Shapes + Grown Ups at the Flapper 23/05/2010

Despite it being an extremely warm Sunday evening there is still a reasonable turn-out for tonight's show in the warm underbelly of the Flapper. Turning up slightly later than anticipated (it was an early kick-off) I manage to catch half of Bronze Medals' set. I don't know if they were having an off-night or if the sound just wasn't doing them justice, but tonight they didn't seem as full of vim as they had last time I caught them at the Adam & Eve. Perhaps the heat had taken it out of them? That said, they stand head and shoulders above a lot of local bands for their ingenuity, surmised in set-closer 'I Lost the Map', which has become one of my favourite tracks of the year thus far.

Next to the stage were City Hero. Whilst they weren't necessarily a bad band, I can't say that the Birmingham three-piece left me wanting more. There were brief moments where interesting riffs came into the fore, reminiscent of old-school Deftones. However where progress was made on the heaviness front, the band cancelled themselves out by lapsing into a, well, cliche and cheesy rock sound that does absolutely nothing for me. I know some people like Nickelback, and there is a place for that gravelly-throated alt-rock, but that place is not in my record collection.

Into It. Over It. acted as a solid counter-balance to the acts proceeding him, and to Grown Ups who would follow. His acoustic discourses on subjects as diverse as friends, love, and American Football went down brilliantly, and his chirpy sense of humour was almost as good as his music. Favourite comment of mine was his thoughts on how Britain doesn't understand the term "bummed' which he uses often, and has had people on the tour mistake his feeling sad as reference to anal sex, which I'm sure is not always a good thing when you're thousands of miles from home. My only regret is that I didn't pick up his 52-track double album, recorded over the course of a year (1 track a week, folks), as he was a lovely guy. I complimented his brilliant humour and he said it was due to watching a lot of British sitcoms with his parents when growing up. It was very pleasing to find a Yank who gets English comedy, so Evan Weiss, I salute you.

The main pull for tonight has to be Chicago's Grown Ups. Recently signed to Big Scary Monsters, and with debut More Songs currently gracing my stereo, I knew that these boys would be an absolute riot. They remind me a lot of Hot Water Music, with their infectious pop-punk hooks skittering along in reckles abandon, with the songs usually cumilating into a fantastical conclusion almost as soon as they've started. The only negative I found this evening was that it did seem a bit too loud, meaning that the vocals were often obscured by the guitars which is a real shame as it was the combination of the vocals and the guitar hooks that originally drew my attention. I was also a little sad about how short their set was - but then their record only clocks in at just over 30 minutes. I really hope these guys come back soon as they are a fantastic, summery punk-rock outfit who deserve your attention. Why not go download their first EP, Songs, over on If You Make It - you won't regret it.

Last up tonight are local boys Shapes who I've written about before on these pages. It's pretty much text book this evening, and despite the crowd becoming decidedly smaller (it's a Sunday night after all) the band plough through their set of juggernaut riffs and unexpected time changes like the prog-metal supremeos they've grown into. A couple of new songs were thrown in for good measure this evening, including one which sounded like it may have been called something to do with AC/DC, but my ears may have tricked me. Closing with live favourite 'You Butcher!' Shapes brought to an end a diverse evening of music. Whilst they are always a great act to watch, for me this evening was all about Grown Ups, who were brilliant and are well worth your investigation.

Bronze Medals at the Adam + Eve 28/04/2010

Another week, another free show at the Adam + Eve. It seems that The Other Woman's Club have taken a liking to the venue and can't contain themselves to one event a month, not that I am complaining of course.

First up this evening is Neil Ward. I'm not usually a fan of singer-songwriter types, but I really got into Neil's witty takes on what it is like to be young these days, and whilst I've never stalked a former lover home and thrown a brick at her car, there was enough character and charm in his performance to come to the conclusion that Neil Ward may have actually done said criminal acts. Whilst my initial reaction was that he had a lot in common with Frank Turner (he even looks a bit like ol' Frankie boy), it would be unfair to write off Neil as a sound-a-like, far from it. There was enough variation in style to his playing to avoid boredom, and his lyrics reminded me a little of Hot Club de Paris, which is a good thing in my books. In fact, it would be interesting to hear Neil backed by a full band, as I am certain most of his songs would sound fantastic with a bit more punch behind them. Great set, made even better by the fact he had free CDs, which happens to be the easiest way to get in my good books.

Second act of the evening was Savant. Now, I can summarise this band in three words: Savant fucking rock. These guys may be young, but don't let their age belie the fact they write amazing instrumental tracks (with the occasional vocals) that left me somewhat breathtaken. Opening with 'Little Omar Little', the band wasted no time showing what they are worth. Their drummer is easily the best I've seen in along time, creating textures and a weight to the music that pins down the dueling tappy guitars, stopping them from spinning off into infinity. They also, amusingly, played a cover of 'Undone (The Sweater Song)' which was a nice touch and a savvy addition to their set. I will be keeping a close eye on these bright young things, as if they are this exciting now, well, with time they could become something else entirely.

Bronze Medals have been around for a little while now and have been creating quite a stir. Some may now bassist Michael from his other project Boat to Row, or from Youves. Similarly, you may recognise guitarist Ben from when he stood in for Alex in Youves. However, despite the other projects, Bronze Medals are producing music which is totally different to anything else on the midlands circuit. They may even be my new favourite band. Recalling all the best bits of Tellison and Stapleton, there is a charm to these three that I find hard to put into words. Having listened to their demos on their myspace countless times, I was suprised to find they only played one of them (they closed with 'I Lost The Map'), but this isn't a negative, as the tracks they played were all excellent, especially the one which they introduced as the one "that used to be the new one but isn't that new anymore." There is an inginuity and intelligence that surrounds their music that could easily propel them to cult status. It will be great to hear these guys record more, and with a seemingly endless list of gigs (including a set at this years Off the Cuff festival), there will be plenty of opportunities for everyone to catch them over the coming months. Who would have thought third place would sound so good, eh?