So, it occurred to me the other day that my good intentions of keeping a record of my gig going adventures in the form of this blog, have really gone to pot. I’ve been to five gigs since I saw Frightened Rabbit in March, and now its time to play catch-up! In chronological order:
31/03/2009
Hundred Reasons + Johnny Foreigner 
Derby Rockhouse
I managed to catch Johnny Foreigner at a handful of packed out shows in 2008 including a couple of festivals, so it was really nice to catch them again in a more relaxed slot supporting Hundred Reasons. Playing their own brand of jangly indie pop, reminiscent of early Rainer Maria, Johnny Foreigner really are a class act. Despite the short set, JoFo played a great show that undoubtedly won them some new fans. 8/10
And so the turn of Hundred Reasons came. I remember loving this band as the hype of their soon-to-be released debut album was sweeping across the country. With some great EPs under their belts, they were going to be mine (and a lot of other peoples) new favourite band. When it finally landed in 2002, and remember feeling mightily disappointed as the album played in my stereo for the first time. They had been over-hyped, and the major label factor had obviously influenced the content of their eagerly awaited first full-length. So I left it for a bit, discovered new bands, before I decided to revisit Ideas Above Our Station. And without the hype in the forefront of my mind, I found a really great album from a post-hardcore band who had been given the chance to bring some Brit rock to a bigger audience than their peers. Their live show was assaulting, with Colin Doran bounding around stages like there was no tomorrow. Their second album saw them take a slightly different direction, which ultimately was panned by the critics and, despite my wholehearted love for the album, Shatterproof is Not a Challenge was the album that the label didn’t want. And so they were dropped. They still toured relentlessly, with some fucking fucking awesome bands including Biffy Clyro, and carried on holding the torch for British post-hardcore music. In 2006, the band released Kill Your Own, and their presence in the UK music press seemed a lot less these days, and with their fourth (and most recent) album Quick the Word, Sharp the Action being released on such a low-key scale in 2007, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Hundred Reasons were has-beens who were screwed over by a major label.
In 2009, their QTWSTA album is set for a re-release, and they return for a fair length tour across the UK. I worry this show will disappoint me, and finally weld the nails in my coffin of opinions. They certainly look a little rounder these days, older and tired, but from the opening bars of their set through to the very last note of the evening, Hundred Reasons proved that they still have it. Colin is the driving force of the band, with his soaring vocals prompting mass sing-alongs from the packed venue. Playing a wealth of songs from their extensive back catalogue, the hits keep on coming. The material from the latter half of their career is surprisingly great live and inspires me to go home and revisit these albums I didn’t much chance when I bought them. The old ‘classics’ are obviously present, with I’ll Find You, Falter and Silver all sounding as fresh as they did seven years ago, which are sung back to the band with conviction. Despite not seeing them live since their Shatterproof tour, I’m glad I decided to step back in and give them another chance…they did not disappoint! 9/10
07/05/2009
Shapes + The James Cleaver Quintet + Talons
Nottingham Chameleon Arts Café
Having missed many of gigs I wanted to see at the Chameleon Arts Café, I finally visit the quirky venue situated above Clinton Cards in Nottingham’s Market Square. The venue is run-down, with a European feel to it, and they sell real ale in cans and it is ULTMATELY cool. The (who I assume to be) drunken owner of this very establishment is very friendly and even makes Neil a huge bowl of vegi chilli and rice for three humble pounds. Admittedly the chilli did feature peas and green beans, and took about 5 minutes to cook, but I was assured it tasted lovely. Very good.
Tonight, the Chameleon is host to three bands. It’s the Shapes EP release tour, and this Nottingham date has been put on by the lovely Saurus Promotions. The show starts late as the fourth band are nowhere to be seen. A pull-out apparently. So, Talons take to the stage first. And when I say stage, I mean the floor of a tiny room above the café/bar area of the venue, a room wich has sofas scattered lining the room’s edges, and unmatching velvet curtains draped from the walls. And a piñata dangling above the crowd. Anyway, I digress. All I know about them is that they are an unsigned band that Kev at BSM seems to bang on about a lot. Talons take to the floor as a three-piece with apologies for being two members down. The missing members I’m assured are the violin players, and tonight Talons play as a meat-and-potato style guitar/bass/drums band. Their first song launches them into an epic frenzy of enduring math-rock with the sensibilities of post-rock thrown in to create the sound of a beast battling under water before bursting through the waves into the atmosphere. The sound is huge, and the bassist breaks a string in the very first song of their set. Not letting that deter him, he battles on with his three-stringed bass for the remainder of the jaw dropping set. The band is wholeheartedly passionate, introverted then extroverted and they writhe around the stage admist the fight music they are blasting out. I’m left feeling that if a band could impress me this much with a duff bass and two members missing, then this band are surely going to be my new favourite band. I picked up their two-track demo immediately after the band stopped, and what I didn’t know then would be the amount of play counts its achieved between then and now on my Last.fm account. Winner. 10/10
The middle slot tonight is taken by The James Cleaver Quintet, who brutalise the ears of anyone who has the pleasure of hearing them. The singer’s in-yr-face antics are backed up by the roar of the instruments, creating a ferocious assault. The band climbs on speakers, pounding on their instruments, the volume cranked to the highest setting, and the amp stack looks like it is going to topple at one point. The piñata above the crowd is finally stuck and a shower of sweets lands on the crowd and band alike. The singer throws lolly pops into the crowd, and struts around some more. Definitely worth checking out. 8/10
Last, but not least, the band Shapes head up the bill in support of the BSM released The Pasture, The Oil EP. Opening with You Butcher, an epic track from the aforementioned EP with jagged guitars, pounding drums and snarling vocals. Shapes have arrived! Their songs blister throughout the room’s atmosphere, and the crowd unite in dancing, fingers raised in the air. Like the two bands before them, Shapes are a band I’ve never witnessed live before, but have impacted on me so much I know it won’t be the last time I see them. Their set features intricacies, brutalities, spasms and vocals that could rip yr ears off, and convinces me that watching bands at the stage of their career where they play tiny shows to rooms full (and sometimes rather empty) of gig-goers with such raw passion and enthusiasm just for the fun, is truly the best thing in the world. 9/10
08/05/2009
Johnny Foreigner + Tubelord + My Psychoanalyst
Derby Rockhouse
Its been many weeks since watching Johnny Foreigner play at this very venue in support of Hundred Reasons. Their tour, featuring Tubelord as main support and My Psychoanalyst as local support, is one I’ve been eagerly awaiting. There was genuine worry in the days leading up to the gig, as my tickets had arrived and I had tickets 1 and 2, and I thought Derby would let down some awesome bands and convince them not to tour in these parts again. This worry was pointless, as when we arrived midway through My Psychoanalyst’s set, the venue had people in it! This gig had meant to be in the small room, but I’d heard it had been upgraded due to ticket sales. These people didn’t seem to be out in force for My Psychoanalyst, but there was still time!
I hadn’t seen My Psychoanalyst for a while, but they seemed a bit thin on the ground - there were definitely more members in the band last time, but that didn’t stop them from conjuring lush soundscapes and launching them forth into our ears. 7/10
Next up are Tubelord, a three-piece band I wholly adore. Their jaunty, angular Biffy-esque pop has been stuck on repeat on my iPod ever since I bought their Square EP in 2008. Picked up by Big Scary Monsters, Tubelord have been drip feeding me music in the form of two 7”s released on the aforementioned label, and a threat of an album has been looming for what feels like ages. It’s widely known that educational ties prevent Tubelord from a full time schedule of touring and releases. But with summer on the brink of arriving, Tubelord will no doubt be thrashing out their goodness to the gig-going public country wide. This support slot means a short set, but they deliver a storming one, which includes new songs to whet my appetite. Joe gets into it as ever, climbing over the barriers for some guitar action amidst the crowd, and the band seem genuinely surprised at the crowd as lyrics are sung back to them. They finish on the wonderful I Am Azzerrad, and I instantly know that 2009 is going to be a great year for them. 9/10
Heading the bill tonight are Brummy heroes Johnny Foreigner in the half-full main room of the Rock House. Alexei comments on how awesome it would be to have played the gig in the smaller room, which would mean a heaving, squashed in crowd, which certainly makes for a great occasion in my opinion. But despite the empty space at the back of the venue, JoFo has an army of fans before them bouncing around and singing along to every word. I’ve said this before, but the boy-girl vocal dynamic coupled with Alexei’s guitar playing style and stage presence, really makes me think of early Rainer Maria, which makes me SO happy. Always fun, always happy, JoFo put on a lovely show. The gin-drinking band play a selection of songs from EPs past, their album and also throw in some new tunes too. It’s nice to see them mix it up a bit with swapped instruments, and Joe from Tubelord also ends up onstage to play a second guitar. And during their final track sees all of Tubelord take to the stage for a love in. What a show! 10/10
15/05/2009
Juliette and the New Rmantiques + The Gay Blades
London Koko
I turned on to Juliette and her music when the Licks had released two albums and an EP already. They had toured the UK relentlessly and I never saw them, so was really looking forward to them releasing their third and experiencing them live. Sadly, last year Juliette announced the Licks were no more but she’d be endeavouring to continue with her music. When I found out her new Project, Juliette and the New Romantiques, would be doing some low-key European shows, I quickly snapped up tickets the the London show.
So at London’s famous Koko venue, on a Friday night, Juliette would play her first UK show with her new backing band. But first, the Gay Blades open up the late show. A two-piece comprised of a drummer and guitarist, play a handful of songs to a crowd that on the whole seems to lap it up. For me, however, the band don’t affect me. Nothing exciting here, but for their apparent passion I’d give them a 3/10
When Juliette and her band take to the stage, the evening begins to look up. A lot. Dressed in sparkly leggings, ridiculous heels and covered in some feathery garment Juliette owns the venue as soon she sets foot on the grand stage. She is captivating, quite possibly insane and she struts her stuff in a manner Mick Jagger would be proud of. The set feels short, but the quality of the show certainly makes up for it. I’m relieved to hear classic …Licks songs, and excited to hear …Romantiques as yet unreleased material. Whilst I found the Romantiques to be quite stagnant, Juliette commanded the stage like few can and proved that she can put her hand to anything. My only regret of the evening is remaining on the balcony for the show, instead of joining the throng of followers at the front of the crowd. 9/10
21/05/2009
BlakFish + Hot Bone + These Waves
Nottingham Seven
Tonight, Seven is host to a brand new club night, bUTTONpUSHER. It’s the first time I’ve been to the venue since it was Junktion 7, and it’s safe to say it hasn’t changed much. We were enticed down early with the promise of a free CD to the first 50 people here. And half an hour after doors, we popped upstairs where the bands would be playing, to find an empty room. So back downstairs we go to prop up the bar and wait for more people to arrive. Some time later, the floor above us seems to rumble and signifies a band have taken to the stage. There was a score of people up their at most, tapping their feet along to These Waves, a band from Derby. They played very well, and their talent was clear (especially the guitarist on the right), but I felt they weren’t a band for me. I think this was largely due to the vocals not complementing the music as well as they could have. The band was young, and I’m sure their still honing in on their sound. I’d certainly be interested in seeing them again in a year or so, to see how they develop. 6/10
Hot Bone are another band I had never heard of. Comprising of a drummer and guitarist wearing lamb and fox masks respectively, Hot Bone played a weird yet wonderful set of music, which was a cross between Lightning Bolt and That Fucking Tank. Wholly entertaining, especially when the drummer blew into a stuffed lamb and to create some weird sonic noises whilst turning the demonic lamb’s eyes red, Hot Bone really stood out as ones to watch. If I had one criticism, it would be that they possibly played a little bit too long. A bit of crowd interaction would have helped overcome this feeling. 8/10
Headlining tonight are BlakFish, a band I have come to love since first watching them support Marmaduke Duke back in 2005. Their progression as a band has been clear over the years, and tonight they are a well-oiled machine who have found their sound. The four-piece describe their own music as death-pop, and its fair to say that they have killed pop in one fell swoop. Their sound shreds through the air, as they brutalise their instruments. The band are a pleasure to behold, and always keen on crowd interaction. A witty bunch that keeps the crowd laughing and dancing all at once. Their set includes some new tracks from their upcoming album on BSM, which really made me eager to hear the August release. A highlight for me was shouting for Preparing for Guests and receiving. The crowd really got during this song, and a mosh broke out in epic fashion…I even ended up drenched my some poor soul’s pint of lager! BlakFish finished on Shit On My Face and Tell Me I’m Simon Cowell, which ended up with a band and crowd chant that set grins on faces that the Joker would be jealous of “It could be worse, we could be dead. I don’t know how we survived, but all I know is – we did!”. 10/10
22/05/2009
Colour + Pennines + Calories + Swizerland
Nottingham Chameleon Arts Café
Ah yes, back to the Chameleon again (this place is fast becoming my favourite venue in Nottingham) for another Saurus Promotion with a great fucking line-up, and a piñata. We turn up slightly late, and enter the packed room whilst Switzerland were mid way through their set. There’s not much of a view for me, but this very young Derby band (and self-confessed Cap’n Jazz ‘tribute’ band) sound rather good. 6/10
Next up are Calories from Birmingham (is it me or are all the best bands from Brum at the moment?), who really manage to impress me. A three-piece on Small Town America Records, play a set featuring a lot of their Adventuring album. Their tight indie-rock sound is reminiscent of the The Appleseed Cast and The X-Certs, with some Kyle Fischer-style goodness thrown in from the bassist/singer. The drummer is the star of the show tonight, who despite being completely drunk, plays flawlessly and provides us with much entertainment. Calories also have the pleasure of the piñata being penetrated during their set. This time the pencil shaped piñata spills sweets and chocolate, which the crowd scrambles to get their share of (and also to throw some at the drummer). Classic! Their song Drugged, delivers my highlight of the evening, with a three man vocal assault sharing with the crowd their wisdom “Everything is beautiful and it then its gone, and then its not!”. 8.5/10
Now here’s where it gets hazy…
Pennines are the penultimate band to play tonight, and it’s during their set my drunkenness kicks in. My memories aren’t great apart from remembering I really enjoyed the singer’s voice! 7/10
When headliner Colour take to the stage, I am VERY drunk! But I remember really enjoying them. Sadly we didn’t get to watch their whole set due to tram timetables, but what we did see was really very good. 8/10
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