A week to the day and i finally find the time to get round to posting the review of the gig at Stereo from Someone’s In the Wolf favourites Suplex The Kid last thursday night.
As i promised last week the key word and best descriptive word here will be STENTORIAN. For those unaware of the meaning of this adjective have a look here.
But here’s the review…
“Suplex The Kid are sandwiched between another two acts at Stereo tonight. Taking the stage between opening act “The Minor Operations” and headliners “Thula Borah“. I only caught the last two or three songs from The Minor Operations but it was a good enough start to the night. Their final track began like The Prodigy before changing into something totally different but kept the audience entertained. As for Thula Borah, i had to leave the gig early so only got the chance to hear a few of their tracks. Their throttling sound definitely appealed to me from what i briefly heard so i’ll be checking them out live again in the near future.
Suplex The Kid take to the stage in a quiet enough manner. But don’t be deceived by the look of these guys though as they’re more than capable of punishing your brains sound system to it’s limit and that’s exactly what they set out to do tonight. This is only the second time i’ve caught them live so i still have a massive sense of excitement as i jump outside for a quick smoke before their set starts. Their setlist tonight consists of circa 2009 tracks “We Heard The Shots From Your House”, “Sol A Una Tormenta”, “A Rise and Fall of a Hero” and the epic “Rebuild The Machines” from last years epic “The Trinity Test” EP.
With the microphones pushed to one side of the stage the band prepare themselves for the pulverising show they are about to produce. They say hello and then proceed to effortlessly glide between songs with a group sense of musical tightness that belies what has been their relatively short existence so far. They charge and blast their way through the crunching riffs that steadily become louder and heavier to the point of sounding more deafening than war. Yet throughout all the shuddering atmospherics created they never ever once lose that sense of melody that seems to be steadily becoming their trademark. That’s what really appeals to me about STK, the melodies. They aren’t just your run of the mill post rock/shoegaze heavy instrumental band who churn out standard noise and riffs. They’re so much more. And they don’t need vocals, not when they have the arsenal of mesmerizing songs from their two EPs at their disposal. At times the music reminds me of a film soundtrack, it’s almost apocalyptic sounding. If this is what the end of the world sounds like then someone hit the nuke button now. I really like the ideas of visuals playing behind STK during their music and i can see that happening at future gigs. The music is perfectly suited to that idea.
Their short performance does everything and more to justify the build up i’ve been giving of them to friends. They finish the set with what seems like a wall of feedback…..or do they? Just when it seems the gig might be over that monstrous bass kicks back in and then it’s another wall of feedback, one last big four pronged attack and then they’re gone. I just wish they could have played for longer.
I get the feeling this band are the reason the word stentorian was created. I swear i saw a pillar move as they shook the basement of Stereo to it’s very core. I’m glad i stood down the front. My ears have never been so willingly assaulted.”
Here’s a few pix of the show courtesy of their facebook page. Head on over to keep up to date with all things Suplex.
It’s been a slow start to the year for me gig wise. It started off well enough with Suplex The Kid bringing the noise and bursting ear drums at King Tuts on the 4th but it kinda petered out after that and i had a gig-less few weeks. To be fair i was concentrating on recording and writing new material for some music projects but i can honestly say that apart from the Penguins Kill Polar Bears on the 12th (also at King Tuts) and the Aspen Tide gig at the Classic Grand the day after, both of which unfortunately i couldn’t make due to family commitments, nothing else had caught my eye enough to really make me wanna desperately go. Well, there was the Mogwai shows last week that i couldn’t make due to having pretty much fuck all money!
But there was a light at the end of the tunnel in the form of the bewitching Withered Hand in action at Stereo once again. This was one i couldn’t miss so the penniless me bravely whipped out my credit card, bought my tickets online and sauntered on down with my friends Luisa and Shinead. Last time we caught him live it was a solo show and it was heartbreakingly magnificent. This time it was a full band effort. The songs were let loose from their “acoustic only” home. Flesh was put onto the bones of the melodies and lyrical themes of the very self aware and self condemning Dan Wilson. The extra beef on the songs only serving to maximise THAT voice. He requires, no, DEMANDS your attention with his vocals and lyrics. You, no matter who you are, will be able to relate to something he’s written in one of his many laments. That relation factor is key when it comes to his live shows. Everyone and i mean everyone (well apart from the really talkative moron down front) wants to listen, wants to hear, to relate to Wilson ( a certain female friend *cough cough* Luisa! *cough* wants to do other things too but they shall remain unspoken on here!) and his vulnerable voice. Whilst i did really really enjoy the full band experience of Withered Hand and his more than talented backing group i couldn’t help but get just that bit more spine tingley when he took to the stage himself for a number or two before being joined again by his 3 backing members. The hairs on the back of my neck just stand that bit taller when it’s just him and his guitar and that’s no disrespect to the friends who helped him out that night. They were all amazing musicians and the songs sounded awesome with that little bit more added. It just that i love how comfortably uncomforatble Dan Wilson is when performing on his own. It gives the tracks that extra meaning. But maybe that’s just me and to be honest i’ll go see Withered Hand either way. Solo or full band, it makes no difference. In the words of a certain Malcolm Middleton…..“Thank fuck for Withered Hand”.
So after a rather quiet January on the live music front things are about to get a whole lot more busier……
The mysterious, cultish, dare i say revolutionary Wu Lyf fly on into town on their magic carpet tonight. The Manchester quartet are sure to live up to their almost shamanic reputation.
“Mostly performing at Manchester cafe/cultural hub An Outlet and St.Peters church, mysterious Manchester foursome Wu Lyf come to Glasgow for a rare appearance outside of their hometown.
An acronym for World Unite – Lucifer Youth Foundation, the band – and their fanbase – have spent the past year baffling the media with a two frustratingly disfunctional websites and a barren Myspace, all the while brewing an air of revolutionary fervour through their rampant, scattered internet messages of poetry and art. With a Facebook page that reads like quasi-cult propaganda, the band encourage listeners to ‘join the LYF’ and, with fans uploading their own images boasting flags and even a tattoo, their mysterious presence – or marketing gimmick – has been debated in publications from The Guardian to NME.
Gimmicks aside, with thrumming organ chords and vocals somewhere between a grungey, Michael Gira-esque growl and a Julian Casablancas-esque stylised rasp, their clutch of lo-fi tracks available online range from the scuzzy to the inspired, showing glimpses of the melodic indie sensibility of Arcade Fire and Wolf Parade as well as lines of distinctively Mancunian, fluid, echoing guitars, reminiscent of the best of the city’s musical glory days.”
I know as much about this band as the next person….which is not a lot. All i know is that i’m looking forward to them kickstarting a gig laden couple of months for me. I’m going to this gig on the back of hearing a handful songs, all of which are laden with the kind of mystique and presence that guarantees tonights show should be a special one.
If you wanna join “The Lyf” then look no further for your initiation than here where you can Buy $hit and join up.
I’ll be doing a post this weekend about the upcoming gigs that i’ll be attending this spring. There are ones i already have tickets for, ones that i want to have tickets for and one’s that i’ve only just found about it and HOPE to be able to get tickets for. Be sure to check it out, you might find yourself attending a few.
Yes it’s been a while, almost a week exactly, since i got to sit down and even consider a post. There’s been a lot going on, mainly gigs and stuff but there was also the long awaited visit from one of my best friends Keane. He’s been studying in Dundee (you may remember i posted about going to visit him in September) and has hardly had the time to see friends back down here in Glasgow so it was a massive plus that we could go to the Deftones gig together when he was back “home”. I bought him a ticket as his birthday present.
So, to the Deftones gig.
It was a while since the Deftones last played here in Glasgow and i could feel the anticipation building in the crowd from the moment i entered the arena. The chants of “Chino! Chino!” ring around the hall before the band have even contemplated hitting the stage. In fact the mere site of a soundman coming on to clear some debris after the support act (Coheed and Cambria for those interested…i wasn’t) have finished is enough to provoke adoring screams for the Sacramento quintet. When they do finally take to the stage the roar is deafening. All 5 members look genuinely awed and grateful at the reaction of they’re adoring Glasgow public. The crowd itself is made up of all sorts of people. Old die hard fans and new fans alike. There’s the skaters, students, girlfriends who look like they’ve been forced along, rap fans, frustrated nu-metallers, young girls who have clearly only heard new album “Diamond Eyes” mixed in with the older generation who are desperate to hear tracks off “Adrenaline” but isn’t that what it’s all about? Deftones are at a really good point in their career now were they have the luxury of being able to gain new fans AND still be able to hold on to the old ones. Those girls who knew every word to every song off of “Diamond Eyes” but no other ones will now go and check out the bands back catalogue (if they hadn’t already) and immerse themselves in this great bands history. This can only be good for the Deftones future. Oh and there was one guy who looked about 70. I’m assuming he misread the sign outside the O2 Academy and thought Dick Dale’s backing band The Deltones were playing. He seemed to enjoy himself anyway. So did i. From the moment they opened with “Rocket Skates” the mood was set. This was going to be one LOUD and pumped up, throat shredding show from Mr Moreno and his gang. They plowed and blitzed their way through a perfect set that ranged from “quieter” number such as Digital Bath onto the aggressive tracks like Lotion and many more. If i was to be picky i’d only have one kinda complaint…that nothing off debut album “Adrenaline” was aired but when they play a classic mix of old and new tracks so well then how can i even comtemplate complaining really. My favourite moment was early on in the show when there was a back to back segment of “Around The Fur”, “My Own Summer” and “Be Quiet and Drive” and “Lotion”. With the album “Around The Fur” being my favourite Deftones album there was nothing more i could ask for really. Well except maybe Max Cavalera making a special appearance for a version of “Headup”. One can but dream!
There was one notable absentee from the show. Original bassist Chi Cheng is still making slow progress from his car accident 2 years ago. Sergio Vega, however, was a more than able replacement. I know i’ve posted this link before but i’ll do it again….oneloveforchi. Please help out.
There’s some footage of the Glasgow gig on YouTube at the moment but it’s not the best quality so here’s one from the recent tour of the USA and Canada a few months back before they embarked on Europe. I think this is fantastic quality for a fan made video.
The Deftones gig was on Friday passed. Last night there was the small matter of Edinburgh troubadour Withered Hand at Stereo. Armed with a sore throat and a guitar he resolutely took to the stage and single handedly stole my heart…along with the rest of the crowds too. He holds his small but ever swelling fan base in the palm of his hand during live shows. All attention is focussed purely on this fragile yet strong voice. It’s the first time i’ve managed to see him live. The closest i’d came before was YouTube clips. It’s safe to say i wasn’t disappointed. He blissfully sang his way through a performance of odes that reached out and touched people who know exactly where he is coming from with his thought provoking and sometimes darkly humoured lyrics. A one man show for Scotland to be proud of.
Last night i was supposed to be going to see The Blood Arm at Captains Rest but alas i was defeated by man flu and had to refrain. Which is a shame cos i was looking forward to catching these guys live.
Tonight it’s Gold Panda at King Tuts. I’ve seen him live before and his blend of weirdness and electronics should have the King Tuts crowd in a jitterbug dancey state. I’m excited. Just hope the flu clears up at least a bit.
On Friday, London’s Ex Libras roll back in to town after their successful show at The 13th Note back in May. This time it’s the turn of The Buff Club sound system to be treated to their unique blend of “post break beat” attacks as the band continue with their tour of the UK in support of the recently released “Cut(s)” EP.
Saturday i’m off to Kilmarnock for the EP launch of Mechanical Smile. A few of my friends play in the band so it’s good to see the guys get another night to celebrate their music in style. They filmed their first music video a few weeks back. As soon as it hits YouTube i’ll be sure to post it. Meanwhile, here’s a live version.
And on Sunday it’s the big one. The 6 or 7 hour long relaxed eclectic minimal electro night at the O2 ABC. Headlined by Caribou who is ably backed by Four Tet, Nathan Fake, James Holden and Rocketnumbernine. I’m going to work my way through a lot of weed at this one i can guarantee that. I’ve long been looking forward to seeing Four Tet, James Holden and Nathan Fake live once again. But seeing them all together on the same night will be extra special. Caribou and Rocketnumbernine are acts as i’ve yet to experience live so that’s something to really look forward to.
O.Children live at Nice N Sleazys was a proposition i couldn’t afford to miss out on.
I’ll be honest i wasn’t even aware the band were playing in Glasgow until i was casually dragging my cheap converse down Argylle Street and noticed a torn poster bearing the bands name and gig details. And that was it, before i know it i was there.
O.Children are a band i’ve only really gotten into over the last year or so. I first came across the band when reading an article in Artrocker magazine. The first song i heard of theres was Ruins and i was almost immediately taken in by the pulsating, constant rhythm of the track and the synths that gave the song a wash over of gothic knowingness. Their influences were clear from the get go. Bauhaus, The Cure and Joy Division. Then when you take into account that they’re named after a Nick Cave song it all starts to make sense. I was sold.
Their debut album came out in July this year. By that time i had heard “Dead Disco Dancer” and “Radio Waves” alongside the aforementioned “Ruins”. So i stuck on my headphones and settled down onto the couch. One full album listen later and i was engrossed in their sound to the point of playing it three to four times a day. Every listen offering new avenues of love, fear and heartbreak with a strong image of the dark side of the 80’s shining through. Just like Interpol, Stellastarr and She Wants Revenge before them this band are proud to keep their dark wave influences and heroes in full view.
That was then, this is now. The band stand patiently on the edge of coolness, waiting for that big break and it’s coming their way sometime soon. They’ve already taken a step towards the hip side of things in the form of being remixed by ultra hipster electro mini gods and famed remixers The Golden Filter.
But enough bigging them and the album up. Could they cut it live?
Silly question, of course they could!
Armed with their debut album and a sense of fashion that The Horrors could only wish they had O’Children and their frontman Tobi O’Kandi bring an immediate presence to the small dingy basement area of the Nice n Sleazys venue. I’ve seen many a band in here but i somehow feel something special is brewing. I take a look around though and discover that apart from myself and Luisa there are only another 21 people in the room. That’s including the band, ticket lady, merchandise dude and bar staff! The gig could go either way here, the band could let it get to them and play a nightmare show or use it as fire and play a blinding set. They do the latter and show an admirable amount of confidence to put on an epic, intense display. For all they care they could be playing to 14 people or 14,000 people. Who cares? The lucky ones are here tonight.
Frontman O’Kandi towers over his mic stands, lingering his giant frame in the centre of the stage and bellowing notes from the very lowest pit of his 6ft 8in structure. The voice and look that O’Kandi possesses conjure up images of Nick Cave having a baritone contest with Mark Lanegan in the body of an even taller male version of Grace Jones. A nice mixture. He’s charismatic, enigmatic and hard not to love. His size alone is intriguing but you know that at the soul of this booming voice is a poet with a lyrical talent reminiscent of Ian Curtis and Robert Smith. That gives him an aura that you have to see live to truly capture and appreciate. He’s almost shaman like. The rest of the band aren’t bad either, going around their business with a sense of tightness only capapble by band members that know what each other is thinking before a chord has been struck or a drum skin even slightly brushed. The music itself evokes the darkest of emotions yet is somehow also very danceable. And although i myself refrain, from shaking my thang, the gangly singer has arms flailing and jelly legs throughout some of the more beat based numbers. Often encouraging the small devoted audience to join in with him. I’ve seen the idea of a singer using two mics before as well but not like the way O’Kandi does. He uses them to alternate between an eerie delay effect and one that shows off his deep, almost ironically evil yet dulcet tones. The sounds being produced from the amps takes over every corner of the venue and the dark mood they create makes an already darkened room just that little bit darker.
So O.Children at the moment, by next year O.Teenagers maybe? And in a few years time i would be surprised if they’re mentioned in the same breath as their peers. O.Adults anyone? The album is currently on sale for a measly 5 pounds in Fopp on Union Street Glasgow. Buy now! Bargain of the year.
We took a lot of pictures. Here’s the two i like the most.
S.I.T Wolf X
ps. if by chance the guy who was at the left of the stage the entire gig and was filming is reading this then i would appreciate a copy!
Noise pop has just raised it’s voice again. And you will listen.
Tonight i was planning on doing a review of monday nights HEALTH gig at The Arches. To be honest i’m still lost for words. But i’ll try…..
It was the 3rd time i’d seen them live but by far the best. They’ve certainly grown an unbelievable amount over the last year or so since releasing second album “Get Color”. They followed it up this year with “Disco 2” their second remix album which featured a new song “USA Boys” which has become a live staple these days. I still can’t describe the feeling i get when i see them live. I feels almost epic. Imagine every genre of music you’ve heard (yes, even the made up ones that seem to be churned out at least once a week) and then crush them into one single show. To me, HEALTH don’t do sets or setlists they just come on stage and do one big long mash up of music. And it’s a breath of fresh air. These guys pour everything into their shows. On record the drums are amazing, that’s one of the main attractions for me. But live? The drummer Benjamin Jared Miller is frighteningly good. Words escape me. I’ve never seen someone hit the drums with such precisely placed venom.
I’m sorry if this review was rather short/boring but i really can’t think of anything else to say other than “Wow”. Possibly gig of the year so far. Although Maybeshewill and Ex Libras (i think) are due back in Scotland later this autumn.
I don’t think there are any available MP3’s for Prayer Rug but if you follow the link to their Facebook you can listen to a few tracks. “Heavy Psych” is my fave.
Which reminds me….if anyone is interested then take a look at my own Facebook for this blog. I made it a while ago now, beginning of the summer to be exact. It’s basically just an extension of the actual blog and whenever i feel like using my own personal Facebook (which i rarely do if i’m being truthful) then i’ll always try and update the Someone’s In The Wolf page too and let people know if there are any new posts etc. I’m gonna start posting random videos i like and other stuff on it too probably just to add some variety.
Boring, i know. I hate the whole self plugging thing. But take a swatch if you want and feel free to click “like” or don’t bother. I’m not too fussed.
This will be my last post for a while (maybe like a week or so) cos today is the day i move into my new flat. As of 2pm today i’ll be the proud owner of a lovely new place in the West End of Glasgow.
The plan is we move all our stuff in today, unpack and get everything where we want it to be. Tomorrow we sort out all the necessities like bill payments, tv licence, internet connection (hopefully be back online within the week) and probably get a big shopping spree done.
And then it’s relaxation time.
Wish me luck.
I’ll try get some pictures of the new place up once we get it looking how we want it.
S.I.T Wolf X
Ps. I’ll get the mixtape up this weekend even if i have to do it at a friends house or something.
Last Friday me and my friends Simon and Morgan were driving through to Edinburgh to see Emalkay play a set at the Cabaret Voltaire. The journey was laced with dirty jokes, humorous discussions on which member of S Club 7 was the hottest (none in my opinion) and just general random banter. Morgan seems to have some obsession with trying to find out if i currently have a “thing” for anyone. By “thing” i assume she means someone i like. “You should find a girlfriend!” she shrieks, piercing my eardrum. Even though i’m sitting right next to her in the car. I, of course, keep schtum, like a gentleman should and simply offer a “yeah, actually, there is someone i really like but i’m not telling you” cos i know that’ll irritate her just that teensy bit more! Simon on the other hand freely discusses how and who he spent the previous weekend with. As he always does. Don’t you Simon? You man whore.
Simons weekend bag
Anyway the journey wasn’t just filled with inquisitive minds and stories of indulgence. It was also soundtracked by some pretty fucking amazing music. On the way there we had a mixtape that Si and myself had put together a few days beforehand. It consisted of mainly of ambient chillout music so we quickly swapped for one that i had hastily assembled just half an hour before we left for Edinburgh. It contained some Aphex Twin, Beetroots, Blue Mars, Skream, NIN, Fake Blood and of course the man we were on our way to see, Emalkay.
The gig itself was awesome. Loud, smokey, wonky, glitchy, bassy, scratchy. You know that feeling when you can feel the bass come through your feet? Well imagine that ten fold. Just what i’d hoped for. After the gig and one too many tequila it was back to the car. I genuinely felt sorry for Morgan as she had to drive an inebriated Simon and i all the way back to Glasgow whilst listening to us have a drunken but friendly disagreement about how good/shit Team Sleep are. Just for the record i’m the one who thinks they’re good. In the midst of this verbal battle Morgan had managed to somehow slip the Bring Me The Horizon “Suicide Season” album into her sound system. I didn’t even notice at first. To be honest, they’re a band that i knew about but had never actually heard anything of. Their image and reputation had kinda put me off if truth be told. But i slowly warmed to it. Bit by bit, riff by riff i was converted. One song in particlar stuck out like a sore thumb, “Death Breath”. The opening riff (and main riff throughout) chugs along like a sledgehammer. Josh Homme would be proud. That was my initial thought actually. A few of the riffs could be QOTSA-esque. A lot of bands would kill for an opening riff like that. So after we managed to get through the full “Suicide Season” album i announced, in a drunken state, “I’m gonna *hiccup* download that album *hiccup* in the morning“.
So the morning came and download i did. To my surprise when i downloaded it i was offered the chance to download another version of the album, “Suicide Season: Cut Up”. It’s an album that consists of the same songs on the original only this time they’re all remixed by artists varying from the dude from Gym Class Heroes to The Toxic Avenger. Yes, the Toxic fucking Avenger. The man’s a legend (i’ve posted a few of his tracks before, mainly in the mixtapes section i think, if you haven’t heard him check him out) so when i found out that he had done a remix i had to get both “Suicide Season” and “Suicide Season: Cut Up”. Just by sheer coincidence the song that he remixes is, yes, my favourite track “Death Breath”. He keeps THAT riff yet somehow changes the style completely by sprinkling some of his electro magic over the track. The bite and snarl of the vocals marries well with the bleeps and loops that he chooses to mingle in among the heavy rhythms.
So this is the second part of my update. Basically it takes in Aberdeen and then The Unwinding Hours gig.
I don’t have much time tonight so a summary of the Aberdeen trip is as follows:-
Being stoned in a busy car park
Dead seagulls
A lot of walking
Morrisons sandwiches
Listening to Limp Bizkit on the journey up to Aberdeen (just for nostalgia)
Shitty North Sound Radio on the way back down
Ghost stories
Morgans Spiced Rum
Getting ID’d for cigarettes (“Do i look under 18? Do those glasses work?”)
Getting a new high score on Fall Down on my iPod
Being stoned and slightly paranoid in Subway
Coffee
Getting stuck in rush hour traffic
“Yah’s”
Talking with Kurt Cobains spirit in a high street store
Lipstick marks on pint glasses….yuck
Tiny bathrooms
Early morning phone calls
Running backwards
Discussions on bizarre ways to die
Horrible take away food
Losing a hat
Losing money on quiz machines
A cravat
Getting lost in nightclub toilets
Being eyeballed by a strange, drunk man
Custom handshakes
Talking to a kind policewoman
Being stoned in a supermarket (bad idea)
Attempting to decipher the Aberdeen accent
Lots of bottles of water
Almost spending £1oo on a new iPod dock
Almost losing my tickets for The Unwinding Hours gig
Going home
So in short story form:- Aberdeen – Welcome To The North
Myself, Luisa and Keane took a road trip up to Aberdeen to see our friend Emma. Keanes girlfriend Lisa also happens to stay in Aberdeen so she kindly allowed us to stay at her place and joined us on our adventures. The original plan was to go see Emma and take in the Ex Lovers gig at The Warehouse. Unfortunately i believe said gig was cancelled but we decided to go ahead with the trip anyway. We left on the Wednesday morning, got there about 5pm on the Wednesday afternoon. That night we spent a few hours in various pubs and then onto a club. On the Thursday, those of us who braved the hangover (not you Emma!) went for lunch/dinner and then took a wander around a few shops before heading to the bus station to see off Luisa. She had to head back down on the Thursday night to make her work on the Friday. I spent the Thursday night with Emma and Gemma. It was a rather enjoyable few hours of storytelling and discussions and then it was back to the flat and tucked up in bed (the floor and a sleeping bag) for midnight. We left for home about 3pm on the Friday but not after i’d had one last stroll about Aberdeen city centre. Keane dropped me off in Glasgow about 7pm on the Friday night and it was straight to The Unwinding Hours gig at Stereo for me………
5th March, The Unwinding Hours @ Stereo
This was a gig and night that didn’t exactly go to plan. But it turned out amazing in the end. The plan was: I come back from Aberdeen, meet my brother in law Gary in Glasgow, we grab a few beers then head to The Unwinding Hours gig. Everything was going well until we got just outside the venue. I’d met Gary on time, we’d grabbed a few beers. Then i made the mistake of offering him a smoke. He hadn’t smoked in ages. Months and months. He felt really sick, really quickly and after taking my advice he decided to head off on the train home. I was on my lonesome.
Strangely though i didn’t feel awkward at all. The music kept me company. The Unwinding Hours have that knack of making comforting sounds. The epic and constant ethereal feel of the songs is more than enough company for any mere human. They recorded their debut album as a duo but live they are aptly assisted by a few more musicians. They will eventually play the album in it’s entirety over the course of the night.
The lighting makes for a warm mood. The lyrics add a somewhat sombre feel. They almost threaten to bring the place to a hush with whispery vocals in some parts before letting the songs soar again. Craig B’s lungs soar along with the music and i can feel a shiver in my spine. I take a look around and i can practically see the hairs on everyone’s necks standing up. We’re all sharing in this dream like sequence of songs together. It’s cold outside and the rain is lashing, the wind is howling but in here, downstairs in this little venue the sounds of perfection are keeping us warm and happy. And then it’s wake up time, the gig’s over but not before some more witty banter from the shy but charming frontman.
After the gig i end up chatting to a friend of one of the support bands “Olympic Swimmers”. We discuss various bands, mainly Aereogramme (if you don’t know why, you shouldn’t be reading this post.) But we end up on the subject of “slacker” music and shoegaze. Dinosaur Jr and the likes. I think it’s because i brought up a band called “A Grave With No Name” into the conversation. Get them checked out, seriously amazing band. A mixture of pianos and guitars with the wooziness of a softer My Bloody Valentine tinged with the vacant yet emotion full lyrical feel of Dinosaur Jr. And they can do sludgey shoegaze at it’s best too, just check out the song “Silver” for proof. Anyways back to the conversation, the subject of the “slacker” genre almost ultimately leads to Pavement. Alongside Dino Jr, Pavement could be credited with being pioneers of that movement. Of course there are so many others but those two stick out. So when Pavement came up i jumped straight in, “Oh my friend Emma absolutely loves Pavement….” before going on a ten minute spiel about Emma and her Pavement adoration. During this ten minute period, another few people join in, one being a member of said band “Olympic Swimmers”. He happens to mention his band have contributed to a Pavement tribute album called “Show Me A Word That Rhymes With Pavement”. It’s a free download. Find it here…http://www.filthylittleangels.com/
I know the website sounds like some sort of porn site, i was sceptical when the dude first told me. But it is genuine!
Seriously though it’s an album worth getting, especially if you’re big on Pavement. I downloaded it as soon as i got home from the gig on the Friday night and sent it straight to Emma.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that the other support act for The Unwinding Hours, a band called “Holy Mountain” were very very good. And very loud. They reminded me of a two man Kyuss. You can find a free download of an EP on there MySpace page. http://www.myspace.com/mountainholy
So that was 3 very good Scottish bands in one night. Not bad for a night that looked set to be a downer.
So that’s the update finished. And as a parting shot here’s some of ” A Grave With No Name”, just in case you couldn’t be bothered looking them up! I highly recommend the album “Mountain Debris”. The songs “Lavender” and “Silver” are my favourites but couldn’t find a video for either of them. I’ll post the actual tracks when i have time.
Apologies for the complete lack of attention i’ve being giving to the blog recently. I’ve had a fairly busy and eventful couple of weeks since i last posted. I’ve been to 4 gigs and also took a road trip to Aberdeen for a few days. I’ve put in a lot of overtime at work. I’ve helped my sister move house. I’ve gained a nice PA System. Oh and i’ve slept a lot. Exciting stuff or what?
Ok let’s see….my last post was on the 22nd February so lets begin the update from the 23rd.
23rd February
God Is An Astronaut @ Oran Mor
This gig was definitely one of the haziest i’ve ever been to. And i don’t just mean because of the smoke machines and lighting. Me and Simon somehow managed to work our way through an astronomical amount of our bag of weed. We didn’t touch one drop of alcohol all night. It was just weed, water, weed, water, weed. You get the picture. Some would maybe think that getting that stoned before and during a gig would maybe hinder or lessen the experience. Which is more than likely true in quite a few cases. But not God Is An Astronaut. It brings a whole new dimension to their music. I felt like i could almost see the music. Weird, yes? But i tend to find that with a lot of post-rock and instrumental bands. That type of music is one that heightens my aural and visual senses. It gives me visions, makes me see things, mainly colours but other things too. Just random stuff that i couldn’t describe. Not because i don’t want to but i simply don’t know how to. The band also had a screen behind them so that would have added to the visual side of things. Butterfly Explosion provided the support for God Is An Astronaut and they were the perfect build up. Two bands i’ve wanted to see live for years and here they both were together. Couldn’t ask for much more really.
Also, as a bonus (because i feel guilty about the lack of posting) here are some tracks by a few other bands i’ve really enjoyed seeing whilst under the influence of Dr Greenthumb.
This was all set to be a strange night and if truth be told, one that i was a bit nervous/sceptical about. The Grand Ole Opry you see is a Western Themed venue. See for yourself….http://www.glasgowsgrandoleopry.co.uk/
It’s more famous for it’s live country music that takes centre stage every weekend. There are also “shootouts” (not real one’s of course…i hope) and Cowboy and Indian theme nights. And there’s no bar…..oh no, there’s a saloon instead. Nice. So as you can imagine i found it very strange yet somehow appealing that an electronic instrumental band such as Errors would choose such a venue. Could it work?
Yes it could and it did. It was a brilliant gig. One that will stay in the memory for a long time. The crowd were full of nice cheery faces, a mixture of the bearded muso types and trendy indie types and their girlfriends. The only gripe i would have was the amount of time it took to get served a drink. The venue has probably never been so busy before and you could almost see the panic written across the faces of the staff. You could see that the barmaids, sorry, Saloon staff (Saloonettes?) were every but as bemused by us as we were by them. The staff is made up of mainly people that are about 50+ so it was surprising to see them cheerily bop along to the Errors chimes and beats. The new song “Rumour In Africa” seemed a favourite. It was the fourth time i’d seen Errors and they seem to be progressing at an almost perfect rate. Each album or EP becoming more expansive and complex than the previous. As the band themselves said in a recent interview it’s hard to keep making instrumental music that remains interesting and not dull. I know from experience that that is very true but they just happen make it look so easy and effortless. After the gig me and Gustav got a free taxi back to the city centre. We spotted a taxi driver stuck in a rut, well a big puddle to be more precise and decided to help him out in his hour of need. He repayed us with a fare-less journey. Nice man. We then proceeded to enter a club in Glasgow, those few hours however are a blur of strange coloured shots and plastic pint glasses.
Another great gig at the most reliable venue in Scotland. I don’t think i’ve ever left King Tuts disappointed. Ok, maybe once when my ex girlfriend happened to spill her blackcurrant and cider all over my freshly bought brand new Oceansize t-shirt but that’s all in the past. I’m over the t-shirt heartache.
The Japandroids seem to be getting a taste for this whole live headlining show malarky. They oozed charisma and charm on stage and had the crowd eating out the palms of their hands. They have anthems in waiting coming out of those amps and they’re finally just starting to truly embrace it. There was a lot of foot stomping from band and crowd alike. A lot of sweat (for once, not from me, i stayed up back this time). A lot of beer. And a lot of banter and sing-a-longs. The songs were making the crowd happy and in return the crowd’s reactions were making the Japandroids happy. Afterwards i took the option of a train home and a reasonably early night (1am) as i was up early the next morning.
The sole reason i decided to head home after the Japandroids gig and not join my friends at a club was because i had to get up early to help my sister and her family move house. In hindsight i should probably just have stayed in the night before. I had no idea how much stuff they had in that little flat of theirs! I was anticipating beds, some furniture, a dozen or so bags of random stuff, tvs etc. The usual really. What we (me, Symey, Graham and my dad) were faced with was box upon box of things. Really heavy things. I have a lot of DVDs and CDs but my collection pales into comparison with Garys (my brother in law). He’s been collecting vinyl, cassettes, CDs, VHS, DVDs, boxsets, and all other sorts of memorabilia since his pre-teen days. He’s now coming up for 28. So work that out. That’s right, about 22 years worth of stuff squeezed into about fifty million boxes. And that was just for starters. That was before we started on the really heavy stuff. And that’s just what it was just stuff. I asked Lisa what was in these heavy boxes and bags. Her reply? “Just stuff“. “What kind of stuff?” i asked. “I have the right to know what i’m lugging up and down stairs all day!” Once more the reply came, “I told you John, it’s just stuff, so just get lifting!” That was me told. So after all the “stuff” was out the way it was the turn of the sofa and wardrobes. Followed closely by the beds and baby cot. We started the moving at 10am and were finished by 4pm. That’s a fine shift if you ask me. Especially when you consider the amount of stuff to be moved and also the “sensitive” mood i was in. A hard days work followed by a night in bed and The IT Crowd Boxset. Why do i find Jen from the IT Crowd so attractive? There’s just something about her. It might be the whole ordinary girl from next door look and her sense of humour.
WARNING: This article contains the abbreviation APTBS a lot, this is an abbreviation of A Place To Bury Strangers. Some people don’t know that, isn’t that right Chris?
The build up to last nights “A Place To Bury Strangers” and “Japandroids” gig at the Captains Rest couldn’t have been worse. I wasn’t feeling too grand (the beginnings of a cold i think), i was very tired, i had sore limbs from the previous nights 5-a-side football (Andy/Begbie nearly broke my foot!) and also due to certain circumstances i was now going to the gig on my own. Looked like i was set to have a brilliant night eh?
Well, actually, yes i did.
I arm myself with my camera, my bank card and my iPod and i’m off. I make my journey to the Captains Rest accompanied by a soundtrack of the APTBS debut album and 10 Marlboro Lights. I’m still not too optimistic about the night ahead. The plan is: sneak into the venue, hope nobody spots that i’m on my own, have a few beers, listen to the music then go back to the city centre and meet up with the rest of the guys that were out. They were away to see Kasabian and Alice in Chains respectively. My opinions on them? The latter band i love and if it wasn’t for the APTBS gig being on the same night i would be at the Barra’s watching them. As for the former, i USED to love them. Their self titled debut album was amazing, just what was needed at the time in 2004, a fresh change from the drab music of the time. Then somehow Kasabian just got shit. I won’t elaborate on reasons why or go into my feelings on them, i just think they’re now Oasis in disguise. Back to last night now.
I enter the Captains Rest and shuffle straight up to the bar, order a pint of Kronenbourg then retire to the end of the bar. I’m just standing there thinking bout random things (how cool would it be to have a triangle donut? does the postman deliver his own mail? why is Robbie Williams allowed to live?) like i always do, when suddenly a dude comes up and says “nice hoodie, where’d you get it?”. He’s referring to my DFA1979 hoodie. Which, by the way, is nice, i like it 🙂 I’m only just realising that it always seems to garner attention wherever i go so maybe i’ll stop wearing it now! I’ve never been one for attention, i prefer staying in the background. Although i’m glad i wore it tonight or else i may very well have spent this gig on my own! I’ll explain..
I get chatting to him about various things for fifteen minutes or so. Music, beer, football, weed, facial hair, the usual man banter really. I find out he plays guitar and loves shoegaze-y music, a good bonus , i also enquire about his accent and discover he’s French. His name’s Romain. Just as we’re bantering away, two girls walk over. Anna and Francesca. Francesca is Romains girlfriend, she’s also French and Anna is an English girl who is helping them settle in Glasgow. I find out that they moved here in the summer. More to the point i’m just happy i’ve met people and i’m not on my own at this gig anymore! We buy a few rounds of Red Stripe then head downstairs to watch the gig. Romain hands me a strange little box, i struggle to read it in the dark, i squint and can just about see the writing on it. Eventually i recognise the writing as “A Place To Bury Strangers” and “Exploding Head”. Romain says to keep the box but to open it up first. I open it and find ear plugs in it. Romain explains that he seen APTBS live in NY last year, consequently met the band and they gave him a few of these boxes and they sometimes sell them at their gigs. How cool is that?! Anyway, i thank him for the gift but then close the box back over. There’s no way i’m going to lessen the impact that APTBS and Japandroids have on my ears, on record they are loud, live they are absolutely frighteningly loud. I like it that way. No ear plugs for me.
Japandroids @ Captains Rest 12/11/09
The Captains Rest is the perfect setting for the the noise of APTBS and Japandroids. Its tiny “sardines packed in a tin” feel brings the audience closer than any other venue i’ve ever known. Any band that i’ve seen here previously couldn’t have prepared us for what was ahead though.
Brian King: Guitars and Vox (Japandroids)
The Japandroids scramble on stage and introduce themselves, this is the Canadian duo’s first time in Scotland. They look pleasantly surprised at the amount of support they get from the crowd and then blast through a set full of punk noise the belies the capability of just two men. Brian King plays guitar and does the lions share of the vocals and David Prowse bangs the skins and screams and sings his way through his fair share of songs as well. I’ve been into the Japandroids since about March this year. I found them on Last FM and have tried my best to spread the word since. They remind me of a certain band. I’ll let you guess. Canadian? Two piece? Noise Rock? Plenty facial fuzz? Tunes to back up the punk attitude?….You got it yet? ….Make no mistake, these guys have the potential to be the new Death From Above 1979. Although to be honest i don’t like comparing bands to each other, it’s not fair on either so instead i’ll just say the Japandroids sound like they might be influenced by DFA and it’s a badge they seem to wear with pride. One things for sure though, they have a more “garage rock” feel about them then DFA, who had a more “electro” feel when they were around. I can only hope that Japandroids will be around a lot longer than DFA were and release a few more albums than their Canadian counterparts. They certainly made a perfect start with their debut album “Post Nothing”, it’s out now, get it bought. And don’t make any excuses! It’s not hard to find, i bought mine in Fopp. Like i said earlier, last nights show was the Japandroids first show in Scotland but it certainly won’t be their last, in fact they announced at the end of their set that they’ll be back over here next February. Be there. I will.
The Japandroids song “Wet Hair” is my favourite track of theirs. My band Capgras covered it back in August and we changed the lyrics from “Wet Hair” to “Red Hair” and dedicated it to Si’s girlfriend!
VIDEO: Japandroids – Wet Hair
And now in the words of Japandroids drummer David Prowse “I hope you’re ready to have your face melted by A Place To Bury Strangers, you’ll lose brain cells if you’re down the front, they make us sound like an acoustic folk duo”. Brain cells? Lose? Down the front? That’s me fucked then. In all seriousness though that is mighty words coming from a guy whose band just about tore the ceiling off with their noise decibels. After all the roadies and guitar fiddler guys have left and the stage is good to go we move to part two of the gig. Enter stage left A Place To Bury Strangers. The dry ice ascends and the red mist covers the stage. My first thought is how the band have managed to fit on stage. Their amps are massive and the the pedals are spread out all over the floor, there’s wires, leads and cables going everywhere. How APTBS have squeezed on to this tiny platform is a mystery. But they’re here and they’re ready to blow us away. And they proceed to do just that. Starting off with some improvised effect intros and barging straight into “Missing You” then carrying on into a mixture of tracks from their eponymous debut album and new release “Exploding Head”. They hardly stop for breath between songs and Oliver Ackermann mumbles a few words here and there to the crowd. Nobody here though is bothered about crowd interaction, we didn’t come to have a chat with the band members. We came to have our ears assaulted. The band continue to pulverise our senses and end the gig with an extended wall of sound jam, leaving us with feedback ringing in our ears all the way upstairs and even 5 minutes later outside having a smoke we can still hear the lingering buzz of the Death By Audio pedals that Ackermann is famous for. We are well and truly bruised by the levels of noise we’ve just experienced. But thats what we expected, what we wanted and what we got.
A Place To Bury Strangers @ Captains Rest 12/11/09 (from left to right: Jay Space, Jono Mofo and Oliver Ackermann
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*I couldn't get all the band in the one shot cos i was right down the front!
VIDEO: A Place To Bury Strangers – In Your Heart
Afterwards whilst in the bar discussing the gig we all get talking about what we're upto the next day or at the weekend etc. Francesca and Anna are going shopping (might have guessed!), Romain is planning on watching the Republic of Ireland vs France football match on Saturday but has no one to watch it with (sound familiar?). But, yep, you guessed it, i'm going out to watch that game in the pub with a few mates and invited him along. A few more drinks and it's time for me to go catch the last Subway back to town or i'll need to taxi it. I kinda don't wanna go, i'm enjoying myself with these 3 "strangers" but needs must. Before i go we exchange numbers and i'm off into the night/early morning to spend what remains of this Thursday/Friday in Nice N Sleazys drinking White Russians and listening to my mates say how i bet i wished i'd just decided to go to Alice In Chains and how good Kasabian were…….. Well, i just had a fucking amazing night in the Captains Rest thank you very much.
S.I.T Wolf X
ps. i kinda wish i'd worn those ear plugs….i can still hear that feedback!
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Someones In The Wolf 