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After a minimal amount of hassle, we got our wristbands on and headed out into the spring afternoon. A brief peruse of the very well laid-out planner told us that we had already missed a number of bands that we had been intending on seeing, but no matter; the day was still young, and surprises, we thought, must be in store.
First, we headed up the hill, where we caught I Concur at the Library. In the attic room of this former, er, library the big post-rock sounds of I Concur were at home. Lazily thrown in with the resurgent shoegaze scene much as Swervedriver were with the first wave in the ‘90s, they have a lot musically in common with their spiritual forefathers, and it isn’t surprising that they have opened for Adam Franklin and co. in the past. As is often the case, gear problems plagued their set, and their singer at one point was led to say “chop chop, skulls in” at their guitarist as he twiddled lamely at a pedal in between songs. Their guitar attack is somewhere between the proto-punk of late-60s or early-70s Who, albeit with folk chord patterns and vocal delivery. The icing on the cake is the rich wash of echoes that accompany their more intense passages, and the packed venue was sad to see them go.
We made ourselves at home, for next up were Sennen. Although warmly praised in alternative circles, we found them a band lacking the variety of sounds that I Concur offered. Their set was rather hit-and-miss; when they were on form, the sturm und drang of their more melodramatic crescendos was nigh elemental, but for every truly great moment, there was an equally also-ran one. As the set ran on, they gained in confidence, and choosing a strong song as their closer, they brought the house down with a swaggering, frantic ending that had us spilling out into the street to get some air.
It was time to move on. Guide leading the way, we headed to the Refectory, spurred on by the promise of “instrumental, improvised prog”. Once there, we were instead confronted by something very bizarre- Castrovalva, a Death From Above 1979 style Bass/Drums duo with an overweight, screaming singer in tow. I make that sound like a bad thing, but it wasn’t. It was bizarre and brilliant in equal measure, and though I was too confused to know what to do, a mosh pit filled the centre of the hall- not bad going for just after four o’clock.
Next, we headed to the Packhorse to catch Mojo Fury. My friend maintains this Northern Irish band were the best unsigned act he’s seen in recent memory, and whilst I wouldn’t go to those lengths, I was pretty blown away. Their most obvious aural touchstone would have to be At the Drive-In, as a result of their math-rock, post grunge guitar lines and dual vocal yelps. The bass lines were more early Muse- by this I mean pre-Showbiz- and occasional bursts of power chord mainstream alt-rock in the vein of Nirvana, Silverchair, or (at a push) Smashing Pumpkins made their sound catchier and tighter than your average math-pop band. In their last few tunes their sound coalesced into something more concrete; the chords became bigger, a keyboard came out; the frenetic riffing was relegated to bridges and breakdowns. Suddenly this was a band to really make a fuss about. I can only hope that their last couple of songs represent newer material, as there was a clear increase in quality in tracks such as the blowout ‘Runaway’. Their earlier numbers, whilst innovative in their own youthful way had too much of the feel of jams turned all too hastily into songs. The band I can say I saw before they were big? Quite possibly.
Shooting across the city, we arrived at the Cockpit, where we caught acoustic singer-songwriter Matthew P. Woodpecker in hand, I turned to my friend and idly commented “this really is music to drink cider to”. I can’t really put it better than that. The songs were in the Jack Johnson school of summer chillout, and the gloomy setting of Cockpit 3 wasn’t appropriate; he’d do much better at an acoustic tent or smaller outdoor stage with the sun shining. Oh well, needs must, I suppose.
After a brief debate, we decided to gamble and head to the Royal Park Cellars, where we caught my favourite act of the day. Playing to a non-existant crowd, Tripwires caused my jaw to drop with their hook-heavy, bass driven brand of shoegazing rock. Though deliberately non-confrontational, their vocals were less classic dream pop and more like J. Mascis or Rivers Cuomo, while the huge rumbling bass riffs gave form to the dreamy guitar lines that filled the dull basement. Too often bands who play in this area of music get lost in their pedals or the noise itself and forget melody and structure; Tripwires thankfully avoided this pitfall completely. I can’t think of any way to describe them other than as sublime. If all of their material is of as high a quality as that they played live, then they could easily give Ride or Slowdive a run for their money. They were THAT good.
Leaving the hot basement for the cool early evening, we ran across the park back to the Library in order to catch one of my favourite new bands, North Atlantic Oscillation. In spite of some sound problems and a technical problem or two, they soldiered on and played a set that was well-received by the crowd. Highlights (judging by crowd reaction) were ‘Ceiling Poem’ and ‘Drawing Maps From Memory’, although in my opinion ‘77 Hours’ was the highlight. It would have been nice to hear ‘Alexanderplatz’ or ‘Some Blue Hive’ but I guess it was supposed to be a short, sharp festival set, so no surprises there. Since I saw them a month ago in Manchester, the crowd size has doubled, which can only spell good things for these talented newcomers.
A spot of dinner later and we were again running, this time to catch Blood Red Shoes at the Refectory. I’ve twice bought tickets to see this band after accidentally watching them at Reading 2007, and both times for different reasons have been unable to attend. On this occasion time was of the essence, for we knew that 65daysofstatic would imminently be taking to the stage down at Stylus. We stayed for three songs, enough to be sure that BRS haven’t got rubbish and that I need to buy their new album, and then departed to find our way through the maze-like Student Union.
The first time I saw 65daysofstatic was at Reading last year; I was so drunk that I could barely stand, and I was having to look after a girl even more drunk than I because a mosh-pit had separated us from the rest of our friends. In spite of the confusion, I remember it being one of the best gigs I’ve ever been to- the crowd attitude fantastic, the band possessed of such natural talent as to make me sick, and the songs themselves, well-!
I feared that the combination of atmosphere and alcohol in that cramped Reading tent would be diffused completely by the size of Stylus, and doubted somehow that many 65days fans were actually in attendance. I was wrong. It turns out that 65days are as good, if not better, when you are sober. The crowd was just as lively; the band were just as transcendent; dancing on stage robotically during electro breakdowns; hurling themselves around the stage; twirling drumsticks between fills; even balancing a guitar on a chin for over a minute…
The power and talent of this band leaves me speechless. They effortlessly crossed the boundaries of electronic, drum n’ bass, industrial and post-rock, leaving in their wake an exhausted, but exhilarated audience.
From then on, our night was less successful, which may in truth be a good thing; we were shattered, and quite ready for bed, which was of course over an hour away in Manchester. Nevertheless, we tried and failed to get into Sunshine Underground at the Faversham, which had a queue way out the door when we got there. A quick glance at the guide pushed us toward Hurts at Trinity Church, but we got hopelessly lost and ended up in a Samuel Adams pub. A look at our train timetable told us we had only twenty minutes before our train, or we’d have to wait until 3am for the next one. We elected to miss Mazes at Nation of Shopkeepers, which was a shame as having seen them supporting Japandroids a couple of months ago, I had been looking forward to their set.
This turned out to be the right choice as we only just made our train, instantly falling asleep besides a couple of guys who were talking about ‘Jadiohead’.
So, in summary, a short list of the bands I saw: I Concur, Sennen, Castrovalva, Mojo Fury, Matthew P, Tripwires, North Atlantic Oscillation, Blood Red Shoes, 65daysofstatic.
The bands I missed: Esben and the Witch, Sunshine Underground, Duke Special, Hurts, The Acutes, Mazes.
All of that for £15. How can you justify not going next year? TAGS: I Concur, Sennen, Castrovalva, Mojo Fury, Matthew P, Tripwires, North Atlantic Oscillation, Blood Red Shoes, 65daysofstatic, Live at Leeds Words by: Alex Lynham |
