The crew at Three Amigos, Camden’s reknowned SOS hit up Unit 1 recently and made this fun edit in just an hours filming session!
Have a look below for indoor action from amigos Tim Prozorov, Cameron Allen-Snow, Felix Coonan, Peter Makarski and Science Skateboards’ smooth operator Ben Cruickshank. While you’re at it, check out their other recent edit that features five minutes of footage gathered over the last few months. Good shit.
Les Savy Fav
London Electric Ballroom
22.11.10
Photo: Chico Hooke
Well, better late than never. Les Savy Fav have been visiting our shores for at least a decade, but it is only tonight – after previously missing out for various reasons – that I will finally clap eyes on the gloriously unhinged NYC art-rockers. Their shows – and in particular, the actions of vocalist Tim Harrington – are fast becoming the stuff of legend, but as far as LSF are concerned, it’s best to expect the unexpected.
I thought The Bronx were a crazy bunch, but they have nothing on these guys. There aren’t many bands around whose singer would start their set by dressing in pyjamas and pretending to doze off on a table placed in the centre of the stage. Said table gives way just as Harrington’s bandmates arrive, and all hell breaks loose in the crowd as they rip into ‘Excess Energies’, the band’s abrasive sound providing a suitably visceral soundtrack for the madness that unfolds.
Whatever Harrington is on, I want some. During the rare moments that he’s actually onstage, he’s busy tearing nipple holes in his t-shirt, climbing around the lighting rig like some kind of punk rock gorilla, or even piggybacking his band’s guitarists onto upturned monitors whilst simultaneously bellowing his way through ‘The Sweat Descends’. Most of the time, he’s romping around the venue with a wide-eyed sense of adventure, engaging in all manner of random anecdotes and chats with the audience, who rightfully greet him as one of their own.
You’d think that all these antics would somewhat distract from the music, but the band’s ‘Root For Ruin’ album is arguably one of this year’s finest, and the likes of ‘Appetites’ and the understated ‘Sleepless In Silverlake’ sound superb tonight. Ultimately, Les Savy Fav’s main strengths lie in their songs, their fan-friendly approach, and their ability to put on a fantastic show that without resorting to any clichéd pyro/explosions nonsense. Check them out whilst you can – this is genius of the most demented kind.
Alex Gosman
Trash Talk, Cerebral Ballzy
The Barfly
22.11.10
A word from the promoter before the show lets us know that this event is a couple of tickets away from selling out. It seems they completely underestimated something along the way as we get into the upstairs room to find it at possibly the fullest I’ve ever seen. Even for support act Cerebral Ballzy, it’s a bit of a strain to get any sort of view at all. And forgive us, but we don’t fancy being too near the front given both bands’ reputations for hurling objects (and themselves) into the crowd as well as a tendency to puke / spit / generally emit bodily fluids when on stage. Despite being confined to a small square near the back of the venue, it’s still possible to enjoy Cerebral’s exuberant take on old-skool punk rock and hardcore as they barrel through upbeat songs about “drinking til you puke”, “not having enough money to pay for the tube” and “girls”. It’s certainly obvious these guys are basically kids but that’s what makes their reinvention of the genre so potent and fun.
Trash Talk have pretty much lived in the UK this year and it’s clearly a big deal to them that this will be their last show in the UK until summer 2011. Even though that doesn’t seem so far away, I think it’s safe to say that the UK will be a touch more boring without their perpetual presence. Their music is somewhat darker than what has preceded tonight and menacing basslines are coupled with frenetic drumbeats and vocalist Lee Spielman’s shouty/screechy/growly sounds. Throughout the set, the mic is passed to audience members etc as Spielman literally climbs the walls of the venue (seriously, what is he holding on to?!) It’s almost as if the wirey, long-haired singer has been re-incarnated as Spiderman as he flips around, bouncing off the walls. Trash Talk have managed to carve themselves a niche in the live scene in the UK, somehow attracting indie kids and metallers alike to their frenetic live show and it’s safe to say that many will be awaiting their return with baited breath.
Winegums