Lost Knives In A Basement

Sometime last week, Manchester band Lost Knives announced a rather secretive low key gig at an unknown location in Manchester. Naturally, curiosity got the better of me and on Wednesday night found myself outside the venue, 117 Oldham Street, home of Butterfly Records, who were more used to band practices than gigs. As we entered we were directed down to the basement, where the band's gear was laid out at the far end of the room, with an eerie static projection onto the back wall.

The band made their way slowly forward through the crowd to the stage, where, after little introduction, they burst straight into one of three new songs they showcased. The first was a long, brooding crescendo reminiscent of - dare I say it - Godspeed You! Black Emperor themselves. A far cry away the other new songs - one, a raw, aggressive number that proved the band didn't need their fancy electronics and samples to sound good; and the other, written and sung by guitarist Steven McInerney - a slow sombre affair with xylophones and tender vocals.

Although blighted by problems including detuned guitars and missing xylophone beaters (I don't know how this happened, but it did), Lost Knives still put on a worthy performance. In such a short set in a basement in Manchester they proved that they had it all - the long, large epics, short, simple guitar songs and even a slow sombre number to start the waterworks. Oh, and they also proved that playing gigs in unusual venues is fucking cool. I hope to attend and put on shows in similarly obscure venues in the future. Read More......

Grizzly Bear & London Symphony Orchestra w/ St. Vincent (Barbican Hall, 31/10/09)

It is Halloween. A bar owner is repainting the door of his bar in Camden, hundreds of Londoners are queueing up outside fancy dress shops to buy their last minute Halloween costumes and a strange man who tries to sell us some "relaxing scents" thinks that my friend Jessie is my wife. But for some, in all the rabble of hectic city life, there is an anticipation of events to come that doesn't just consist of drinking your own weight in alcohol and sleeping with a woman who you don't realise isn't wearing a Halloween costume until it's too late. For some, they are waiting patiently for Grizzly Bear, the Brooklyn-based psychedelic folk band, and their one off performance with the London Symphony Orchestra. Everyone is excited: Edward Droste, the founding member of the band, as evident from his Twitter; contemporary classical composer Nico Muhly, who scored arrangements for the event; and, presumably, the thousands of fans who are dotted around London, scratching their beards and waiting.

As the occasion grows closer, there is almost a sense of magic in the air, from the zombies and ghouls we pass on our way to the venue to the eerie light bulbs in jam jars that surround the stage as we take to our seats. As the lights dim the audience is thrown into silence as St. Vincent takes to the stage with a guitar and violinist. Playing a stripped down acoustic set of material from her début album 'Marry Me', and this year's follow up 'Actor', she performs with an energy that, whilst showcasing her sincere passion seems almost out of place given the grand surroundings. Layering guitars and violins with looped vocal tracks, Annie Clark's voice sounds heavenly, her small structure rising up to the challenge of impressing the attentive audience of the Barbican Hall. She says little to the crowd in her 35 minute set, but opens up towards the end; "[Grizzly Bear & LSO] are gonna make your jaws drop". Regardless of what Ed Droste & co. would do, Annie Clark had already succeeded in that.

The few remaining seats in the hall are quickly filled up as the lights go down for a second time as the London Symphony Orchestra take to the stage to polite applause. Soon after Grizzly Bear themselves emerge, to a less subdued applause and the occasional cheer. They cruise through a set of songs from their latest two albums, 'Yellow House' and 'Veckatimest', making full use of the orchestra on all tracks apart from fan favourites 'Two Weeks' and, the highlight of the night, 'While You Wait For The Others'. All four band members prove their worth as talented vocalists as well as playing their respective instruments; Chris Taylor pulls off a stunning vocal performance on 'Knife' in particular. Daniel Rossen's voice sounds just as delicate as it does on record, but elsewhere Ed Droste's voice is not always the strong force Grizzly Bear fans are used to; in places it seems weak and does not always hold up well against the orchestra.

Maybe because of the breathtaking performance of the band themselves, the orchestra seems almost unnecessary; Nico Muhly's arrangements in some places losing the momentum of songs. The swirling crescendos in (what I thought would have been a highlight of the night) 'Ready, Able' are at one point replaced by pizzicato violins, which detracts from its beauty. Maybe some would have benefited from a lack of orchestra, but Nico and LSO prove their worth on numbers such as the grand Central and Remote, and the close of 'Veckatimest' and their set tonight, 'I Live With You' and 'Foreground'. Another highlight comes in the magical cover of The Crystals' 'He Hit Me', taken from Grizzly Bear's 'Friend EP'. Despite some of the unnecessary orchestration, the band leave the stage to a standing ovation before coming back on for a dreamy rendition of 'Colorado', the last song from their 2006 LP 'Yellow House'.

It is the day after Halloween. The paint has dried in the door of the bar in Camden, Londoners attempt in vain to obtain refunds on their party outfits from the night before, and Ed Droste, in posting another update on his Twitter account, echoes the thoughts of thousands; "We'll never forget it."



Photos from http://www.flickr.com/photos/jellybean/4062996146/
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Bloctober!

After waiting impatiently for several long months, the 15th October finally arrived, and I could hardly contain my excitement.

I first started listening to Bloc Party around the time their second album ‘A Weekend In The City’ was released (2007), which admittedly isn’t that long ago, but I have been hooked on their unique sound ever since. Kele Okereke’s rough London accent combined with the effects of distorted and layered guitars easily pulled me into what the lead singer wanted to be ‘a snapshot, a frozen moment in time’. Even their newest album ‘Intimacy’, although receiving mixed reviews from critics, soon joined my ever growing list of favourites, along with their first and possibly best album; ‘Silent Alarm’.

So as you can imagine I was very much looking forward to seeing them play live, and our loud renditions of ‘Flux’ and ‘Helicopter’ in the car on the way only increased my excitement. On arrival at the (newly moved) O2 Academy Birmingham I was pleasantly surprised to find the room reasonably small, compared to say the NEC or NIA, meaning we could easily get a spot on the left only one row from the front - despite only arriving after the support band had begun their set! I must admit I knew very songs by 'Grammatics', but have consequently downloaded their album due to their impressive performance on stage to an impatient crowd.

After much anticipation Kele and the band arrived on stage with a burst of cheers and blinding blue light, to perform my favourite song from their new album; ‘Halo’. From the second row we had an amazingly good view of Kele, whose rapid guitar playing and strong voice made him even more attractive than usual. If that is possible. Unsurprisingly there were hoards of swooning girls at the barrier, all reaching and pushing just for the chance to touch the towels Kele was using, very frequently I must add, to wipe his face. He courageously ventured into the crowd during the song ‘Mercury’ (see video below), and was stuck in the chest by something thrown from the audience during ‘Hunting For Witches’, forcing him to stop momentarily and exchange banter with the writhing crowd. I even caught a glimpse of someone’s feet rising above them, as though someone was attempting to do a crowd handstand! Very odd I must say.

Overall they must have played for at least an hour . Or maybe longer - I cannot exactly remember how long I was dancing and singing at the top of my voice for, but it was enough to steal my voice. Despite playing few of their older songs, the best from their newest albums were more or less covered, and Kele insisted on give the crowd a ‘breather’ once or twice with one of their slower tracks. I was disappointed that ‘So Here We Are’ was not included in that list, but this was the only one I felt they missed out, so I can hardly complain!

Seeing Bloc Party play live only increased my love for the band, and for Kele, who unfortunately didn’t join fellow band member Russell Lissack in taking off his top. However, it is defiantly my favourite gig to date, and despite my aching voice and feet I would happily pay to be part of such an amazing atmosphere once again.



MP3: Bloc Party- Halo

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Review: Eastpak Antidote Tour

I. GHOST OF A THOUSANDI'd love to grace you with a review that sung the praises of this band, and whole-heartedly agreed with Kerrang (who gave them 5 K's on their live performance). Unfortunately, I can't.

Firstly, because I got horribly lost on the mean streets of Birmingham, and missed a large portion of their performance. Luckily, one of the Street Team found me and escorted me and some other kids to the O2 Arena- post-hardcore fans aren't great with directions, it seems.
Secondly, what I saw sounded reasonable- the band attacked the stage with a suitable amount of gusto, and the sound they made was pleasing, if a little shambolic in places. But that's as far as it went- they haven't quite found that fine line between unbridled rage and musical finesse. I do have high hopes for their future, mind.

II. FOUR YEAR STRONGAs this motley crew of big, beardy types descend upon the stage, you think you know what to expect. Screaming (lots of it), raging guitar solos and lyrics that can go from nought to riot in sixty seconds. Well, you'd be wrong.
Four Year Strong have a strange yet enchanting blend of pop punk and hardcore that you'd never expect from such hairy chunks of masculinity. And from the general nods of approval emanating form the slightly nonplussed audience, it was a sound they were working. This is definitely a band I'll be checking out again soon.

III. ANTI-FLAGAppearances were once again deceptive with Anti-Flag- for such weedy looking dudes, they sure are furious about something.
You always know what you're going to get with Anti-Flag- angry, political tracks- and with tracks such as 'Turncoat' and 'The Press Corpse', they didn't disappoint in that respect. The music itself has alot to be desired- nothing spectacular, nothing amiss- but what I found most off-putting was their rapport with the crowd. They stressed- between every single bloody song- how they were all about peace and love, and how they would remember this night for the rest of their lives, and how stupid the government was, and how they wanted everyone to go in the circle pit. Seriously, give it a rest.
They did get a bunch of people on stage, which I thought was quite nice of them, but I know there were those who'd argue they'd paid to see Anti-Flag, not to see some kids get up on stage and sing Anti-Flag. Matter of taste, I suppose.
Reference must of course be made to their drummer, who is up there with the scariest dudes to ever have lived- he just looks so demented. He has that crazy look in his eyes- the look that says 'I've definitely worn a straight jacket at some point in my life'. Yikes.

IV. ALEXISONFIREThe main event- and I wasn't disappointed.
I was a little confused when they only set up three stands- I thought there were five guys in Alexisonfire? Of course, my naïveté was soon put right- the fourth guy up front, bassist Chris Steele, had no stand, due to the fact he couldn't stand still for more than two seconds. He bounded around stage in a state of insanity for the entire performance, in a whirlwind of his own sweat and saliva. He went absolutely mental, and so did the crowd- I must admit I was happily dragged into the furore, pulling shapes like I was demented- even being slammed into the railings by a tidal wave of Dallas Green fan girls didn't dull my appetite for frenzy.
This pandemonium was matched by the rest of band, who not only managed to command the stage with manic prowess, but also deliver soaring, clear vocals, and guitar playing to a standard I have yet to see matched in a live performance.

All in all, pretty damn awesome. I you're considering going to this concert, you should definitely pick up a ticket: you won't regret it.

MP3: Alexisonfire- This Could be Anywhere in the World

Photo of Alexisonfire courtesy of martybell on deviantART

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This Will Destroy You w/ And So I Watch You From Afar (Birmingham Academy 3, 19/10/09)

It is half past eight. Doors have been open for over an hour and a half and there has been little sign of activity on the stage. But that's all about to change. On walk 'And So I Watch You From Afar', a four-piece post-rock outfit from Belfast. They launch into an aggressive forty five minute set without saying a word, the energy of their music mirrored perfectly by the stage presence of the band; both guitarists leap around the stage frantically as they launch into tracks such as 'Set Guitars To Kill' and 'If It Don't Break...Break it'. For an instrumental band, Tony Wright makes a charismatic and witty front man, indulging in more conversation with the crowd as the show progresses; "On the poster outside it says we're called 'As I Watched From Afar'; they're our tribute band". After some technical troubles with guitars during fan favourite 'I Capture Castles', the band make a swift recovery before their last song of the evening, 'Eat the City, Eat it Whole'.

A half an hour break ensued, before the main act emerge. 'This Will Destroy You' come on stage to a more elaborate set up than the support, providing keyboards and pedal boards that would (almost) put Johnny Greenwood to shame. The band seem a lot shier than 'And So I Watch...', with their sound also to suit; their music more ambient and mellow, but they also show a certain maturity the Irish post-rockers lacked. Their set is dreamy, with songs merging into one after opener 'A Three-Legged Workhorse'. After a short set (a mere thirty five minutes) they re-appear for a lengthy encore, which showcases the sheer breadth of the band, finishing with a breathtaking performance of 'There Are Some Remedies Worse Than The Disease'. With the sound being cut with them still on stage, a silence drifts over the audience for a second or two, with every member of the crowd silent and stunned, before the band wave their goodbyes and departing to the audience's applauds, which seem all the more subdued for the sheer volume and hectic nature of the band's finale, which still rings in my ears.

Download: This Will Destroy You - Quiet [RS] Read More......