iLiKETRAiNS at the Hare & Hounds 28/10/2010

The deafening sound of a ships horn heralds the entrance of the iLiKETRAiNS 2010, or I Like Trains as they now like to be know. Gone are the British Rail uniforms and black armbands; the band now clad themsleves as seamen, with rather dashing Officer jackets. Whilst some might see scorn this kind of gimmickery, with 'TRAiNS it's all part of their appeal - and equally as much a reflection of the thematic nature of their music. With their latest record, the band have moved away from the post-rockish, historically-informed sound of their previous records, and instead for the first time looked to the future - particularly the demise of the human race due to it's own ignorance to issues such as global warming.

Tonight the band are clearly on form, playing their set to an almost full Hare. This evening's set comprised mostly of new material from album He Who Saw The Deep, as well as a few older cuts ('Victress', 'A Rook House for Bobby', a rare outing of a (shortened) 'Stainless Steel'). Strangely, no tracks from debut 'Elegies..' were played - not even the early single (and in many ways difining track) 'Terra Nova' showed its epic head, which is a great shame. That's not to deride the new material, which shows the band are more than capable to write softer, more ballad-like tracks, relying less on the wall-of-distortion that is trademark of a lot of their early releases. In many ways tracks like 'A Father's Son' and 'A Divorce Before Marriage' recall their more tender side which came across in their demos prior to Progress Reform.

After the show, I spoke to singer David Martin about the length of time between albums; 3 years is a long space of time between albums nowadays. He was aware that people would think they had nothing left in them, but the gap was more about them trying to create material that they were happy with. And have they acheived that goal? Dave's pleased with the results, and I too have to agree that the band have put together what is a very strong rock record. Yes, it's very different both texturally and thematically than their debut, but I think it's possible to argue that with their latest offering they've become more focused as a band, and as always with iLiKETRAiNS it will be interesting to see where they set sail for next.

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.

Mystery Jets at the Custard Factory 06/05/2010

This was an odd one. Apparently Chevrolet are launching a new car, called a Spark, and to celebrate this they enlisted Mystery Jets to perform a 5 date "unscheduled" tour around the country. The cities that the tour stopped at was decided by an online poll on the Chevrolet website, with the pollsters receiving tickets to go along to their chosen city if it won. Now, I only know this with hindsight after some brief researching on the internet. On the night however there was little explanation as to what was going on at all. Kicking off at around 7.30 on a Friday night is not normal practice, and myself and a couple of pals tried to get in (our names convieniently didn't show up on the guestlist) as Mystery Jets were already starting their set. Luckily we were allowed in regardless (breaking the illusion of exclusivity) we dashed into a relitively empty Space 2. This seems to be an ongoing problem with these sponsored shows: no-one knows about them. The same happened at the xBox Reverb show I went to last year. So here's the scene: Mystery Jets are playing on a stage over to the right, there are about 80-100 people standing around in the middle, and to the left are a couple of ugly cars that have been given a "cool" paint job and had a DJ booth installed on the top. I'm confused. However, Chevrolet were obviously aware this would happen and had provided a free bar (maximum of two drinks) for the punters. I got myself a cold one and tried to shut out the vehicular distractions and watch Mystery Jets do their thing.

It was clear from the outset that tonight the band's focus would be on showcasing their new material from forthcoming third album, Serotonin. Opening with latest single 'Flash A Hungry Smile' shows that the Jets are happy to continue on their excursion down the indie pop road, and this song will certainly be one that follows you around this summer. I hadn't been that much of a fan of Twenty One but you can't deny the infectious nature of tracks like 'Young Love' and 'Two Doors Down', the latter of which got the crowd going the most, albeit a near-static bop. It saddens me that they don't play material from the first LP these days, seeing how that was a fave of 2006 (corr, that long ago?), but the new material did enough to leave me suitably impressed, especially 'Waiting for a Miracle', that was a rather tasty cut. So, on walking back out onto Digbeth High Street at a little after 8.30pm with the sun still somewhere in the sky did I want to go out and buy a Chevrolet? No. But I will be keeping an eye out for Mystery Jets over the summer as they are a band made for the festivals, a sunny pop band who have got the knack of writing catchy hooks, but not selling cars.

photo via facebook.com/sparktour

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?

Rolo Tomassi at the Flapper 19/04/2010

Leaving a trail of destruction in its wake, the Rolo Tomassi headline tour rolls into its last port of call: the Flapper. Suprisingly it isn't sold out tonight, which is lucky for me as I hadn't got around to buying an advance ticket. Yet, despite this, the place is still packed to the rafters.

After grabbing a pint of Red Stripe and trying to maneuvre myself into a position where I can see the first act, Throats, take the stage. Well, I say the stage, their singer actually spent most of their set throwing himself around on the floor in front of the stage. Sadly, despite the energy these guys had they didn't do much for me. Their short bursts of noise remind me a little of Napalm Death, but not being much of a hardcore kid their 30 seconds of feedback and distortion did little to capture my imagination.

Trash Talk however were another kettle of fish. Rumour has it they got kicked out of the venue after playing. From where I was it looked like the guitarist started on the DJ or something. Anyway, it felt odd watching an American band (they are from Sacramento) as nearly all the bands I watch these days are from our home shores, but I was suitably impressed by their hardcore workouts which unlike the previous band had some good riffs going on to get my attention. Their singer liked to provoke circle pits around the room, which for anyone who has been to the Flapper will realise is near-lethal. He also had a penchant for grabbing fans by the head to let them scream down the mic. They were mental, and did have a real air of danger around them. I, for one, could understand why people like them so much. Certainly not a band I would listen to of my own accord, but as a live act tonight they worked well to warm up (most literally) the crowd for the mighty Rolo Tomassi.

I was little uncertain as of what to expect of Rolo this evening. Last time I saw them was one of the most intense gigging experiences of my life, an experience that cost me my brand new camera (lost in the mosh) and my dignity. Sadly, they don't sell the latter in Argos for £69.99. Since then, however, the band have holed up with Diplo and produced a new record. Now I quite like Diplo's work, but when I found out he was going to be producing Rolo I worried slightly. My thought was it would either be killer or catastrophic. Fortunatly, if tonight's performance is anything to go by, the fans have nothing to worry about. The band thrashed their way through their set, sprinkling new material alongside tracks from debut Hysterics. New tracks such as the excellent 'Party Wounds' show Rolo are as exciting as ever. They still remind me of Refused; it must be that guitar sound, or perhaps those jazz breaks which simply rule hard. The band seem also keen to prove they're not a one trick pony too, and some of the new material shows the band experimenting with their sound, such as in my new personal favourite, 'Kasia', which starts all post-rocky with chiming guitars before building up into a super-massive Envy-esque tune complimented perfectly by Eva's stunning vocals, backed by some oh-so-throaty screams from her brother. Finishing with 'Abraxas' it is clear to see why Rolo Tomassi are one of Britain's most formidable bands, both in technicality and originality, and from the sound of things Cosmology is going to be slaying some stereos when it comes out at the end of May.

Youves at the Adam + Eve 16/04/2010

As part of the Adam + Eve's 20th Anniversary the venue has been hosting an array of free shows, showcasing and celebrating Brum talent. Tonight's show has been curated by The Other Woman's Club, a female collective of DJs and promoters (amongst other things, who, as well as choosing the acts for the evening, were providing the soundtrack between the bands. This is the first time I've ever been this far into Digbeth, but nestled between a series of derelict looking factory units stands the Adam + Eve. At first glance it looks your stereotypical old-fashioned street corner boozer... and that's pretty much what it is. Inside, one side of the room a stage runs, hardly big enough to contain the equipment and kit that most bands drag along with them these days.

First up was Simon Gregory from Tantrums, who ran through some of his band's tracks, albeit stripped back to just vocals and a (borrowed) guitar. I'm a big fan of Tantrums, they are a group who are doing interesting and fun things on the Birmingham music scene at the moment, and they have made a great leap forward since Anna Palmer (of Little Palm fame) came into the fold. However, this evening, without the backing of the band's solid rhythm section and crazy guitar antics, even crackers like 'Make Ya Feel Hype' seem a tad lacklustre. That's not knocking the songwriting here, it's just that once you've seen Tantrums in their full glory, hearing their songs played like this just isn't the same.

Now, I haven't seen Your Biggest Fanclub for a year or so, and I remember last time feeling somewhat confused by their direction. Not tonight though. It seems since my last encounter they have found their sound, and bloody loud it was too. Then there is the riffs. Oh, the riffs. Imagine QOTSA flogging the corpse of Hendrix (If that makes sense?) and you come somewhere close to imagining how massive Thom's guitar sounds. You wouldn't imagine they are a three-piece, that's for sure. Ash and Ed provide a steady backbone for some of Thom's more interesting guitar workouts, with some especially nice sounds coming from Ed working his pedals to get some serious fuzz out of his bass. If my memory serves me right the last time I saw them I had been impressed by their stage presence, especially Thom's, and tonight was no different, with both Thom and Ed leaving the stage to pace predatorially amongst the crowd. This was topped during their last track where Thom pulled himself up onto the bar and played the rest of the song standing above the punters, much to the concern of the barmaid. All in all, a good solid performance which left me with a smile on my face. The only negative I could find, if I was to get picky, was that often their levels were too far in the red, and Thom's excellent guitar work gets lost in the ensuing wall of noise, which is a real shame.

Last up this evening are Nuneaten lot Youves. I've seen Youves a number of times over the last few months and I always find them great fun to watch. They play a sleazy, spikey dance-punk which joins the dots between Fugazi and A Certain Ratio, and despite several problems with the microphones, they deliver the goods. From the frentic guitar interplay between Michael and Alex, to Luke's funk-infused bass lines, Youves really are the total package. Again, presence is everything, and there is enough going on to keep your eyes busy. There is something about the way Stephen squares up to the microphone, before taking it in his hands and pretty much gyrating against it that could be considered perverse, but it's so visually arresting that I for one won't be making any complaints. Alongside material from last year's Holy Roar mini-album the band played several new songs which fitted seamlessly amongst their older, more well known tracks. Of course, as is often the way with a Youves show, by the end of their set they have stripped off their shirts, and are drenched in sweat, launching themselves around the tiny stage regardless of health and safety.

So, there you have it. A top show, made even more enjoyable by the fact it cost nothing at all to get in. It did however take me nearly 2 hours to get home due to M6 closures though. Swings and roundabouts right? And I mustn't forget to give kudos to the DJ of the evening who played 586's 'We Got Bored' which I hadn't heard in a long, long time, and is an awesome tune. Thankyou Other Woman's Club DJ!!

Three records that changed my life

I was recently asked to put together a small piece on the three records that I would consider to have had most impact on my life for Wolverhampton promoters Out of Step. After much nail-biting I managed to get it down to three, as there were a few others who I felt deserved the priviledge of being listed, but here we go, here are what I consider to be the three most important records in my musical development...

Vex Red - 'Start With A Strong and Persistent Desire' (I Am/Virgin, 2002)
2002. I had just turned 15. I was pretty much like any other 'alternative' kid in the school at the time. I liked all the obvious stuff that those 'alternative' kids liked. I even dyed my hair red like Kurt Cobain. I was ignorant to music from our own shores. Then I heard Vex Red. If there was one song that I could blame for my musical ephiphany, it would probably have been the first time I heard 'Itch'. I was blown away: here was a British band that I felt I could get excited about, who were making music unlike anything I'd heard before. They mixed alt-rock and electronic influences together to create an album which to me, was the closest thing to perfection I had ever heard, like some hybrid of the Smashing Pumpkins and Nine Inch Nails - but from Surrey. They were also the first band I ever went to see. Sadly, in late 2002, the band split after being dropped from their label, leaving just this album and two singles as their legacy.

Joy Division - 'Unknown Pleasures' (Factory, 1979)

I went to University in Aberystwyth, and accordingly I spent most of three years there shrouded in sea-mist and surrounded by the slick-grey of wet concrete. Until I had lived in such bleak surroundings I had never really understood the bands' music. Yes, I had listened to it, processed the lyrics and knew it was a brilliant piece of art-as-music/music-as-art, but it is a whole lot more than that. Late 70s Manchester transposed itself over mid-00s Wales, and I loved every moment of it - from the insistent beat of 'Disorder' through to the last industrial throbbings of 'I Remember Nothing'. I would go as far to say it is the greatest record every commited to tape. Also, as an aside, Peter Saville's design for the record sleeve is probably my favourite of all time.

Mogwai - 'Rock Action' (Southpaw, 2001)
I've been a long time fan of Mogwai, and whilst most of their albums (and my love of them) is based on the building up slices of intense sound, this release was a lot more subtle in its experimentation with dynamics. There is a greater use of electronics, as well as a whole host of instrumentation outside of your traditional guitar/bass/drums combo, which leads to the creation of a densely textured soundscape. It's great music to get lost it, headphones on, eyes closed. To this day I would find it hard to name a more perfect instrumental track than '2 Rights Make 1 Wrong' - that banjo during the coda is enough alone to make you weep. Also, the time I had sex to this record was one of the most incredible, beautiful, and unforgettable moments of my life.

~~~

You can read other people's choices over at the Out of Step blog here or perhaps even submit your own. They will be producing a little zine of their findings to give away at their next night on the 25th Jan, which will also be the first night they put on with bands.