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As I strolled in to Band on the Wall, Rough Twist were already in full swing. The first number they played (a couple of songs into their set, or so I gather) was actually rather arresting; melodic guitar leads, dual saxophone backing and some solid British blues/classic rock vocals gave it a decidedly Dire Straits flavour, rather like a number of the tracks in the latter half of the set showcased on the Alchemy album. Unfortunately for them, no other song matched the momentum this first generated, and soon they were into plodding, unoriginal filler. They ended on a tune called ‘For those abut to funk, we salute you”, which aside from its cringeworthy title was self indulgent and flat. Their bassist managed to get a positive audience reaction with his rapping vocals, but I just really wasn’t feeling it.
After a lengthy changeover, the Marys came on. I’m gonna say right here that if you aren’t a fan of Zeppelin/Sabbath, then it’s not really worth reading on. If you, like me, were raised on classic rock then read on. The Marys’ sound is very Zeppelin-influenced, and at times bears some resemblance to Wolfmother (the solo in ‘Bang Bang Bang’ is suspiciously like the lead line from ‘Joker & the Thief’), but on the whole has rather more of AC/DC, Motorhead, and possibly even Stooges twist to it. Some songs are clearly stronger than others- ‘Off to Another Land’ rushes by on a wave of pure rock attitude, while the stop-start structure of ‘Nothin’ to Lose’ catches those who haven’t heard it before off guard, whilst at the same time getting fans in the crowd singing along. ‘Portrait of Red’ went down the best, and works much better live than even on the record; their last song gradually extended into a Dead Confederate style pseudo-progressive jam, and unsurprisingly prompted calls for an encore.
Coming back on to play ‘Cast the First Stone’, the band could scarcely have choreographed their return to the stage better; even a Rhodes piano and spotlight à la Almost Famous would probably not have raised the ante. Their job done, the band departed, having clearly pleased the crowd. Their next, more daunting task will be pulling off a show like this somewhere other than their hometown.
The thing is, I’ve seen Wolfmother at a big venue, and I know there’s a crowd that would willingly take this band up; the difference at the moment is not just one of recognition, but also of quality. While there’s a strict (if samey) approach to Wolfmother’s sound, it has generated two albums of consistently good songs. The Marys on the other hand aren’t there yet. Once they’ve got ten songs as good as ‘Portrait of Red’, then they can play Academy 1. Until then, it’s going to be an interesting ride. TAGS: The Virgin Mary's, Band on the Wall Words by: Alex Lynham |
