MISTAKES IN ANIMATION/ FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! PHOTOGRAPHY/ THE ATTIKA STATE @ NOTTING HILL ARTS CLUB 09/02/08

MISTAKES IN ANIMATION

Mistakes In Animation are both hit and miss. I arrived at the venue very excited as there were loads of my friends present that I hadn’t seen in ages and was eager to hang out with them. I decided to make sure to catch Mistakes In Animation though as I wanted a band to review for the gig that I hadn’t previously, and also felt compelled to watch them after not having seen them before despite opportunities.

On the good side of this musical seesaw Del (singer and guitarist) is a very able guitarist and shows this on many occasions, using his ability to dress up otherwise simple songs. He is also not a bad singer. He is probably better suited to backing vocals but he more than holds my attention vocally. On the other side, I didn’t like the female vocals. I thought that her tone was not quite right and didn’t touch me in the way that a good female vocal so often manages. I also thought that there was a lack of a hook in most of the songs other than Peter Pan Syndrome, which was the stand-out song of the set for me.

At times Mistakes In Animation managed to sound like a mixture of Owen and Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, but for the most part they seemed to struggle, and this was best seen at the end when Del realised that he was out of songs and then, by the time he muffled through something or other, half the room had left. Not the best gig for them.

http://www.myspace.com/mistakesinanimation

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! PHOTOGRAPHY

I have already reviewed 3FP twice this year and am bound to do so several times in the future and I’m starting to wish that I hadn’t promised myself to review every band that I watch and on every occasion. I am also starting to hate the idea of reviewing your friends. If you think that they’re awful then they’re likely to be a little disappointed and, even more annoyingly, if you think that they’re amazing then everyone will just think that you’re biased. It is even more annoying because 3FP really are very good.

I’m not going to harp on about the same faults that they have every gig. Mike’s vocals were still a little too low but they’re getting better. Folu’s vocals are a little too loud and so make the gulf between levels even more noticeable. But the rest of the problems seem to have been ironed out.

Tonight the band seems to want to make a point. Marc from the first riff decides to climb on top of the speakers and plays from there. During Aquaman Mike decides to join the crowd and smash himself about amongst them. The crowd feed off this energy too and, for the first time at a 3FP gig, there is actually a fair amount of participation (myself included). The band also seem tighter and may have benefited from reducing the amount of time spent trying to change songs and instead focusing on honing what they already have.

This was the best performance that I’ve seen from Flash! Flash! Flash! Photography and I’m hoping that they build on this.

http://www.myspace.com/flashflashflashphotography

THE ATTIKA STATE

Talking to different friends about The Attika State before they start their set it seems that people either think that they’re the best band in Britain or really can’t understand the buzz. The band seem to thrive on this kind of attitude and, when they do take the stage, there are a pool of ten or so people at the front singing and finger-pointing along with incredible passion. The band seem to absorb this energy coming from the crowd and pulsate around the stage accordingly.

Having reviewed this band earlier in the year I’m also at a loss as to how to review them further. They’re the kind of band that don’t seem to have off days. On this occasion they were strong and maybe stronger than before. They even air a new song that seems to have picked up perfectly from their ep, Leave Your Dignity At The Door.

The Attika State are, in my opinion, one of the most polished and inventive bands of their ilk in the UK. Every now and again we get a band of their type that most would feel could match their US counterparts, and in my eyes there are few at the moment who could achieve that more than The Attika State. I still can’t see it happening mind.

http://www.myspace.com/theattikastate

YOUNG HUSBAND/ DAVID DONDERO/ DAVID BAZAN @ 93 FEET EAST 04/02/08

YOUNG HUSBAND

I caught a little of Young Husband and what I heard I liked. The venue was practically empty for the duration of his set and I think that this suited his soft, whispery voice and dainty guitar parts. I only saw the last two of his songs and so a full review would be unfair, but from what I heard he has a very simple, honest delivery and rather lovely songs. I'd definitely make sure to watch his entire set if he supports at any gig that I'm at in the future.

http://www.myspace.com/younghusbandmusic

DAVID DONDERO

I was sitting in the bar next door when David Dondero started his set and was willing to remain there until I heard a friend of mine compare his music to 'if Conor Oberst had written the songs but they were being sung by Willy Mason.' On that account I rushed into the other room and was not disappointed. You can see the Oberst influences in his lyrics, although I'd say that they're also influenced by David Bazan himself, especially with his strong mentions of religion. Musically I can also see the Willy Mason influence, the songs have that repetive guitar loop that Mason often has that means that many of his songs struggle to have an obvious chorus, but vocally however, I'd say that he was more like a mixture between Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse and, when he strained his voice to try and force emphasis, Win Butler of Arcade Fire.

From the above paragraph I'd imagine that most of you already have your myspace tabs open and are frantically entering his name into the music search to try and get a listen. The names mentioned are high praise indeed and he was never going to be good enough to deserve these mentions without some negative points. His vocals sometimes, especially on the less emotive songs, touched on a monotone which really did dull the senses, especially with the lack of an expansive guitar riff. This meant that for every great song there was a mediocre one.

I think that without the hooks or choruses or stand-out vocals or guitar parts, David Dondero is always going to remain a slightly acquired taste. Some people will like his country-tinged acoustic music that sounds as though, especially when introducing the songs while strumming the guitar, that he should be playing in the corner of some Louisiana spit and sawdust bar while people sit at the tables alone and starring into their drinks; others will find it boring. I thought that he was good, but I think that he made a perfect support act for David Bazan.

http://www.myspace.com/davedondero

DAVID BAZAN

I will open with a confession: I was never really a fan of Pedro The Lion and could only listen to Headphones every now and again. I had spent the weekend listening to Achilles' Heel constantly on my mp3 player in an attempt to grow fonder of them. I downloaded a Dave Bazan live performance and listened to that too. I listened to the Headphones album for the first few times in ages. I had a feeling that with all this listening I'd be a fan by the time of the gig and it worked to an extent. But seeing David Bazan live changed everything. When I was travelling home the first album that I put on was the David Bazan live set.

Due to my lack of knowledge of Pedro The Lion I sadly cannot enlighten people as to which songs he played of theirs. I do know that he played Bands With Managers thought and it was incredible. He managed to perform all of his songs on an electric guitar which, when played as a solo act, I normally have issues with, and yet not once did the sound seem to lack character. Standing with someone who was a complete unknown to David Bazan and all of his bands before the gig, she remarked to me quite how depressing his lyrics are, and she was right of course. But there was a warmth and sincerity in his delivery that managed to make what should have been quite a cold sentiment quite uplifting. Including questions and answer sessions throughout the set was something that I'd never seen before and a great way for fans to get answers to questions that they long for, and Bazan only tends to have diehard fans.

Since Monday I have listened to Headphones a lot. I haven't listened to Pedro The Lion but I feel far more compelled to than I ever have before. The gig for me hinged a lot on what Headphones song he decided to play. I knew that he often played Hot Girls and would have been happy for that, but when he started playing Shit Talker I was trembling with excitement. I remarked afterwards that the inclusion of that song wrote my review for me and in some ways it did; the set just seemed 'right' from the very start to his cover of Hallelujah to end (the best cover I've ever heard of the song and if ever there was a Pedro The Lion song that David didn't write, that song is it). I am now a fan of anything and everything that David Bazan has been involved with.

http://www.myspace.com/davidbazan

ALAN POWNALL/ THE WAVE PICTURES/ SLOW CLUB @ THE BORDERLINE 02/02/08

ALAN POWNALL

I'm a sucker for acoustic acts. My itunes is jammed full of guys and gals who sing along with just an acoustic guitar for accompaniment and they manage to move me in a way that is so much harder to do with a full band. It's like stripped down emotion where nothing but the sentiment is important and where instruments would cloud the issue. There are others that preach their beliefs or issues and fight causes with their music and I find myself more open to their message than a punk band's. Basically I ultimately find it hard to fault acoustic acts, but there are a few things that can strike a faus pas with me. Alan Pownell manages to find them.

Firstly he sings like an American but, when he speaks between songs you realise that he is not in fact American but a well-spoken Englishman. This is the first disappointment. Secondly the lyrics often mean very little and even manage to flirt with gibberish at times. Lyrically he seems quite like the pop stars James Morrison or James Blunt rather than those who find themselves on my itunes.

His biggest mistake in my eyes was when he decided, on a few occasions, to shush the crowd. Yes, it is annoying when people talk over bands and especially acoustic artists but it is the singer's job to silence them with their music and not with their demands. If you're not good enough to make them be quiet then you're the one failing, and, in demanding that the people who had just come through the door quieten down, he lost my respect and managed to actually anger me. He certainly didn't do enough to silence me, but I just didn't speak.

http://www.myspace.com/alanpownall

THE WAVE PICTURES

The Wave Pictures are a three-piece producing music that sounds like a mix of The Coral, Supergrass, Ocean Colour Scene and all of the bands that your parents used to play when you were a child. They remind me of the sort of band that should be coming out of the jukebox of a country pub on a Sunday while friends play pool and you stand chatting to the landlord and sun is peering through the windows and everyone is smiling. They sound like brit-pop but they sound like the brit-pop bands that didn't manage to outlive the genre. It does feel pretty good though to hear a new band playing that long dead genre live again though.

Having listened to the songs on their myspace, there does appear to be some relatively big differences between their recorded output and their live show. For starters they love solos live. Every song seems to feature a guitar solo and this can get a fair bit too much despite their quality. One thing that doesn't get at all tiresome though are the bass-solos, something that you don't get to see at all often enough. The lyrics are a little off at times too, and this is most evident with the two vocal solos during one song where the band remark on the difference between a sculpture of marmalade and actual marmalade. It just seems daft.

This band are better than the above paragraph lets on though. Their banter between songs is some of the best that I've heard in a long time and their music really is entertaining. They don't bring anything particularly new to the table but they remind me of a time when life seemed easier and more fun, and for that this band on this particular evening were just what was required.

http://www.myspace.com/thewavepictures

SLOW CLUB

Slow Club are a simple band. A boy and a girl; Charles, the boy, plays guitar and Rebecca, the girl, does percussion. They both do vocals. They write simple songs about wonderfully twee things and yet at no point does this twee simplicity get annoying as so often bands of their ilk do. Instead their pop songs make you question why music can't be like this more often. This is my third time of seeing Slow Club and my favourite so far.

On each of the previous occasions Slow Club have proved something to me and tonight was no different. I saw them first around this time last year at the Faversham in Leeds. They were first on and were the only band on the bill that I'd never heard of (they were playing with Dartz! and Hot Club De Paris) and they not only managed to keep me entertained, but they stole the show. I was in love. The second time was supporting Tilly And The Wall at the Electric Ballroom last summer. I had thought that the larger venue might remove the intimate, almost secretive feeling that the band manage to muster with their sound but instead it still seemed as though the rest of the crowd melted away and they were singing for me. It was lovely. Tonight I saw them headlining for the first time and they managed to pepper the set with a plethora of new songs and yet the crowd remained quiet - a real achievement for an acoustic act - and everyone walked away with smiles smothering their faces. So what did they prove to me tonight? This year Slow Club will be releasing one of the albums of 2008. Pretty good for a simple band I'd say.

Slow Club produce life-affirming, touching, folk-pop; the kind of music that everyone with ears should appreciate. It is impossible to find many faults in the band. Charles rarely attempts to try elaborate guitar riffs or solos as it wouldn't be appropriate to the sound. Rebecca will hit or slap or jangle anything that she can find that makes a pretty sound, while there are few things in the world prettier than her voice. It is impossible not to fall in love with this band. Go listen and prove me right.

www.myspace.com/slowclub

EBONY BONES/ THOSE DANCING DAYS @ THE CAMDEN BARFLY 01/02/08

EBONY BONES

Ebony Bones scare the shit out of me in the way that I used to get scared at pantomimes when I was younger because I didn't want them to single me out and make me get involved. Ebony Bones actually have quite a theatrical, almost pantomime feel to them in fact, they wear costumes that are both bright and impractical - Ebony and her two backing singles look fantastic in brash-bright outfits with wigs to match, while the drummer wears a rabbit mask and there is a man sitting on the stage playing additional percussion that is wearing some kind of tribal outfit - and throw themselves around the stage in a way that seems choreographed and yet chaotic and unpredictable in equal measures.

Musically I am not a fan. I gave the tracks on her myspace a listen before the gig and knew from the off that I wasn't going to be converted. I was actually tempted to give her a miss and, had she headlined as she was billed to, I'd have headed home before she took to the stage. I'm happy that I didn't, even if I'm still not a fan. The songs seemed to blur into one another and it is hard to estimate how many different songs that she played. The stand out track was the closer We Know All About U, which had a very distinct rhythm and an extremely catchy chorus. This one song might tempt me back to her myspace from time to time, but it was the only one for me.

Ebony Bones sound a little like an indie James Brown Experience, just obviously not as good. But there is plenty of potential there and with her describing her band as 'a collective individuals, having a good time and not repressing themselves', you can see that she has the same kind of mentality as the Godfather of Soul. She might not quite be my cup of tea but her live performance is definitely worth a watch. Ebony Bones manages to somehow create an indie block party, something that I never thought I'd be part of but manage to enjoy it all the same.

http://www.myspace.com/ebonybones

THOSE DANCING DAYS

Those Dancing Days have been playing the typical press tour of continually playing the fashionable venues of London, much like The Mae Shi have been doing at the same time. They have been awarded London Lite's single of the week award for Hitten and they're bound to be getting mentioned in the 'new bands' sections of all of the major music mags in the next few weeks. And all of this for a bunch of schoolgirls from Sweden. Surely they would be showing signs of nerves and looking daunted at the sight of a packed Barfly? Yes and no.

Musically there are some hiccoughs. While the bass is steady and strong throughout and the drums are impressive both instruments only aim to give the band a skeleton to flesh out with the keys, guitar and vocals. It is here that they struggle. They really do not utilise the keyboard anywhere near enough, the vocals are good but not great, and the guitar work is way too simple to the point that it seems amateurish. These are big problems but ones that needn't be problems for ever. The guitar is the main problem and will have to be sorted out for the band to further themselves, or at least enamour them to me.

The performance has it's high points though. The self-titled single is the main highlight and the band's enthusiasm and innocence manage to make it very hard to review them so honestly above. Lead singer, Linnea, is captivating and Cissi, the drummer, smiles like she is about as excited as she could ever be. This is a band that seem to just be enjoying what they're doing right now and that is impossible to criticise. Live they are better than I have let on in this review, but they could be brilliant soon.

http://www.myspace.com/thosedancingdays

YEBOROBO/ JOHNNY FOREIGNER @ NOTTING HILL ARTS CLUB 26/01/08

YEBOROBO

Yeborobo take to the stage and you wonder where you are. Behind the drums sits a man who looks like the fifth Beatle around the time when they met the Dalai Lama, the bass player is a lady wearing a dress that looks as though it was made from the curtains of an 80's primary school, the lead singer is wearing a woolen thing that looks like a cross between a poncho and a hoodie over what looks like a maroon pyjama baby-grow, and the man responsible for backing vocals and additional drums is wearing the top half of a white dog costume. There are two other members too and, with the exception of the drummer, they all have their faces painted as though they were still part of the 'free love-Woodstock-hippy' era. They look a little like Of Montreal might if they were to be part of Almost Famous. To put it simply, this has the potential to be absolutely cracking or completely crackers.

Musically this band are slapdash but somehow a little enjoyable. They are probably best described as post-punk mixed with stoner rock. The problem is that their image and their actions take centre stage. The singer seems as though he is a frustrated artist with a dangerous drug addiction. He pulsates with the music and throws himself about as though the music owns him. Adding to this, the man in the dog costume will bark vocals and throw himself about too. Together they seem like mischievous kittens looking to destroy the place, and this reaches a climax when the singer is dancing on the floor with the rest of the crowd and the half dog-half man decides to hand me his microphone before tackling the singer to the floor and wrestling with him culminating in him walking off with the singer's shoe, victorious. This all added to an unforgettable live show but I barely remember the music ahead of the insanity that occured throughout. Having listened to their myspace I feel that they're better live than recorded, but still I cannot remember enough.

I think that this band are a bit like watching a live action horror movie occurring right in front of your eyes; it's enjoyable but scary. I would like to see what they might achieve without the hi jinx, but I fear that it would detract from the occasion.

http://www.myspace.com/yeborobo

JOHNNY FOREIGNER

Johnny Foreigner were recommended to me a while back by a good friend of mine and I gave them a listen but was not too impressed. Looking back now I'm not sure how that could be possible. Johnny Foreigner are everything that I love in music. Like a British Desparecidos, they roar through their set, frantically and chaotically but managing to sound both technically gifted and also achingly uplifting. I find that I need more superlatives just to describe the way that this band make me feel.

Drawing entirely from their EP, Arcs Across The City, and their, yet to be released debut album, they manage to captivate a crowd that for the rest of the day had seemed happy to mainly stand and tap feet. Heads were bobbing now though, and opening with Champagne Girls I Have Known was always going to get people moving. The slower songs in the set seemed to lose the momentum of the set but after the ferocious pace of the upbeat songs, I feel that the band might have collapsed had they not positioned them for rest periods.


Johnny Foreigner are getting a lot of press currently and with appearances due at SXSW and Great Escape in the near future they are surely due to become a whole lot more recognised by the major press. I can't really see the band getting a great deal of mainstream attention or appealing to the masses, but to anyone who likes any of the bands that I have reviewed so far in this blog, you must go and see this band. I'd be willing to refund any costs if you don't like them I am that confident in their brilliance.

www.myspace.com/johnnyforeigner

A IS FOR AUTOMATIC WEAPONS/ FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! PHOTOGRAPHY @ NEW CROSS INN 23/01/08

A IS FOR AUTOMATIC WEAPONS

I will start by saying that this is a type of music that I find hard to determine genres with and will struggle to compare to other bands. Not the best opening sentence to a review but I’d prefer to be honest than look daft when I try to compare and categorise them. The band seem to play metal music and yet the singer seems to think that he is fronting a hardcore band. I would presume that this is what is often referred to as ‘metal-core’.

The singer chooses not to take to the stage with the rest of the band, and instead he spends the entire set running from left to right on the floor in front of the band. His energy is not matched by the band who seem happy to not utilize the additional space left by the vocalist and instead remain relatively stationary throughout the set. I find that it leaves me looking at the Duracell-esque front man and paying little to no attention to the band. When I do I find some strong guitar-work and thumping riffs.

This is not the kind of band that I can really do justice reviewing. It is hard for me to determine how good they are as I have few bands to compare them to. However, my foot was tapping throughout and if they happen to be on another bill that I’m already planning to attend then I’ll definitely give them a second watch.

http://www.myspace.com/aisforautomaticweapons

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! PHOTOGRAPHY

***SPOILER ALERT***
If you haven’t read my last review of Flash! Flash! Flash! Photography then I’d recommend reading that first. Seriously.

Tonight you can hear Michael Hemsley (lead vocalist) singing. So often riddled with sound problems that mean that you can only hear him when screaming, tonight, with their fifth gig, they seem to have sorted that issue. In its place the guitars seem a little hollow (although this does help to highlight the impressive bass work as that stands out in the mix), Rob (drums) manages to fumble beats on occasion and they have feedback problems. But their sound problems have less to do with the band and more to do with the borrowed equipment and the lack of a sound check.

The performance tonight is solid if not spectacular. For a new band ‘solid’ should be good enough. Every gig should be regarded as an opportunity to tighten your sound and the first ten gigs should be free of judgement. But 3FP don’t appear happy with that. At every gig they seem to have reworked a song and tonight’s is I Hate You. I actually think that the new version doesn’t work as well, but this may be more due to a lack of practicing it. The band though seem adamant to try new things wherever and whenever possible. I think that this deserves credit even if it is a little too ambitious currently. The band also attempts to cut the onstage banter tonight and I think that this detracts from the performance. Tonight was the first night that there were people amongst the crowd who were not friends with the band and I think that the banter would’ve helped to win them over. Instead I felt a slightly negative attitude from that part of the crowd that possibly seemed to think that 3FP aren’t punk/hardcore enough for them.

3FP are still playing predominantly playing to friends, partners, flatmates and colleagues but this can’t, and won’t, continue forever. The band features two of my best mates but I don’t watch them out of obligation. Flash! Flash! Flash! Photography are currently in that judgement-free ten-gig period but they’re not taking that for advantage. I expect to write a glowing review come their eleventh show.

http://www.myspace.com/flashflashflashphotography

DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL @ THE SCALA 20/01/08

DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL

Dashboard Confessional is the kind of band that you’re not ashamed to like even after the scene that they (he) fronted has up and left them. Producing music that is so unashamedly emo in the truest sense, tonight it was just Chris Carrabba alone with just his guitar and his voice, the way you feel that God intended him to perform.

The sound in the Scala was brilliant – as I have always found it to be – and this allowed Chris to really show the full capability of his vocal range and punctuate the songs with the most emotion possible, any over-egging that occurred can be easily forgiven due to the cheer quality of the vocal otherwise. The set list was also flawless. Particular highlights were Vindicated, Screaming Infidelities and Hands Down which brought forth sing-a-longs, the like of which I have never seen before. Drawing, surprisingly, almost entirely from his back catalogue, with only a couple of songs from the latest album and one brand new song, the crowd were unable to find any grievances with that area of the show either.

The one area that seemed to aggravate a few members of the crowd was Chris’ abundance of banter between songs. Towards the end of the set he cut this out, but I personally enjoyed the banter. Unlike other artists who are often responsible for doing the same, Chris didn’t have other band members to talk to and instead decided to strike up conversation with the audience. This allowed him to crack some incredible jokes and create a welcoming, intimate atmosphere that made me forget that there were in excess of eight hundred people here and instead made me feel as though I were in my living room surrounded by my friends, and that felt very special. It made me feel quite warm inside watching everyone, not only the kids but those who are older - the bank-tellers and insurance salesmen, singing their faces red; and it definitely felt as though I was witnessing something very special indeed.

Tonight I joined the Cult Of Carrabba for the first time, but it definitely will not be my last and I’ll be buying tickets for the April tour. I suggest those of you that used to love Dashboard Confessional buy tickets too; you won’t regret it.

http://www.myspace.com/dashboardconfessional