Phoning it in

Dispatches from the back of the venue

Archives: Gig Reviews

  • Cardiacs

    Cardiacs

    I don’t think there’s such a thing as a casual Cardiacs fan. Nobody ‘quite likes’ them. You’re either in, or you’re not and in a packed out Albert Hall tonight everyone is very much ‘in’. They are the very definition of an acquired taste. I first encountered them in 1987 when seeing a now infamous video performance of their song ‘Tarred and Feathered’ on Channel 4 Pop show The Tube.

    I love it now – but it made no sense to me at the time, and was indeed a curious choice of a promotional clip being one of their most extreme and divisive tracks (it sounds like Madness trying to play a song on a very fast moving rollercoaster while some scary clowns have a fight in one of the other cars) – I wrote them off as a wacky, knockabout comedy band and that was that. In the 80s and 90s when the weekly music press was so influential I probably absorbed the disdain the NME and Melody Maker had for the band. Even John Peel had no time for them. They were a bit prog rock, psychedelic, whimsical and strange and completely out of step with the Britpap times.

    Fast forward to the late 90s and I have a dim memory of someone (no idea who) leaving a couple of Cardiacs tapes in my shared house and they sat for months gathering dust next to to the stereo. I didn’t play them. I probably wasn’t ready for them. Fast forward to the 2010s and I read a blog post about them and, out of vague curiosity clicked on a YouTube clip of ‘Dirty Boy’. Bang! This indescribable, epic song with it’s Magma like choral refrain and spiralling guitar chords was a very long way from the hectic clowning of ‘Tarred and Feathered’.

    I played a few more songs, including a live clip of them playing their signature song ‘Is This The Life’ live in their native Salisbury to a heaving moshpit – Tim and Sarah Smith doing a merry dance with guitar and saxophone. Fantastic, my new favourite band, time to get their back catalogue and maybe I can see them live?

    Slight problem – it turned out their leader Tim Smith was laid low with a terrible and cruel illness. What happened next is well documented but a happy postscript is the band members have returned to the stage and last year completed Tim’s final LP ‘LSD’ – using musical scores, lyrics and instructions left by Tim – and there have been several celebratory live shows with Cardiacs past and present chipping in.

    Tonight’s performance is a radically different set and line-up to the previous Cardiacs show in Manchester which was billed as ‘Cardiacs family and friends’ – fronted by Jon Poole and dressed all in white – and tonight, dressed all in black with the vaguely Masonic sashes the band wore on their final shows while Tim was alive – tonight, this is Cardiacs. The line up comprises many of the musicians that completed the LSD album and wow, what a band. Centre stage is Tim’s brother Jim holding it down on Bass and remaining inscrutable as ever even when the crowd chant his and his late brothers names. He’s joined by the mercurial Kavus Torabi who, when he isn’t a Cardiac, is also in Gong and making records with snooker champion Steve Davis in The Utopia Strong. Kavus is a magnetic presence, reeling off space rock guitar with ease – staring open mouthed at the crowd like he’s never seem an audience before and generally giving it some top rock action. Other side is Mike Vennart, formerly of cult Manchester shoegazers Oceansize and now has a day job playing with Biffy Clyro. Vennart has the unenviable task of singing Tim’s high pitched and impossibly complex and verbose vocals which he makes light work of while also reeling off crazy chord shapes. Sharron Fortnam and Chloe Herington provide the soaraway vocals and saxophony that are so key to the more epic side of Cardiacs being showcased tonight and do a fine job of looking stern and serious while the silly boys ‘rock out’. Craig Fortnam (who, with Sharron, also fronts the brilliant North Sea Radio Orchestra who we spoke of last year) is on keys and percussion, Cardiacs lifer Bob Leith is tireless on the drums and finally on 2nd keyboard is Rhodri Marsden – your go-to guy for complicated keyboard parts – last seen with Scritti Politti.

    They start right in the deep end with ‘Ditzy Scene’ from the new record and a highly complex and multi-faceted ‘No Bright Side’ and it strikes me I’m in a packed venue with people avidly engaged with what is quite uncompromising music with jagged chord changes and time signatures and yet it feels like a visceral post-punk show, not a chin stroking prog-rock recital. This is probably what Henry Cow had in mind when they thought the ‘music for the masses’ should be wonky Jazz rock. No matter how off-beam and intricate things get, there is always a driving riff or soaring chorus to pull you back in – and the band are having fun. So are we. The crowd respond with ovations that raise the roof and clearly take the band aback at times.

    The set leans into the new record of course and unlike last years gig, for the ‘oldies’ they dip into later albums like ‘Guns’ and ‘Sing to God’ so it’s a deeper and more expansive sounding set which fills this much larger room. ‘Everso Closely Guarded Line’ from (fan favourite) ‘On Land and In the Sea’ ends the first set with an extended guitar chord that rings out for an eternity. They’re back for an astonishing take on that song that first hooked me in ‘Dirty Boy’ – which takes on almost religious overtones in the former methodist hall “We Will Praise Him” before Mike appears up on the balcony to perform the brilliant Bowie-esque ‘The Whole World Window’ before throwing flowers into the crowd.

    Having introduced each member of the band non-verbally, he holds a picture of Tim Smith aloft for the biggest cheer of the night. They did him proud.

    They could have ended there but there is time for two sure fire crowd pleasers, a sing-along ‘Big Ship’ and ‘Is This The Life’. It begs the question what next? Jim and the band have finished Tim’s final album and for my money, made a record that stands up among the Cardiacs finest. There’s clearly and audience for this music and a lot of people invested in keeping Tim’s music alive, hopefully various incarnations of Cardiacs will continue to perform and we can continue to Sing To Tim.

  • Whitelands

    Whitelands

    Like Artie Fufkin from Spinal Tap, I go back with these. I first saw them in 2023 at a Sonic Cathedral event at The White Hotel where they quietly raised the roof. I bought a tape of their debut single at the merch table and chatted to the band about working with Rudy Tambala (of A.R Kane/MARRS) – and they dropped some hints about a big support slot that was in the works. Sure enough, next time I saw them they were supporting the revived Slowdive on a massive stage. They clearly gathered a lot of supporters on their travels on that tour and here they are on a smaller stage but with a full house and – from the off – a lot of love in the room.

    Their debut LP had some fine tracks on it, but didn’t quite capture the majesty of their live sound or their range and potential for me. The new one ‘Sunlight Echoes’ definitely does. It has heft, emotion, and is bursting with oceanic melodies that are beautifully played and sung. This is Dream Pop and – that word again – Shoegaze – but more influenced by the Slowdive comeback than the 90s era, and Cocteau Twins when they were into their latter phase – Four Calendar Cafe era. They’re veering into a level of Pop sophistication and worldliness that belies their relative youth as a band.

    This is one of those gigs where everyone is here to see the band rather than lig and chat, it’s a mixed crowd of young and old who know they’re catching something special. The band look ice cool but warm and engaging at the same time – bassist Vannessa Govinden radiates attitude and her driving bass is the heart of the band as the swirling reverb of guitars and chiming chords swells and envelopes us.

    The four piece draw heavily on the new record tonight and although the music demands a lot of concentration on FX pedals they do look up and engage with the audience – not least the talkative drummer Jagen – who does a lot of the in-between song chat as a hidden voice – if I have one bit of advice for the band I’d say arrange the stage so he can sit forward so we can see him and watch him play, at least until they’re headlining bigger venues which I’m sure they will.

  • Maria Somerville

    Maria Somerville

    We last saw Maria Somerville in a support slot with My Bloody Valentine last year and, in spite of playing to an enormodome filling up with punters getting their pre-gig beers in and adjusting their earplugs awaiting the loudest band in the galaxy, she managed to grab the attention of the audience – no mean feat – and I made a mental note to catch a headline show.

    So here we are in Leeds, always a treat to visit the friendly, inclusive and convivial Brudenell. As ever, even on a rainy Monday, it’s a hive of activity. Students and locals mingle in the public bar, there is a boisterous free gig on in the front room, and in the community room support act Nashpaints is getting a more rarified and studious atmosphere going. The audience are, thank goodness, in listening mode. Nashpaints is a solo act (Finn Carraher McDonal) who has been getting rave reviews from the wonderfully verbose reviewers at Boomkat who assure us “mad hype on this one”- and while his rather understated performance with guitar and laptop isn’t exactly ‘The Who Live at Leeds’, musically it’s an intriguing mix of Panda Bear looping, Durutti Column guitar figures and MBV style melodic noise. Great album too – have a listen.

    Maria Somerville is in 3 piece formation tonight with a drummer and hooded bass player – the lights are, and remain white, static and backlit so the focus is on silhouettes rather than Maria and her band. Mood set, we swing into some slow burning drones and feedback before gradually getting into ‘Garden’ from new LP ‘Luster’. My first thought is how much I like the driving bass playing from the hooded figure – it puts me in mind of The Cure ‘Disintegration’ era. The reverb drenched vocals and shoegazey guitars are all present and correct –  however, what sets Maria and her band apart is they do it brilliantly and there is enough edge, personality and intriguing melodicism to reel you in. It helps that Maria has an appealing voice – perhaps informed by her interest in Irish traditional music and Folk. She can also deftly switch from some splendidly loud Loop or Spacemen 3 style fuzz pedal bliss outs, to hushed ambient vocal pieces with minimal backing that remind me of Grouper or Cocteau Twins, to just getting down and working with Fx pedals and loops and conjuring up some soundscapes.

    If anything, the band are a bit of a power trio and much more amped up than on the more ambient and dreamy ‘Luster’ album and I really like the sound they make together – the live experience is different to the record but – let’s boil it down to this:  Expansive, immersive, smart and tuneful – get into Maria Somerville.

  • Stereolab

    Stereolab

    For a band who were on a 10 year ‘indefinite hiatus’ until 2019, Stereolab really seem to be making up for lost time. They’ve been touring extensively all over the globe since then and this year surprisingly released a brand new record ‘Instant Holograms on Metal Film’ which has been getting rave reviews. For my money it is their best since Scary Monsters 1997’s electronic exoctica masterpiece ‘Dots & Loops’ – and brings with it a much needed message of hope & unity.

    I’ve seen a fair few shows since they returned to active service and each time they had a different set – picking from their 11 studio albums and myriad of EPs, mini-LPs, obscure 7″s, compilations and bonus tracks. To the innocent bystander their can sound a bit ‘samey’ – the old joke “Stereolab (or insert other band name here) have made their album again” has been applied on occasion. In fact they are a band who have traversed through many different phases. There is Camden lurch noisy Lo-Fi Stereolab (my fave I have to say) there is weird Lo-Fi loungey exoctica Stereolab, there is weird Hi-Fi loungey exotica Stereolab, there is freewheeling abstract Art Rocker Stereolab, retro-futuristic electronic Pop Stereolab… All these stereolabtypes merge together rather satisifyingly on the new record – which is just as well as it will form a large portion of their current live show.

    The Ritz is packed and at full capacity and even though we’re well into Xmas party season (Manchester is heaving with civilians and office partygoers in Xmas jumpers) and indeed maybe because it’s the Xmas party season – I get the sense everyone is in here for something a bit more cerebral and thoughtful. The crowd are a real mix of ages too – and that strident, progressive new album seems to have a resonated with a younger generation which is heartwarming to see. The new album tracks get cheers of recognition – they have been paying attention.

    The Groop tonight are mainstays Laetitia on lead vocals, synth, guitar and tonight playing a mean trombone, Tim on rhythm guitar – giving it some serious Northern Soul riffage, the mighty Andy Ramsey – the absolute heartbeat of Stereolab since 1992 on drums – (always a joy to watch) – joined by relative newbies Joseph and Xavier on Keys & Bass. Tonight isn’t going to be about favourite old songs so I settle in to watch them clearly loving playing this material which has energised them and gives them the chance to go off piste and take it for a walk around town on more than once occasion.

    It’s good stuff and easy to warm to with each song having moments where the band can really explode into fireworks after some meandering and occasional freeform noise bursts. The oldies are not the obvious ones but ‘Peng 33’ from their debut LP is a real treat – and a blast of their remarkable ability to take a simple melody and make it sound epic. A couple of tracks fall a little flat – ‘A Flower Called Nowhere’ never did it for me in the 90s and seems to be glued to the setlist since 2019 – ‘Household Names’ – is a rather nondesript b-side from 2000 that clearly means more to them than it does to me – but those are the exceptions. For the most part the band are on top form and playing with a mixture of earnest seriousness and playfulness.

    Closing the main set is ‘Electrified Teenybop’ from the new album – an instrumental which sounds outrageously massive as a live performance – up on the balcony I find myself watching heads bobbing and moving linbs- it’s a huge, imaginary orchestral film theme scaling the walls of the venue and earning the band a very raucous call for an encore. It might have to be a live staple if they return to playing oldies again.

    One of the best sets I ever saw Stereolab do was touring ‘Emperor Tomato Ketchup’ in 1996 and that night was much like tonight – leaning heavily into the new record with just a few oldies – so this is very much true to form. Tonight can’t quite measure up to that because they had the sort of extended line-up 90s music biz budgets could stretch to – High Llama Sean O’Hagan on keys, members of Tortoise popping up on percussion and – amazingly – Sonic Boom of Spacemen 3 who spent the entire gig smoking and prodding at a huge modular synth (30 years before they became fashionable again). Here’s a clip of that version of The Groop – with song that resonates today more than before:

    However, this leaner unit does capture the sheer joy of playing music that they’re energised by and want to play – and play with. They leave us with an extended and rapturous ‘Cybelies Reverie’ also played at that 1996 show. This ain’t no ‘French Disko’ (the closest they came to a hit and one that felt it was becoming a bit obligatory on the last couple of tours tbh) but it’ll do nicely

    It’s fantastic to see them entertain 1,500 people with such an uncompromising set and take people along the ride with them – I think everyone realises there is nobody quite like Stereolab – in attitude, approach, outlook and the unlikely combination of sounds and influences they cram together – they’re a bigger deal than ever.

  • Madness & Squeeze

    Madness & Squeeze

    It’s not all ‘Arsequake’, Shoegaze bands and the cutting edge of art rock on Phoning It In you know – we love a bit of Classic Pop too. I’ve always had a soft spot for Madness –  their airborne sax player and nutty antics are etched in the memory along with that incredible run of 80s hits – which is what tonight is all about (they’re promoting a new best of ‘The Hit Parade’). Their Psychogeographical, Prog-Rockney masterpiece ‘The Liberty of Norton Folgate’ aside they are perhaps the ultimate singles band. 31 – count ’em –  Top 40 hits including an incredible run of 17 Top 10s to be precise. There’s is a great British songbook to rival The Jam, The Who, Slade for sheer singalong bounce, and most certainly The Kinks for smart, intelligent shtick full of strangely melancholy themes and kitchen sink drama.

    Speaking of which, providing top drawer support tonight is another great UK hit machine, Squeeze. A band with a catalogue brimming with evocative and unflinchingly vivid songs like ‘Up the Junction’ (can you think of another song with the word ‘Smelly’ in it?), ‘Tempted’, ‘Labelled With Love’ – I could go on.  They launch onto a volley of hits with Tilbrook and Difford both in magnificent, soaraway voice – the former still hitting the same notes as 40+ years ago, the latter 2 octaves lower and as rich and woody as ever – the combo of those two voices is one of the most recognisable in all Pop and what a privilege to hear them as a fantastic bonus feature to Madness. A trio of newer material creates a little mid set lull,  but when you’ve got absolute gold like ‘Cool for Cats’ lined up you can afford to take it round the houses a bit. ‘Slap and Tickle’ (compete with proto acid house synth line) shows they can do a disco stomper too. 

    This is my first time seeing Madness – I was worried the audience might be a bit lairy but actually it’s a mix of ages and boys and girls. People have brought their kids, and Nana and Grandpa too. The vibe is a boisterous family party rather than a sweaty pub full of matchday meat-heads and, given a pint of lager in the AO Enormodome is a wince inducing £9.25 there are certainly no beers being launched skyward. Many in the packed arena have made an effort, dressed up for the occasion, lots of pork-pie hats around and yes…Manchester is going to do it with a Fez on.

    Madness, sharp and suited and booted as ever with a gold lame brass section  –  file on to a huge ovation and launch into ‘One Step Beyond’. It’s notably slower paced than the record, and indeed much of tonight is played at a more sedate pace. This is a more elegant, swinging and loose version of Madness. Nutella boys rather than Nutty boys. It works because the songs are so flippin’ brilliant –  and there a loads of them. ‘Embarrassment’, ‘My Girl’, ‘The Sun and the Rain’ – by the half way into the set they’ve already pulled out the kind of peerless classics that most bands are lucky to have two or three of never mind the 18 we get tonight. 

    They drop in a couple of newer ones, ‘NW5’ with it’s wistful chorus already sounding like it deserves to be in the A-list. And while the audience round us in the cheap seats are keeping their powder dry and saving their knees and elbows for later it’s just as enjoyable to sit and marvel at the stunning songs-smithery on display. It reminds me how hard it is to categorise Madness. Their roots are in Two-Tone and Ska but there’s a lot more to them than that – epitomised by Mike Barson’s barrelling, music hall piano that underpins most of the songs. Where did that sound come from?. Even a song like ‘Baggy Trousers’, on the surface a knockabout playground chant is full of weird jazz chords and off-kilter sax lines that positively reeks of 1970s Comprehensive Schools. House of Fun with its queasy fairground organ is weirdly psychedelic, avant-pop. We’re so used to hearing these songs it’s easy to take them for granted but given them a closer listen – they are truly remarkable and hard to pin down – jaunty and daft but as artfully clever as anything by Kate Bush or Andy Partridge. You could draw lines from the Bonzo Dog Band, Ian Dury, even Robert Wyatt and early 70s art rock. Have a close listen to those hits – there is so much under the surface.

    The stage setting is a simple but effective mix of glittering cabaret club backdrop and giant old Radio Rentals TVs cutting between the band on stage and clips from promo vids – a reminder of how brilliant and key to their success their video and visual image was. There are huge singalongs of course – ‘It Must Be Love’, (woh-ah woh-ah) ‘Wings of a Dove’ and ending with a rousing ‘Night Boat to Cairo’ – that gets the sitters up and easy-skanking. There are so many hits they can afford to leave some out – for instance their magnificent reading of Scritti’s ‘Sweetest Girl’ or even ‘Driving in my Car’ but nobody could feel short-changed after that brilliant set. There’s is still the rockin’est, rocksteady beat  – long may they Step Beyond. 

  • My Bloody Valentine

    My Bloody Valentine

    My Bloody Valentine are on a short tour, their first in 7 years and if I’m not mistaken this is their first time back in Manchester since 2013. Famously MBV are not known for their productivity. To put this in perspective, since they were last in town, the musically incontinent antipodean psych-rockers, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have released 27 studio albums. MBV have teased new EPs, or a new album but nothing has emerged since. So why are they here?. No new music, not even a reissue (they’ve done that – a few times). Maybe something was planned to coincide with these dates (it wouldn’t be the first time). But here they are anyway and it’s a chance to give this uncanny and massively influential music an outing, and judging by the number of younger folk in the sold out venue, a chance for new fans to experience MBV live for the first time. Make no mistake they ARE a big deal – and to a new generation of Indie pop crazed youngsters, they are as significant as The Velvet Underground or The Stooges or The Ramones were to MBV. This gig sold out within minutes.

    Before all that there’s a support act and a chance to scout out the vast and confusingly branded Factory International Aviva Studios Warehouse as it currently known. It’s not designed exclusively for gigs – It is a multi-functional performance space that can be fitted out for all manner of theatre and art productions. For gigs it can transform into – er –  a massive 5,000 capacity room – double the size of it’s nearest rival for standing only (Manchester Academy) and effectively a giant black box with a stage at one end (disappointingly low considering how much ceiling there is – the sight lines are poor for anyone under 6 foot). Bands could do more with this space but, especially if they’re touring regular enormodomes (as MBV are) it’s not really feasible to rearrange their setup to make the best of the Warehouse. The sound is really good though, the vibe is relaxed and I’m pleased to catch most of the support set by Maria Somerville without a load of blokes chatting and buying their pre-gig beers.

    Hailing from Galway, Maria is signed to 4AD and has a striking and imaginative new record ‘Luster’ to promote as well as an excellent EP of remixes including one by post-rock legends Seefeel which you should stop reading this and go and listen to right now: 

    I’m really taken with her short set which switches between more strident, grungey shoegazey noise, delicate ballads and feedback drenched outré-rock. Maria is touring in her own right next year and I will definitely go see a full show. 

    It’s fair to say MBV have always been a tricky proposition as a live band. To try and recreate their music, particularly from 1991’s peerless ‘Loveless’ onward (which makes up half the 19 song set) has always required pushing the boundaries of what technology can do – particularly at the intense volume levels that they notoriously insist on (free earplugs are available). It is a balance of sweet, delicate and vaporous melodies versus total obliterative noise, arsequake bass and thundering rhythm. Incredibly difficult to pull off and one wonders if the pathologically perfectionist Kevin Shields is ever truly satisfied with what they can achieve on stage, in the moment without endless studio tinkering. But he’s here, they’re here – let’s see it- and hear it – VERY VERY LOUD. 

    Part of the appeal of MBV was, like The Velvets, they always looked the part- like A Proper Band – a not a ‘lad band’ either – a band of cool boys and cool girls. On stage is the same line-up since 1988 – the one that was on the front of NME and Melody Maker and on my student digs wall – looking effortlessly hip and somewhat slightly dazed – Colm Ó Cíosóig- at the back clattering the drums as only he can, Debbie Googe stays close by Colm – locked in, driving the music on  – operating heavy machinery while maintaining the scaffolding for Kevin’s wayward wall of sound. Bilinda Butcher lurks on the opposite side to Kevin, killer heels, inscrutably cool and seemingly unfazed by the sonic mayhem emitting from his corner. Shields, as ever, has a vast bank of amplifiers teetering behind him and wanders in front of it looking like the proprietor of a particularly chaotic guitar shop. Everything has to be just so. More of this later. 

    The opener ‘I Only Said’ suffers somewhat amid a gloopy mix while the state of the art PA and music technology tries to make sense of the amount of sonic information pouring off the stage – however, once Colm clicks the count in for ‘When You Sleep’ everything bursts into technicolour. It is loud, as per, but it’s not just noise and waves of guitars – there is a really hefty bass and kick drum. You can dance if you want to.

    Unlike previous occasions I’ve seen them there is one key new element… the vocals are almost audible over the wall of guitars. Not so much that you can hear the words (you can’t really hear them on the records either) but enough that we can hear Bilinda and Kevin softly cooing to each other whereas previous performances have been almost instrumental as sound engineers wrestle with the volume balance on and off stage. You can sing along if you want to. 

    Even MBV can’t work miracles but when it works, it really works. The (new) light show and the vastness of the venue and the mostly excellent sound system make this immersive as it can be. ‘New You’, a perfect pop moment from their 3rd LP provides some light relief and there are even harmony vocals. ‘Thorn’ and ‘Nothing Much to Lose’ showcase the more freewheeling, scuzzier period when they were no less innovative but more ‘pedal to the metal’ and sound suitably immense – full of dynamics.

    When it doesn’t work they fail admirably – ‘Who Sees You’ is an overlong and ungainly mess. ‘To Here Knows When’ – one of the most extraordinary and hallucinatory records you will ever hear is gamely chased around the stage but they fail to capture it’s elusive beauty – eventually drowning under a mudbath of atonal guitar Fx. Hats off for trying though (and by the way Kevin has a new hat perched on his long gingery locks- which makes him look a bit like either Noddy Holder or Ian Hunter). 

    ‘Soon’ is dedicated to fallen Stone Roses bass player Mani (Kevin’s bandmate during the 00s when both joined Primal Scream – Mani nicknamed him ‘Bagpuss’) and sounds spectacular with the underpinning Balearic beat right up in the mix making things get very baggy indeed..and then half way through the power goes in Kevin’s corner. And suddenly the gig has crashed. Switch it off and on again…

    We can still hear the backing track and I wonder if they’re going to riff on the Andy Weatherall mix until it grinds to a halt. A small battalion of technicians flock around the stage while Kevin, very quiet up till now, somewhat surprisingly takes it all in his stride chats to the audience and talks about the state of the world for a bit like he’s at an open mic night. They get the power back on and have another bash at ‘Soon’ and it cuts out again almost in the same place. There’s a long break while they try and get his vast rig of amps and gizmos to power up again and – as they scurry around trying to get all this…stuff…to work I find myself wondering what it is really for… is it a pose, it it a wind up? Is it just part of the t’s and c’s…the notoriously hermetic Kevin will tour but there are strings attached, and cables, and plug and pedals….a tech spec that is the stuff of nightmares for the people behind the scenes but – maybe that’s what he needs to get him on stage and ‘feeling it’ and creating all the control he needs over his frequencies I guess. Who knows. 


    Eventually it all crackles back to life – just in time to complete the set but there’s a sense of the spell being broken as they launch into an endlessly churning, almost feral freak-out of ‘Wonder 2’ and the traditional closer of ‘Feed Me With Your Kiss’ and ‘You Made Me Realise’ which infamously has the white/pink noise middle 8 that can go on indefinitely.. it might still be going on for all I know – reader, I had a train to catch. I hope I didn’t break anyone’s reverie as I made my exit – I was enjoying the noise bath too. 

    So, as ever, a mixed bag of mayhem ranging from totally thrilling to totally frustrating but never less then totally unique. It was on a far bigger scale but similar to if you’d seen them in a scuzzy Indie club or Camden pub in the late 80s. My Bloody Valentine are MY BLOODY FUCKIN’ VALENTINE and we should treasure them while they exist – especially for the younger ones in tonight who really did get the authentic experience – and who knows when some of them might form a band too…put me on the guest list if you do. 

  • Chameleons

    Chameleons

    Ah The Chameleons. The perennial North Manchester psychedelic misfits. Too late for the first wave of Manchester post punk with Joy Division and Magazine. By the time ‘Madchester’ was in full swing they’d already imploded. In the mid 80s Manchester hinterland they played The Big Music, got Steve Lillywhite in to produce ’em, got signed by a major label and sounded like a Stadium band when everyone else was playing jangly guitars and wearing anoraks.

    In theory they should have been rubbing shoulders with U2 and Simple Minds or at the very least, Echo and the Bunnymen. Mishaps and misfortune meant they never quite made it to the enormodomes. They did however have a huge influence – every shoegaze band like Ride, Lush and Slowdive owe a debt to their shimmering, ambient guitar wash and the band Interpol pretty much borrowed their entire musical schtick and put it in some sharp suits.

    Manchester never forgot them and over the years, versions of Chameleons fronted by the artist formerly known as Mark Burgess (who, these days only answers to the name ‘Vox’) as the only constant have kept the legacy going, and like their peers Simple Minds and the Bunnymen they are now settled around the classic “two man band’ of Vox – and original guitarist Reg Smithies (make no mistake –  Elton is the 2nd best Reg in Rock). The latter positively skips across the stage as the band step out onto the Albert Hall – like he knows something we don’t know..

    They’ve gradually rebuilt their audience home and abroad, particularly the US where they were a College Radio evergreen –  but they always play a big homecoming gig close to Christmas and in the same way that Shack are to Liverpool, or Lindisfarne to Newcastle -these are emotional occasions with dewy eyed lads and girls hollering every word. Over the years they’ve resorted to playing old albums in full, even recreating previous classic setlists – and while they never fail to ignite there’s at times perhaps the nagging sense they were becoming a tribute to themselves.

    Tonight feels different, they have a new album out and new songs to play. This seems to have had a transformative effect, they’ve got something to prove, and they play like someone has lit a massive bonfire under them. Not hearing a predictable set of songs you already know adds a bit of grit and tension and it works wonders – it jolts the Chameleons into 2025 not 1985. There are plenty of old favourites in the set if course, but the new stuff fizzes with renewed energy-  I’m particularly taken with ‘David Bowie Takes My Hand’ a slow burning anthem which despite it’s clunky title has an emotional heft to it and sound like a future classic that’ll be part of the set for some time. They close the first part with a mind frazzling twofer of ‘Soul in Isolation’ and ‘Swamp Thing’, with Vox, arms outstretched, leading the type of transcendental singalong that most bands of this vintage can only dream of. 

    They return and slash through a rip roaring ‘In Shreds’ and the obligatory ‘Second Skin’ ( a song so good, the audience are singing the keyboard riff before it even starts) and just when you thing it’s all over a final explosive ‘Don’t Fall’ segues into a call & response riff on Bowie’s  ‘Rebel Rebel’ – pure stadium rock showmanship again. I don’t recall seeing them play with such gusto for a long time and with new music to play, they feel current and vital rather than just peddling nostalgia for us fluorescent greys. Vox says this’ll be the last time we see them for a while – so whether they will be back next Xmas, I don’t know but do not miss them if they are. 

  • Mood Swings with : Child of Prague, Teethe and Adore

    Mood Swings with : Child of Prague, Teethe and Adore

    Regular readers will know we’re big fans of the Mood Swings night at Yes Basement. You get 3 or 4 bands for less than a pint of lager at that overpriced, overcrowded Bingo Hall on Peter Street. Expect contrasting styles of music but all carefully curated by the promoters (Now Wave), everyone gets 30 mins to do their thing like an old school 60s package tour, and chances are you’ll see artists who will be headlining bigger venues before too long

    We arrive in time to catch Child of Prague. Six musicians from Dublin, shared vocals, guitars, violin and Saxophone. There’s a folky, traditional angle to their sound (they play their version of an old Reel at one point) but they have a solid rhythm section behind them that roots them firmly in the present with just the right amount of fizz – think maybe early Fairport Convention when they were still on their holidays or Mercury Rev before they headed for the Catskills. They’ve got a knack of turning in wistful melodies, not a million miles from Prefab Sprout and the mixture of instruments – Sax, violin, harmonies, spiky guitars and fluid drums makes for a really appealing brew. Smart music, elegantly played. Typically for Mood Swings we’ve already seen a massively accomplished and enjoyable group and we’ve barely got started. 

    Next up, all the way from Texas are Teethe who transform the mood completely. I’ve seen them before and something about them chimed with me – and they’re seriously immersive tonight . They’re brooding, intense and play with the lights down low which fits their slow burning but propulsive music. They’re in the ballpark of Mazzy Star or Spiritualized –  Deceptively simple riffs and hushed vocals that suddenly explode into fireworks when you don’t expect it. There’s no communication with the audience, heads firmly tilted towards shoes, the bassist/singer hides in an unlit corner of the stage and concentrates on the performance. Nothing to break the spell. They mean business and it works. Ambient loops and drones fill the space in between songs while the guitarists tune up so it’s hard to know where songs end and begin adding to the disorientation. Intense, spellbinding and and thoroughly engaging.

    The last mood swing comes with the arrival of Adore. Another Irish group, this time from Sligo who transform the room again.  Adore are all about high energy, punky pop thrills however think more Buzzcocks, The Damned or ’12XU’ era Wire than Gr**n D*y. They have a super amped up 1978 sound and the stage is full of movement and excitement that doesn’t let up, apart from a brief moment where they play a tune on an Omnichord (which has to be strapped to one of those floor signs they put out to warn you of a spillage as a makeshift keyboard stand) which puts me in mind of Stereolab. 


    Frontperson Lara is funny and engaging and the band are well drilled and know how to ‘mach schau’, rock out and knock out a set which would probably wallop the arse of a PsychFest as much as it would old punkers at Blackpool Rebellion. High velocity F-U-N. They’re as bouncy, tuneful and energetic as Teethe were dark and brooding and C.O.P were cerebral and scenic. All the bands exhibiting brilliance in a totally different medium. So there you go – all this for 6 quid! A fantastic trio of bands and I can’t help thinking we’ll be seeing more of all three

  • Hotline TNT

    Hotline TNT

    We’re back on a  (yeah yeah) industrial estate in Salford for the 2nd time in the past week on a particularly rain-lashed mid week night. Hotline TNT are here, all the way from New York City and something tells me I’m into something good. They’re a few albums in but their new one ‘Raspberry Moon’ grabbed my attention. It is billed as ‘New American Shoegaze’ but what I’m hearing is more aligned to the grungey but sunnyside-up sounds that were adjacent in the imperial 89-92 era – the likes of Teenage Fanclub, Dinosaur JR… think Swervedriver rather than Slowdive. Big guitar sounds, big songs. 

    Ver’ Hotline are hard gigging band who have earned their stripes around the US and beyond, and as soon as they strike up their set it shows.
    Unlike some current bands in their ‘milieu’ they aren’t afraid to crank it up and let rip. There’s a lot to be said for confidence and a bit of swagger, you can feel the relief – nobody’s going to have a wobble if they break a string or fluff a note – they’re going for it. There’s no great experimentation going on, but that’s fine because they’ve got some great songs, a deft way with a build up, a drummer who can swing from metronomic to Who-esque fills and a load of bounce. Not that this is meat & taters grunge rock either, underneath the energetic fireworks there is a precision and craft and they have a way with melody – check ‘Lawnmower’ or ‘Dance the Night Away’ off the the new LP you’ll see what I mean. 

    Such is the confidence and ease with which they entertain us I start to wonder if they’re one of those bands that might go past the 2 hour mark and ‘do a Yo La Tengo’ – but in fact it’s a short, sharp set and after 45 mins they’re off – quick blast through 2 encores and away. Perfectly pitched, heart-warming and downright fun. 

  • These New Puritans

    These New Puritans

    It’s fair to say I was an early adopter of TNP. Initially they had some of the hallmarks of what I call Lamacq Rock ™. Evening Radio 1 friendly, signed to Domino, and with neo-post-punk sound that got them bracketed with Klaxons, LCD Soundsystem et al. The drummer was a model for brands like Dior and Prada. So far, so late 00s Indie Pop. But from the off there was something otherworldly about them. I saw an early gig back in 2008 and there was definitely something going on, a certain intensity and seriousness, whatever it was…they meant it. It wasn’t this gig but it went something like this: 

    In fact the clues were all there – they sure weren’t The Kaiser Chiefs. And sure enough 5 critically acclaimed albums later, here they are at the White Hotel which is already packed to the rafters, rapt and ready. Now settled around a core of twin brothers Jack and George Barnett they have evolved into a band that can be comfortably filed alongside the unfathomable fringes of the mildewy English underground alongside This Heat, The Work, Robert Wyatt, Anthony Moore, Scritti Politti, imperial phase Talk Talk, Bark Psychosis – you know ‘that lot’. This is deadly serious music but with a yearning melancholic edge and a very appealing musicality and melody. They also like beats, some tracks are underpinned by a lurching, hip hop influenced, massive attack thwack (which they were always doing from the early days).

    Tonight’s set draws on the delicate but bracing new LP ‘Crooked Wing’ along with choice cuts from their modest but tightly quality-controlled back catalogue. We get everything from piano driven, post-Industrial ballads like ‘I’m Already Here’ – to a thunderous, tub-thumping ‘We Want War’. Twin Jack is an engaging vocal presence – besuited, sometimes donning a Bowie-esque trilby, throwing some shapes and generally making an effort to put a bit of a show on and ‘project’ (readers of this blog will know how much I appreciate that).

    The sight-lines in the ‘orrible ‘otel mean it’s hard to see what else is going on but there are mallet instruments, a tabletop guitar thing and lots of electronics and percussion including the obligatory chains for someone to rattle. On previous live occasions they could be a little dry, a little studied – often swelled to 10 or more musicians, depending on the budget. Tonight they perform as an economical 4 piece, in a packed club rather than a more theatrical setting – and far from being limited by the more minimal approach they really shine – the songs get a chance to roam more than usual – like ‘V – Island Song’ which extends it’s beautiful organ coda out so we can bask in it for a few more minutes. They’re ‘a band’ tonight rather than the twins and some hired hands.  

    It all comes together with the closing epic ‘Organ Eternal’ – interlocking Steve Reich keys, gradually building percussion and lightning bolts of guitar that builds slowly into a series of crescendos and waves that far outshine the (already excellent) LP version. Toward the end, they borrow a neat trick from Kraftwerk and each Puritan steps away in turn takes a bow, leaving the stage to the others to keep the eternal groove going until there is just one Puritan left to decide when to take us out of the stratospheric orbit back down to Salford. This is the best performance I’ve seen them do. Coherent, connective and definitive. No encore. Less is more. They really should play more. Catch the 4 Piece Puritans if you can.