Of Montreal - Koko. 16 October, 2008

First off, I want to express my disgust at the venue itself, Koko. The building itself is beautiful, and maintains an intimacy that some venues lose, but the running of it was incredibly frustrating.
A tin of beer was £3.60, and was still warm and flat, and barely filled half the disposable pint tumbler it was served in.

Now to the music. The remaining support band, Eugene McGuinness (the other band pulled out because the singer had pneumonia), were sub-Kooks indie, and didn't really compliment the originality of the headliners. In fact they were boring. In between the band's sets, the in house DJ was more interested in showing off how eclectic his record collection was than trying to embrace the mood of the audience.

So it was with great relief that of Montreal took to the stage, carrying on Alice Cooper's philosophy that the performer must entertain the audience. A motley collection of be-costumed dancers paraded the stage throughout the show, involving tigers fighting birds, Kevin Barnes being stripped and doused in red paint, as if being prepared for a human sacrifice by bald, silver-headed cultists.

The set involved two half hour segments of uninterrupted music, with not even intervals to check the setlist, although most of the songs were from the as-yet-unreleased Skeletal Lamping, and thus were unfamiliar to most of the crowd (myself included). The crowd was fully into the gig though, as evidenced by the mosh-lite pits forming during Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse.

Very little dialogue was entered into by the band, but when it was, the guitarist tongue-in-cheek admitted to wanking off to the image of own sister. It's these little moments that made the gig so unique (for me anyway).

The encore was a triumph as well, finishing off with a surprise inclusion (although I personally was in on the secret, having read this) of Smells Like Teen Spirit. That went down a storm and rounded off one of the best gigs I have ever been to. I'm just pissed off I forgot to bring my camera.

Death Cab for Cutie, Brixton Academy, July 17, 2008 - review

Death Cab for Cutie, originally uploaded by macca7174.

This is the first time I've really been disappointed by a gig I was looking forward, but it was not fault of the band, or the sound guys, or the bouncers, or any of the usual let-downers - it was the despicably static crowd that attended the event. No doubt, I later attributed, down to the fact that I felt like one of the older people there - by a good six to eight years. I'm 22.



The band were actually brilliant, with a newly de-specled Ben Gibbard sporting a new Jack White-a-like haircut, and jumping around manically, frantically trying to inject some energy into the crowd - to little avail.

The set-list couldn't be faulted either, with them playing songs from throughout their career, and I was expecting when the newer ones kicked in, the crowd might consider moving a little, so I could sneak a few rows forward toward the front. Dream on, James.

The only song that elicited a response from the crowd that suggested they weren't all mannequins, or the Children of the Damned, was, understandably, I Will Follow You Into The Dark. While Ben played the song faultlessly, the crowd sang along in full flow, and it actually felt more like I was in a public gathering enjoying Death Cab's music, not a wake.



The band did express an appreciation for the crowd, but I feel it was more out of manners, than a genuine expression of gratitude. Or maybe they were appreciative of a crowd that did take the effort to listen intently - in which case, my jumping and singing was completely out of place, and unwelcome. Or all their gigs are like this, which I would find soul destroying as a band member.

Yndi Halda and Olufur Arnulds at the Barbican - review

So now Yndi have played what is unquestionably the biggest gig of their career so far - which is surely about to kick into gear given that all five members are now able to commit themselves to being in the same place at the same time for most of the foreseeable future. Even though their were the support act, they showed an ambition that suggests that that is not a role they will be reveling in for long.

Of the new song, it was a departure of sorts, but not one that could be immediately mistaken for anyone but Yndi, and James has now upped his instrumental repotoire to include the piano. The song was not titled, and was only one of two songs not lifted from their debut album, Enjoy Eternal Bliss, which may be considered a disappointment, given that James has stated on record that they are looking to expand their music from that era, which was written when they were "children".

However, the songs that we are all familiar with were all there, and it may have been a bit of a tightrope walk to proceed without them. Dash and Blast was the opener, and was the surprise of the night, with a chorus of vocalists taking to the stage (clumsily if one was being particularly harsh), to chant the closing coda's da-da "barks" (as the band has facetiously referred to them).



There was a full on light show choreographed with the music, illustrating the aforementioned ambition, and James (standing at my side of the stage) was on full form, jumping around, posing like a true hair metal guitar hero of the eighties, albeit with more musical integrity.

Olufar Arnalds was the headliner, and to be honest, was disappointing. His piano playing accompanied by the string quartet was intriguing and produced some undeniably beautiful music, but I couldn't shake the feeling that he was a one trick pony. Only the coda of one song branched out to include a considerably distinctive section during his whole set. If he can expand his sound more, it would be more palatable sitting through one hour plus of it.

Update (July 18, 2008): The band have since informed me that The new song (which is in the video) is entitled This Very Flight, and what had previously been entitled Pinch of Lynch, is now La Lumiere Lit.

Bobby McGee's and Dufus to share a stage!!

In what is the best news of the day so far (in a day that will later include a trip to the Barbican to see Yndi), it has transpired that the Egodeist favourites, Dufus and The Bobby McGee's are to play on the same bill.

Hosted by Human Error on Monday 30th June, the event is taking place in The George Tavern, Whitechapel (373 Commercial Road, E1 0LA to avoid confusion with all the other George Taverns in London). Other acts on the lineup include Baron Bum Blood and Old Bamboo.

Also, even in these crunchy credit times, the ticket price, at £4, is unlikely to stir the cockles of many investment bankers (at least for now).

Buy tickets from wegottickets.com

Check back tomorrow for a review (and possibly pics) of the Yndi Halda gig

Meet Me in St. Louis R.I.P.

While doing my Foundation year at Surrey Institute of Art and Design (now known as the University College for the Creative Arts), one of my classmates was Ollie from the highly thought of post hardcore band, Meet Me in St. Louis. Their debut album, Variations on Swing was lauded across the board, as this poster illustrates:












However, their success was short-lived, and they announced their split last month. In a sort of parting tribute, I have uploaded two of their singles from their first E.P., And With the Right Kind of Eyes, You Can Almost See the High Water Mark, That Place Where the Wave Finally Broke and Rolled Back (named for the famous quote from the Hunter S Thompson book, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas). Marvel, and get a glimpse at how greta they could have become.

Meet Me in St Louis - I am Champagne and You Are Shit.mp3
Meet Me in St Louis - The Kid Who Got His Ear Slapped By the Druggist.mp3

Buy Meet Me... from their Myspace.