Category: Music

Electric Ballroom
06.05.08

Death Cab For Cutie are one of those bands that you know will always be with you. You liked them from a while back and they just continue to better themselves with each and every album. And they’re creative so always making music (even if it’s other collaborations or solo projects) and hardworking so often on tour. One of life’s constants. Well, as constant as a band can be.

So their ‘intimate’ show at the Electric Ballroom was bound to be a success. These guys are just pros. There’s no need for chatter or banter with the audience, the songs speak for themselves and Death Cab just get on with it. The understated epic nature of new single I Will Possess Your Heart followed the sweet simplicity of I Will Follow You Into The Dark mid-set to provide the core of the evening. A smattering of oldies rewarded those folks who’ve been with the band the longest or have made the effort to get to know their entire catalogue with the heart-melting 405 being whipped out of the bag for the band’s substantial encore. It’s gems like this that make you remember why you fell in love with this band in the first place.

A few of the newer songs didn’t seem to really add much to proceedings but that’s always the way when bands first play new material. And the generally seamless flow of the set made up for any slight blips. Narrow Stairs may not have the instantaneous appeal that Plans had but its deftly crafted in the way that all Death Cab songs are and will no doubt become a treasured collection of songs in many an indie fan’s collection. It’s the fact that this band can draw on such an extensive catalogue that will always make their live performances special. A mixture of old and new is where it’s at and these Seattlites know it. Couple this with their flawless musicianship and ability to create the most beautiful of songs and you’re bound to have a near perfect performance every time.

Sarah Maynard

Bang Gang DJs
Bumblebeez

Cargo, London
15.05.08

The Vice-led Stag & Dagger night featured a huge number of acts spread across 15 venues in East London, but as soon as I heard that Bumblebeez and A-Trak were playing Cargo, I knew that the other venues wouldn’t be graced with my presence.

Now, I think the Bumblebeez album is good, but haven’t listened to it as much as I should have for one reason or another, but after this set, I’m going to be spinning it like some kind of circus entertainer with his plates. The huge bass reverberated around Cargo as they bounded on stage to Clubb Clubb and the noise didn’t weaken throughout their set, the highlights of which were Dr Love, Rio and Radio Fabulous.

After their ever-dancing DJ had finished her post-band set, A-Trak took to the stage and got the Hoxtonites moving in that spastic don’t-drop-the-tray way that they do. Jokes aside, though the crowd could have been more live, the atmosphere was great and with the Canadian dropping everything from electro to dubstep, hip hop to bassline, the energy was cranked right up and stayed there throughout. Highlights of the set were hearing Jaylib, Daft Punk, Benga, DJ Assault’s Bounce That Ass and the infamous Papa Roach electro tune that’s now doing the rounds all over the place.

Following A-Trak isn’t an easy task, especially when quite a few people left when he was done, but Australia’s Bang Gang DJs got those who stayed pumping their fists with their large dose of basslines. Admittedly I didn’t stay that long, but in the half an hour they were playing when I was about, it was a fittingly heavy end to the night.

Abjekt

London Camden Underworld
12/5/08

On entering the Underworld at the painfully un-rock n’ roll hour of 8pm, it’s heartening to see that the majority of those present have forsaken the comfort of bar area to go and watch Latitude. It proves a wise decision, as the band’s thunderous post-rock assault proves highly compelling; with musical self-indulgence kept to a minimum in favour of cavernous riffs that seem to burst out of nowhere and threaten to swallow you up. Promising stuff.

It seems odd that Rolo Tomassi aren’t more widely known, given that the likes of the NME have given them their seal of approval. That said, it’s unlikely that the electro/punk hipster crowd will be warming to the Sheffield crew anytime soon, not least because Rolo Tomassi are fucking terrifying. They mix ultra-abrasive, polyrhythmic hardcore à la Converge with all manner of disjointed electronic trickery; the end result sounding like a computer not so much breaking down as fighting back. Uneasy listening? Yes, and impressively so.

Horse The Band have been dubbed ‘Nintendocore‘, due to keyboard player Erik Engstrom’s use of Game Boy sound chips to replicate the sound of early video games. Call them what you will, but it’d take a churlish punter to deny that an evening with Horse The Band are about as much fun as you can have with your (very sweaty) clothes on. Although they have little more than a cult following on these shores, said cult is highly dedicated; kicking up a maelstrom in the pit and roaring along to the likes of ‘Cutsman‘ (influenced by the ‘Mega Man‘ video game, no less) with the fervour of an over-caffeinated child clamouring for their Playstation back.

“You with the freakishly long arms – quit trying to grab my balls!” growls vocalist Nathan Winneke; a man blessed with a wonderfully sarcastic sense of humour. Well, sir, if you will let your bassist prance around in a ridiculously tight vest and short shorts, you can’t blame us all for feeling a bit, erm, frisky. By the time HTB close with the disco stomp of ‘Sex Raptor‘ (!), it’s clear that they’re treading a fine line between the sublime and the ridiculous. Fortunately, they’re doing it very well.

Alex Gosman

Scala
13.05.08

Every so often you’re in the audience for a show that reminds you just why you love music, and just how great an experience a gig can be. The crowds packed into Scala last night for Finch‘s comeback show were treated to just such an experience, with a set that ripped through the venue, emotions careering off every wall, guitar chords whipping through the audience as Nate Barcalow and his screamo crew bought the crowd to their knees.

Having blasted onto the scene in 2002 with their Mark Trombino produced album What It Is To Burn – Finch were a band who combined beautifully written melodies and intelligent lyrics with searing aggressive screamo. Sell out tours and the festival rat run followed before they returned to the studio for their second album. Having parted company with Trombino , they went it alone and took their time to produce the difficult second child ‘Say Hello to Sunshine‘. A new drummer and 3 labels later (Drive Thru, MCA and then Geffen) and things started to fall apart. Rumours of in-fighting, lacklustre performances at GIAN and a general sense of impending doom seemed to hover around them, until February 19th 2006 when it was officially announced they were taking a ‘indefinite break’. It was all over……or so we thought.

Fast forward to October 25th 2007, a blog goes is posted on their My Space by guitarist Randy Strohmeyer “Finch are back! It’s true!” And so we’ve waited, impatiently, for the California five piece to cross the Atlantic and give us our fix, and after a 3 year break they came back to London stronger than ever. With 2 new members (Drew Marcogliese on drums and Daniel Wonacott on bass) the band take to the stage after sets from Envy On The Coast and Armour for Sleep – both of whom play perfunctory decent sets, but it’s a shame for them that juxtaposed next to the jagged, nerve searingly raw talent of Finch, they come off as just rather lukewarm, lightweight emo outfits. Tonight the headliners are the real deal, as they throw themselves into New Beginnings – the wall of sound punches off the stage, hitting your ears and enveloping you in jagged melodies, the bass pounding in your chest as Nate Barcalow tears up and down the stage, pacing, spinning, throwing himself on the floor to scream out lyrics as though they physically hurt him to spit them out.

This evening we’re treated to tracks old and new – with Post Script, Ink, Untitled, Stay With Me and Perfection Through Silence all highlights of a set that we could have watched all night. Three Simple Words whips its way around you, with Barcalow leaning out over the audience to growl “With my hands around your neck..who will stop me now?” as the front rows go into overdrive, and the already insane mosh pit turns up another gear. They even belt out ‘Letters to You’ – a rarity despite it’s popularity. Alex ‘Grizz’ Linares is rocking out on the left of the stage, totally immersed in the sound, whilst Strohmeyer bounding around the stage, a grin plastered on his face.

It’s a welcome return to form from a band who tonight left their support bands trailing in their wake. With a new EP landing on July 15th, hopefully Finch have found the perfect formula with their new line up. What It Is To Burn wraps up the night, leaving the crowds reluctant to leave, desperate for just one more track. With such a fervent fanbase after a 2 year hiatus, it’s clear that Finch are still very much in demand, their sound is still one step ahead of their contemporaries, and they’re still very much a force to be reckoned with.

Dee Massey
Photo by Ashley Gorsis