Another night at the premier venue for unsigned bands in Reading.
Arcade
Definitely a gig of two halves. When these guys started my notes read ‘Nice ideas, good sound, but too loose, and the singer needs to beef up the vocals’. Seems I was being too harsh.
When they started, they seemed to lack some cohesion, like they hadn’t practised enough together. Maybe they started with their weaker songs. More likely, they just got their shit together as the set went on, because by the end they were as tight as a gnat’s chuff, and the singer was belting ‘em out like an old pro. I started with reservations, but ended as a convert.
Sounds? Hmmm, touch of Gomez, but more reminiscent of their singles than their bluesier album tracks. My notes also mention Mudhoney, Bush and maybe a little Feeder. At one point, Radiohead seemed like a good signpost (and intentionally high praise that is – think ‘High and Dry’). Somebody mentioned Suede to me, which sounded too fey, but if you listen to the guitar’s and forget about Brett Anderson’s vocals, then you’re on to something.
Definitely a band to watch.
Bluedog
Oh man, can these guys rock…
Again, just as with Zed, I’m struggling for musical signposts to aid you, the reader, to try and understand both the type of sound these guys knock out, as well as the quality they achieve. Bluedog’s sound, just as any band worth their salt, is purely their own. Think Metallica (after they discovered tunes), throw in some Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and mix in some Pearl Jam. Now liberally sprinkle some Feeder and some Rage Against the Machine (without the polemics, and an infinitely greater variation in sound). Now imagine all that fronted by a bastard hybrid of Andy Cairns and Kurt Cobain. You might not be in the right ground, but at least you’ll be playing the correct ball game.
You think you’ve got them nailed, as they open with a head stomping ‘BBQ Soul’, all chunky bass riffs and screaming vocals. Then they hit you with a ‘Half Life’, all melancholy blues, the sound in your head when your home alone with the lights switched off. The ease with which they switch from Mosh anthem to darkest blues/rock is astounding. You can’t help but feel energized by them. There were no weak songs, the delivery was powerful, a joy to watch. The bass is very much the driving force in their music, every whack of the strings feels like a note being played on your spinal chord.
I’ve seen these guys a few times now, and each time I watch them, they just get better and better. This is powerful, dark, almost bluesy, rock. Equal parts music to mosh to and music to lay back in the dark and absorb the beauty.
Poetry for a generation brought up on Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Metallica.
Jayjay
