Category: Music

Cowley Club, Brighton
26.09/.09

This gig is early doors as there’s a club night afterwards, and when I rock-up at 7.30PM the Cowley is already rammed, and the first band The Human Race are playing. I can’t see them, but I can hear them. And their fuzzed chaotic sounds are pretty good, echoes of The Birthday Party and Scientists.

When they finish I grab a bottle of Westons and squeeze down the front, and next up are London trio Male Bonding. Great name, even more so if they played testosterone-fuelled macho Hardcore. In fact, these hipsters bash out fast paced quirky tunes that are for the most-part quite simplistic, but clear effort has gone to give each number a distinct buzz of its own. Really catchy melodic music, and nothing not to like about them. I asked my mate Mike what he thought… “were they Punk, New Wave, Pop”? he pondered! He settled on Pop, good Pop. And we then started talking about the merits of The Descendents… before…

Lovvers. There is a sardine-tight jam eagerly awaiting this quartet from the smoke. I’ve not seen them before so am definitely all-ears. They start in solid fashion, with ringing loud guitar and sloppy punk’n’roll hooks… definite echoes of The Wipers and Real Kids that my mate Mike has claimed they allegedly sound like, minutes before they start. These are bands whose music is hardwired in to my central musical system, I should be digging this. There is no stage, the band is in our faces and the singer is right in the throng, initially resplendent in snappy green shades.

Unfortunately, it’s his vocals that, as the short set proceeds, are the weak link for me. Not enough power and too hidden in the mix. Maybe it sounded better at the back? That said, what was lacking in the vocal dept. was easily compensated by the excellent guitarist whose Greg Sage styled riffage was top notch and held it all together. After maybe 20 minutes only though, it all came to an abrupt end to make way for the diskofunkelectrokitschpunk… !!!

I need to see Lovvers again… they were fun and energetic, but I wasn’t getting the killer instant impact of say The Shitty Limits, UV Race or Eddy Current Suppression Ring. But I’ll be back… for more.

Pete Craven

Motion Skatepark, Bristol
09.10.09

The primary hype surrounding Groove Armada’s latest album, Black Light, is the promise of the darkest reinvention of sound yet from these already interstellar producers. And immediately after entering their ill lit arena, surrounded by the ominous towering ramps that make up Motion’s BMX area (and never ceasing to be amused at the intoxicated cougars trying to climb up them), the persistent juxtaposition of dark and light was impossible to ignore.

This is a group that produced At The River remember, that song that winds up on every chill out album that’s ever released ever ever, the same song that post-modern pornographers Marks And Spencer use to sleaze up their strawberry cheesecake. As lovely as it is, and as delicious as that cheesecake probably is baby, it’s the furthest thing imaginable from ‘dark’. So as the small, but significant lights dance around, like ghosts looking for pac-man in a cool new game with transitions, the crowd seemed ready for the sound to follow suit.

For the most part, I wasn’t at all disappointed, and the crowd as a collective mass of grooving bodies, awkward cougars and all shook the fuck out of Bristol clearly wasn’t unimpressed either. The new songs, many of which fronted by Saint Saviour sounded close to glorious and nothing like whatever preconception you may have had of Groove Armada. Imagine the combination of heaven and hell that Royksopp explored earlier this year with Robyn, except there is a still a faint but oh so randy smell of funk that only the founders of Lovebox could exude. Of course, old funky classics like Chicago sounded as timeless as ever, even in this new, errm, non-light.

What bothered me, only ever so slightly, was the sound quality. Tom and Andy’s work has always been something so sonically rich that it needs to be heard through perfect audio devices otherwise a lot of seriously dynamic shit is lost. So for a few songs I had no idea what was going on and that most definitely isn’t the e-talking. A shame, but from what I did hear, it only strengthened my desire to hear more of the new, darker, deeper, take your hand and smile as we go through rabbit holes of funk and beats sound that Groove Armada have kept us waiting for.

Head over to their website for a taste of this new sound, Warsaw is available to download for free

Stanley.

Kentish Town Forum
14.10.09

The Ghost of A Thousand are more than a support act tonight. Much more. They command the stage with the confidence and sheer ability that the months of touring since their ‘New Hopes, New Demonstrations‘ record was release. With their matching outfits and full-on participation in circle pit antics, TGOAT set the bar very high indeed this evening.

This is a band that tinged their hardcore with full-on rock’n’roll and pummel the crowd into submission with their intense riffery and near-perfect propelling drumbeats. The band’s stance however is rather more anti-violent than the heavy nature of their music might suggest as they encourage the crowd to hug an high-5 each other in the culmination of a ‘wall of death’ that would usually end in carnage. The band sound beefy tonight and this is just a hint of the direction they’re moving in.

Four Year Strong sound a bit messy in comparison. Their effervescent pop-rock with an edge is bubbly and bright but does not convey the same amount of vigour or talent as TGOAT’s music does tonight. Still, it’s enjoyable enough and there seems to be plenty of people into it, singing along.

Anti-Flag‘s long-standing tradition of politically-minded punk-rock provide yet another completely different facet of musical input to the night. Songs like ‘Die For Your Government‘ emit raw punk vibe of the old school variety and provide a little contrast to the other acts featured tonight. They are nothing new, that’s for sure, but they actually sound refreshing in this context, if a little out of place.

Alexisonfire are very clearly the main event tonight. The band have gone from strength to strength with each of their four albums and their live following reflects this growth. An enthused crowd is singing their heart out as soon as Dallas opens his mouth. And new tracks are received with the very same amount of fervour as the old classics. His silky smooth vocals paired with George’s (more gravelly and gutteral than it used to be) enthused yelp satisfies the hardcore and the melodic with ease and versatility. All in all, the crowd response is uproarious and rightly so. The whole reaction is clearly fuelling the band’s performance with George bouncing around on stage like a child who consumed too many E numbers. The biggest singalong hits prove to be newie ‘Young Cardinals‘ and ‘Crisis‘-era ‘We Are The Sound‘ and ‘This Could Be Anywhere In The World‘.

The band take it further back to their roots as it passes 11pm and they show no sign of flagging. ‘Accidents‘ provides a massive woooooah singalong. Older tracks also dominate the encore as Alexis climax in a finale that proves they’re at the top of their game and worthy of every smidgen of adulation poured on them.

Winegums.