Bullet Union & Comanechi
Cargo, London
31.10.05
It feels like ever since The White Stripes introduced the concept of two-piece rock bands to the world they’ve been coming out of the woodwork with alarming regularity. Death From Above 1979, Winnebago Deal, Lightning Bolt, Grabba Grabba Tape and now Comanechi have all stripped down rock to it’s brittle bare bones, removing any fat and blubber and going right to the core of the music. And while this approach undoubtedly throws new style and sounds into the basic rock formula, you can’t help sometimes thing ‘where’s your mates? Couldn’t you find enough people to form a complete band?’ Take Comanechi for instance. There’s no doubting the fact that they would benefit from having a bass player to pin down their sloppy, flaying noise rock. Tonight they are loud and abrasive and wild but they could be so much better.
In direct contrast, Bullet Union are a tightly sprung coil of energy that instantly explodes across the stage on impact, taking their love of Dischord post-hardcore and San Diego based Hot Snakes/Drive Like Jehu guitar noise and moulding it into something that is very much their own. Tonight they are better than they have ever been. Maybe it’s the fact that they’ve already played one gig earlier tonight and they are still buzzing from the adrenalin but they play with such power and passion that thoughts like ‘this is the best band in London‘ keep flashing through your mind. Right now Bullet Union are on a mission to play as many gigs as possible so expect them to arrive in a town near you soon and don’t miss them.
It’s Halloween tonight and the ghouls are out in force to subject themselves to the horrifying noise that is Part Chimp. They arrive onstage in-front of a screen that pumps out blood and guts images from ‘The Evil Dead’ and the like and proceed to unleash tidal waves of crushing noise that have the less masochistic members of the audience cowering at the back with their fingers in their ears. However, it’s very easy to just focus on how loud Part Chimp are when actually, buried underneath the dense, thick slabs of sound are almost hidden, part whispered melodies and guitar harmonics that show depth and variety in the music that others might miss. Take forthcoming single ‘New Cross‘ for example; while the abrasive volume may stop it bothering the charts and you’re not likely to see Part Chimp on Top Of The Pops just yet, it does hold a killer melodic hook that works against the swirls of noise nicely. And that’s Part Chimp all over. Scratch beyond the surface and you’ll be surprised what you may find.
James Sherry