fans that weren’t familiar with the band and carried the hype on throughout Taxi Driver, the track which puts emo band’s names into the narrative which caught a lot of people’s attention. Makeout Clubwas equally popular but it was Cupid’s Chokehold which garnered the most noise because of Patrick Stump’s appearance on vocals.

Travis’ Mick Jagger-esque strutting was certainly a sight not to be forgotten, especially by those right at the front by the stage, and whilst the set ended on a slower song, the crescendo built up at the very finish tidied what was an entertaining set from a band who are sure to get a fair amount of fans in this country.

For more info, go to: www.gymclassheroes.com

Abjekt