Category: Music

Dan Le Sac v Scroobious Pip
Dingwalls
18.04.07

“Who likes UK hip hop?” said Scroobious Pip from under his trucker cap. “Well we don’t because its shit.” Now, I didn’t like this talentless waster before the set started and as soon as he said that, the opinion was cemented.

Furthermore, slating chart music whilst you’re in them yourself and clearly reaping the rewards of it, makes you a hypocritical oaf. Yes, I said it, oaf. Besides all this, the beats were awful and the rapping reminded me of Sole – absolutely no cadence whatsoever. My mate said Pip was “UK Anticon” and I have to agree. Gutted.

Enough wasted words on him, the stage was finally set for El Producto to reign supreme. As the intro to Tasmanian Pain Coaster began with Mr Dibbs on the decks, a live guitarist and keyboard player flanking him on either side and The Mighty Quin providing the hype man duties, all decked out in camo with face-covering balaclavas, El’s voice could be heard to the side.

As soon as the beat came in, an orange boiler suited El, complete with blood all over his face, bounded on stage and let rip. Flowing straight into Smithereens, El got the crowd as hyped as possible until he unleashed the anthem – Deep Space 9mm.

Hearing the infamous Rawkus line [if you don’t know it, get googling!] sent the packed out Dingwalls into a frenzy and from that point on there was no let up. The set consisted mostly of the new album I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead, which was absolutely fine considering it’ll be a hard push to top that album this year. Up All Night got the entire crowd jumping, Flyentology got us singing and the booming basslines of Run The Numbers and Drive just whipped up the atmosphere even further.

Hearing Stepfather Factory live was something of a highlight, as he didn’t perform it last time I saw him, and I wasn’t let down as it was every bit as furiously cynical live as it is on record. Towards the end of the set we were treated to the brilliantly titled Poisenville Kids with the capacity crowd filling in the Cat Power parts and “woo”ing the chorus back at the New Yorker. And by coming back on for a second time and playing Fantastic Damage‘s awesome Tuned Mass Damper, El had given us the most complete, compelling, sweat-inducing and bone aching set he possibly could.

When he ended the night by saying he had not had a show as good as this for ages, despite the fact he probably said it on every date of the tour, you believed him. Deep Space 9mm son, keep smilin’.

Abjekt
Photos by Zac Slack.

Comeback Kid
Beat Union
Astoria
02.03.07

Every time Alexisonfire release a record, the content is always highly commendable. Not simply just because its good music (which it is), but also because Alexisonfire are one of those bands that just don’t change.

They grow, they mature and they improve but they have not once sacrificed any area of their sound to adhere to the ‘practicalities’ of becoming mainstream. Where I once respected, say, Armor For Sleep and Lifetime for the same reasons, we all know that their next major label records will be as pop rock as Fall Out Boy and New Found Glory were three years ago (don’t get me started on the scenes THEY came from…).

Anyway, the point is, the respect I have for this group is one of the reasons I was so excited by the fact that they completely sold out the Astoria. And there were no tickets in reserve this time; the venue was so jam-packed that even the support bands’ guestlists were halved.

(Un)fortunately I missed dubious new wave Brummie rockers Beat Union‘s set, but apparently they kicked up a good fuss, because by the time Victory Records’ Comeback Kid hit the stage the crowd were absolutely wetting themselves. Elbows flying and nails clawing their way to the front just to thrash around a little bit closer to these crazy metal boys. Their set was amiable, although slightly amateur – vocals a little less menacing than on the record and guitarwork fumbling over itself at times, this nervousness can probably be attributed to the fact that this was this band’s first really important overseas performance.

Of course, after Comeback Kid came the agonising 40 minute wait for the headliners to restart the riot. I was toying with the idea of detailing every movement onstage between the two acts just to pull something original out of this review but realised you would probably only skip the paragraph anyway. And so, after a short wait, Alexisonfire literally bounded into view, shorts and all, to re-energise the crowd with a mixed set list of all three of their records. Yet another reason to adore them, by the way, because they’re one of the few bands I know of that have released that many albums and are still proud to put as much effort into their old material.

Witnessing Alexisonfire onstage is always quite relieving. They put on a passionate, crowd-destroying show still unrivaled by anyone they’ve ever played alongside here in the UK, and you can always rely on them for hitting all the right notes. Obviously I am incredibly biased (in case you didn’t notice the halo I drew around them five years ago), but so what, I’m pretty sure the 2000 spectators clapping in the Astoria auditorium sweatbox tonight would certainly agree.

Cathy Reay
Photo from www.myspace.com/alexisonfire