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Gig Reviews
Frank Turner - At The Vic, Swindon, Swindon 2nd April 2006
review by Ben Hooper
At the newly refurbished Vic, a scruffy, scrawny man takes to the stage. By the end of his half-hour set, this unassuming bloke would become a statue of good-natured social despair. Clearly relishing his newfound solo status since the break-up of previous band Million Dead, Frank Turner's wonky nu-folk charms and entertains the entirety of the diverse audience tonight. With lines like 'The only person in my band is me' in Nashville, Tennessee, he is clearly thriving on the freedom he now enjoys, proven by his delightful spontaneity and log fire crowd connection. There's love (Romantic Fatigue), humour (I Really Don't Care What You Did On Your Gap Year), and plenty of good old sticking it to the man. Punk rock spirit leaks from his Black Flag T-shirt into songs like Thatcher Fucked The Kids and soaks lines such as 'All the kids are fucking bastard shits/but don't blame them'. And there's more swearing than a Swindon secondary school playground. The crowd was also treated to an acoustic reworking of some vintage Million Dead and Abba's Dancing Queen (trust me, it worked). Sharp, warm, bright, funny; Turner is everything you'd possibly want. With his unusually not-boring inter-song tales and wail that could speak for all humanity, he sets the blueprint for a new kind of folk hero. In a beige desert of bland coffee-table singer-songwriters, Frank Turner is a timely reminder of how powerful a man and his guitar can be. You need to see this man.
The Panic, The Perfect Excuse, Miasma - 21st April, United Services, Warminster
review by Phil Cooper www.muscit.co.uk
Firstly let me get this out of the way, the trouble at the end of this gig was totally unnecessary, but was not the fault of any of the bands or the organisers, and I don't intend to dwell on it. Right, on with the review!
First things first, I'd never been to United Services before and I was a bit taken aback by the odd layout. The audience kind of in one room and the band in what looked like another room completely, just with one wall missing! I was a little worried that this might alienate the audience a little and draw attention away from the music. Boy was I wrong! First up we had Miasma, who I had never seen before. They kicked off with a fantastic little riff before the wall of noise hit in and I was hooked. They had bags of energy and the talent to back it up too. Definitely a band I want to see again.
The Perfect Excuse took to the stage and acted like they'd been on it all their life. With clever screamo/metal/jazzcore whatever you want to call it, this band is creating music way beyond their years. Frontman Eddie will deservedly take the plaudits for his incredible energy, and open manner which makes every audience member feel like they are a part of this performance too. But I feel that special praise also deserves to go to Linga, who plays some very intelligent guitar parts, as well as keeping everything going on the laptop. It's hard to describe exactly what style of music this band plays, and I'm not sure how well it would tranlsate to a recorded format (although I'd love to find out!), but as a live band, The Perfect Excuse need to be filed under "Must See".
Finally, The Panic took to the stage. It's been ages since I've seen this band play, so I was looking forward to it immensely. They didn't disappoint. Opener aside (as the levels were a little dodgy) their set was pure class, a highly professional, polished set with just enough rough edge to "keep it real". The songs are great, the perfomance second to none. Infact I found myself singing along to songs I didn't even know I knew, that I'd heard maybe once or twice before, about 6/7 months ago! Just how long it will take for this band to get the break they so desperately deserve I don't know, but however long, it won't be before time. I only hope the right people come to watch these guys before they pass their peak!
Mogwai - ICA, London. 12/1/2006.
review by Eddie Golby
As Mogwai ringleader Stuart Braithwaite once said; "I think a lot of people make 'art-rock' but forget to actually rock... they're too busy 'arting'. We’re a rock'n'roll band that avoids clichés. We don't have choruses. Art forms have to progress." This declaration cannot be further from the truth, and despite their more drawn out, long, instrumental songs, Mogwai sure know how to rock. However, choosing to vacate a small London venue, which is essentially an art exhibition theatre, for 5 straight nights, only acts as an oxymoron to Braithwaite’s statement. Though, Mogwai have only ever done things their way. On the eve of releasing fifth studio album “Mr. Beast”, punters were lucky enough to witness the sweeping majesty of old and new.
Following a surreal and somewhat bizarre opening support set by Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys, the stage was literally set for Scottish giants Mogwai – full of Casio keyboards, Apple laptops, and amps. Opening with the classic “Mogwai Fear Satan”, Mogwai do not disappoint. Essentially an apocalyptic 15-minute long blast of building soundscape noise, it is a great precedent for the rest of the 90-minute long set, and is a song that symbolic of the ethos at the heart of Mogwai. Watching this Glaswegian sextet is to watch unconventional beauty; the juxtaposition of subtle quietness building into what can only be described as blissful white noise. “Like Herod” is similarly constructed, and forces even the most hardcore fan to jump when it explodes into life, and I’m sure it caused many frail audience members to be on the verge of heart attacks. The new songs largely give the impression of continuing to bolster their staggering back-catalogue: in particular “Glasgow Mega Snake” is a towering explosion of guitar wrangling honed to perfect construction. Opting to close with unplanned, but live favourites, “Hunted By A Freak” and a rare inclusion of “Christmas Steps”, the crowd is with them until the final note. Leaving in usual Mogwai fashion with my ears ringing; it’s obvious that the fellow 400-odd crowd members and myself are in on the UK’s best-kept secret. No band comes close to Mogwai in this field of epic majesty.