Live review: Mike Joyce presents... featuring Flo and Emily Capell @ Proud Camden

It is a strange crowd that Camden attracts these days.

In fact, the strangest thing about this crowd is that they don't seem so strange at all... the musical tribes that were once disparate now mingle, and the spotting of Indie Cindys that were commonplace are now much rarer due to the migration of Leicester Square partygoers.

Much like these observations on the streets, the line-up at Proud for it's Friday night blow-out is just as diverse. I first stick my head into the main room to catch something loud, grungy and uninspiring and instead choose to resume people watching below the warmth of the outdoor heaters on the terrace bar where lads and ladies neck beers, tourists order pizza and the entertainment is provided by an acoustic performer running through Ed Sheeran's back catalogue.

An hour or so later I head back inside as one of the few bands influenced by Jet's antipodean retro-rock wind up their set and Emily Capell picks up the baton with a bluesy spin on rockabilly which mixes up Amy Winehouse with Paloma Faith, delivering truth inflected foot-tappers that finally gets the room into full swing.

As the live selections draw to a close, Flo steps up to the stage, a UK hip-hop and soul songstress that leans on laid back beats with echoes of Erykah Badu, she traverses the stage with grace as her vocals lift and fill the room, between just herself and a turntablist she easily holds her own with an onstage personality that flits from humbled and shy to sultry and completely in control at the drop of a beat.

And with the live acts clear of the stage at not far off midnight the beats do drop, with 90s hip-hop classics amassing great reactions on the dancefloor I cut the rug for a while before filing out into the night to beat the streets of Camden's cultural melting pot once again.

 

Benin City, live @ Electrowerkz, 30th October 2013

So, this 'urban' band that I came to review step out on stage in matching printed suits that evoke leopard print and flintstone couture with an African twist before my view is obscured by a massive white-fro. Certainly, the audience here is as diverse as the music of Benin City.

On record, they are tantalising and boundary pushing, on stage, new elements of their set-up become much more apparent whilst others slink off with respect into the background to allow these more visual prompts to take hold and lead the way through the musical furore.

The case in point is the way the three piece dynamic catches the eye and the mind, whilst a sly backing track is present, Theo Buckingham on drums provides the rhythmical backbone with a tight precision that humanises what could have easily been construed as programmed pre-sets, and the divergent styles and influences are now more visibly anchored by the sax playing skills of Tom Leaper not only does it sidestep the usual expectation of guitars or bass as a given in the live set-up, and now also informs future listens of the album, raising the stakes of the nature of the brass and emphasising a more prevalent force.

Another transformation that occurs is within my belief that spoken word as a medium is shy and introverted, an outlook that can be taken from pouring over introspective and heartfelt lyrics, yet when Joshua Idehen bounds onto the stage, hidden from the world behind mirrored sunglasses, he could be mistaken for the spirit of Stevie Wonder given sight, dancing and moving as if it were a long forgotten art that had been rediscovered without the obvious obstacle of various trip hazards.

I had already tried to bottle lightning once when I reviewed Fires In The Park, an album that deserves to be heard for itself in order to pass judgement rather than hanging onto pulped opinions, and yet again I've put myself in the position where I lose myself to something so full of passion, clearly ticking all the right boxes for me, that I occasionally catch myself dumbfounded that I need to put this experience into words.

I nod my head, I tap my feet, I dance, I sing along, and when my favourite lines are uttered I feel my heart catch a little and a spark in my soul ignites, those lines I relate to, those lines I have felt for myself.

And this is my revelation, eventually I realise just how Benin City have curated a beautifully committed audience when I see the girl in front of me turn to her friends, shouting above the music, 'this is my line!', stirring that emotion inside here that I had felt previously, and those connections are likely there in nearly every line, in nearly every person in this room, I realise that witnessing Benin City live is more than can just be put into words, it is more than just seeing and believing, Benin City exist through feelings.

Losers, live at Proud Camden: 11th July 2013

Everything must change.

Evolve or face extinction.

And so it is with Losers.

What brought me to be stood inside a hot, sticky Camden venue on a balmy July evening was the promise of witnessing the live incarnation of the second album from Eddy TM's band, the Xfm stalwart and all round nice guy trading decks for a bass guitar, and a curiosity and passion for anything this guy touches had not prepared me for what came next.

'Beautiful Losers' the debut album was reconstructed beats, a dance-rock hybrid tailor made for Eddy's longstanding Remix show, practically filtering his playlist for influences.

I knew what I wanted, I wanted to dance.

And as the amps were all turned up to 11, I had to put my expectations aside.

Opener 'Acrobatica', was a heaving, unrelenting beast of a industrial rock track, being played by a industrial rock band as if they were facing oblivion and could only ward off the end of the Earth with use of an extremely loud P.A system.

I was shocked.

I presumed that the guitars would subside into some oozing electro-samples and squelches, I presumed wrong, the guitars did not subside, and as the set progressed I realised that I was watching an adept band and not just some meandering side-project.

What I was witnessing was a band purpose built to slot into the middle of any major UK festival, the type of band you stumble across on an unspecified stage, a band that commands attention with their stage presence, absolute passion and unquestionable skill set, capturing imaginations with their blend of Nine Inch Nails and UNKLE swallowing Placebo's Brian Molko whole.

A handful of the tracks offered up dip their toes into the dance arena, but rather than mourning the lack of hands in the air moments, instead I swooned at the fine crafted set that built to rapturous crescendos and euphoric highs.

Losers have evolved, from a collaborative remix project, to releasing a guest-laced album, and now taking up the mantle of a uniquely enigmatic tech-rock act that play is if they have scores to settle.

With so many bands resting on their laurels, lapping up airplay, selling their souls and watching the money roll in, Losers once again cast themselves as the outsiders, choosing to embrace change, facing a turning point and embracing it whole-heartedly.

If the music industry is really in decline, expect Losers to adapt and survive by any means necessary.

Return of The Bush: Live Review

London's Astoria, New York's CBGB, Manchester's Hacienda, Liverpool's Cavern Club and the Bush Hill Park Tavern....

Those living outside of the North London borough of Enfield may have possibly been unaware that the ornate old building that looms large near the tucked away Bush Hill Park rail station holds just as much cultural significance to local music fans as the aforementioned legendary venues do to the rest of the world at large.

Despite not quite carrying the same pedigree as more well known sweat boxes, it is the sporadic and erratic timing of the gigs held in the usually serene boozer's function room that has made this place a firm favourite of my home town.

Last weekend saw The Return Of The Bush ushering in a new age for the Enfield music scene, as familiar faces from familiar bands that themselves were no strangers to this back-room's charms took to the stage in new incarnations, gathering under one roof and kicking to the curb rumours that our beloved scene had faltered and fallen for good.

The vibrancy and diversity of musical tribes converged in unity as a sliding scale of genres was represented over the course of just one evening, from the opening mod-influenced indie rockers Decoy Jet, through the psychedelia-laced Four Sheets To The Wind and the unstoppable funk of Deep Seed. Whilst those that prefer the heavier side of life witnessed the debut gig of Building The Songbird tackling atmospheric post-hardcore, the last ever performance from metallers Red Button Exit, who bowed out in style with a 'Wall of Death' mosh pit and headliners Hands Of A Saviour, who were left to cap the evening off by hitting the Bush with the force of a ten-tonne truck.



Whilst other towns and other venues may boast more consistent musical programmes, it has been the impromptu planning and long absences that makes every small gig held at The Bush feel like an event, with local bands clamouring to get involved, and the punters treating these rare musical outings in our little corner of North London as joyous celebrations, supporting our friends and peers and not having too far to travel home afterwards.

And for now, the scene feels revived, with new bands bearing the promise of carrying Enfield's musical legacy further forward, and loose lips swearing that it won't be too long until we see the Bush heaving, sweating and singing again.

I don't want the party to be over: Flaming Lips @ The Roundhouse, 21.05.13

The atmosphere was at the very same time geeky and jubilant, a mixed crowd of ages filled The Roundhouse in Camden as mirrored domes were brought out and piled up upon the stage and Wayne Coyne's tin foil-wrapped podium was wheeled into position.

It was certainly an unsuspecting crowd that had parted with cash in order to see their heroes or for newer converts to witness what others have so long talked about when it comes to a Flaming Lips live-show.

But this was a changed band and a number of circumstances could have led to this new incarnation of a long standing favourite.

The previous night's performance had been cancelled due to illness that had struck down the psychedic-rocker's usually flamboyant leader, and overnight news told of a devastating storm that had ripped through the band's home state of Oklahoma.

Coyne decreed that he felt 'a lot fucking better' as the sound check progressed into an impassioned speech about how wide-reaching disasters and the loss of lives put things into perspective, that silly rock shows really don't matter in the grand scheme of things, but they were here to put on a show regardless.

Another change of perspective came with the band's most recent album, The Terror, their least commercial offering in recent memory that felt as if all the doom, the doubt and the death that can be found bubbling under the surface of even their most upbeat songs had finally fought its way loose and manifested in droning soundscapes and extreme experimentation.

And it was this outlook that informed the tone of the gig, drawing heavily from the new album, any concessions to former releases were equally dark and mired in waves of glacial electronica and a sense of the morose.

Crowd pleasers and huge bouncing singalongs have gone the same way as fancy dress adorned acolytes and confetti cannons (though hopefully not forever), and the absurd sight of Wayne Coyne cradling a baby doll in his arms with tender care as strobing fills the gloom and dirgy psychedelia blasts from all around, just doesn't seem like the party that I came here for.

perhaps this is a turning point, or perhaps this is just a transitional moment that will pass, but when 'Do You Realize?' no longer sounds like a joyous celebration of our fleeting lives and the ticker tape that rains down is as black as the veil of death itself, it is clear that those gathered here have witnessed a new, altogether different chapter in the Flaming Lips live history.

Lois and The Love: Live @ The Macbeth

Intimate Hoxton bolthole, The Macbeth, is hosting the second date of a three gig residency by up and coming London band, Lois and The Love, and considering the sizeable crowd that has turned out for the second gig in as many weeks, there surely must be something about this band, whose buzz has been steadily building as they work towards the release of their debut EP later this summer.

Already with a number of London gigs under their belt, the band stepped up their game as they infiltrated the blogosphere in February with single Rabbit Hole, a Juliet Lewis and the Licks-esque romper stomper of a track that certainly kicks out the jams.



So any expectations are definitely delivered on when witnessing Lois and The Love doing their thing live, 'their thing' incidentally is a rock and roll spectacle, shot through with a blues-rock stomp and a down to earth garage band vibe, but it is no wonder that practising in garages or rehearsal rooms couldn't contain them, once you have feasted your eyes on the snake-hipped onstage cavorting of Lois herself.

All of the energy and immediacy of the live performance is heightened as their energetic lead pulses across the stage, yelping and wailing like a woman possessed, and putting in a frenetic vocal performance, and it is this exuberance of self-confidence that the band exudes that makes the atmosphere in a venue this size absolutely electric.

Watching them make short work of the fans assembled today, I recognise a flair that I have seen before, it is the appeal of a new band that you have found, a band you may have simply stumbled upon, but that tick all of the right boxes.

Perhaps others at this gig are experiencing them for the first time after deciding to stick their head into a free gig to see what the fuss is about, or perhaps it will be catching them on one of the smaller stages of a festival over the summer, but whatever the circumstances, I recognise that Lois and The Love deliver a performance that is as enjoyable for the crowd as it is for the band.

And that certainly bodes well for the future.

 

the third and final free gig at The Macbeth is this coming Wednesday 16th May

glasswerk review roundup: september

sadly, it has been a rather slow month for my own glasswerk activities.

and i think most of it can be attributed to the recent departure of an editor that during has tenure had managed to keep on top of mailing out promos and weeding out the type of music that was distinctly appealling to my eclectic tastes.

since his leaving, there have been no more care packages of dizzyingly bizarre CDs dropping through my letterbox, there have been no more opportunities for live reviews, and even my recounting of Crystal Fighters outstanding performance at Shepherds Bush Empire, which i arranged myself, never did make it onto the glasswerk website, so i took the liberty of posting it up earlier in september for my own readers.

meaning there are just two reviews to point you in the direction of.

first up was Gazelle Twin's surreal set-piece at an old metal works building in Islington.  The album launched at the show is a magnificent long-player displaying otherwordly qualities, how would this rich and vastly textured music translate live?

find out what i thought in my review.

Gazelle Twin live review here.




and the second review is a different take on my review of The Others live return, that has already been discussed on the pages of Seeking Susan Boyle.  You may notice a couple of similarities between the articles, but i do strive to give a different and slightly more impartial stance for my glasswerk piece.

The Others live review here.

and that is it i'm afraid, and unless things take a sudden and drastic change for the better, i wouldn't hold out too much hope for a review roundup at all covering october.

The Others: Live @ The Lexington

It had been something like seven years since I had first seen The Others.

It has been six years since the release of their eponymous debut album in January 2005, five years since their second, and last album to date, followed just 18 months later and it has been four years since I last saw them live at Camden's Proud Galleries, whilst a little known Liverpudlian band called The Wombats were supporting.

The Others crashed onto a music scene in an age still basking in the reflected glow of The Libertines swiftly peaking upwards trajectory.

When Alan McGee would have swooped on any band that had ever had the fortune to share a pint with Pete Doherty, when 7" singles enjoyed a renaissance, and if the vinyl didn't appeal, then you could still pick it up on CD from your local HMV.

It was during these glory years that I spent my 21st birthday in Hyde Park with my friends, vodka, The Others and a bunch of assorted fans, groupies and hangers-on.

They had just played one of their much celebrated 'guerilla gigs', ramshackle affairs planned and spread via online forums, in the foyer of a BBC radio station in Great Portland Street, before decamping to the central London park for a second ad-hoc performance that saw the bassist playing whilst up a tree.

In a few short years I developed a taste for dodgy east-end venues, crowd surfing and stage diving, and gig-going was an at least weekly occurrence.

My, how times change.

Now, aged 28 my disposable income has been greatly reduced by household bills and a mortgage, my ears are damaged by tinnitus and the gigs attended are a lot more selective.

But I just couldn't resist The Other's recent live return.

Taking to the stage at The Lexington in Islington with a wealth of old favourites that soon saw me in thick of things, moshing with the best of them, alongside fans pogo-ing to songs that still bring back memories and still manage to unite people, despite all the years that have passed and the band's own falling out of favour with a fickle music press.

New tracks that the reunited band have been working on slotted right alongside the old standards, reminding us that they have away with a chorus that is distinctly recognisable as their own.

And even after all this time, I still couldn't resist the traditional stage invasion that accompanies the last song of the set, when the band become lost onstage amongst revellers and soon enough the drum-kit is fighting for space, and it felt like just like the old days again as The Others brought proceedings to a chaotically-joyfull, sweat-drenched close.

Crystal Fighters: Live @ Shepherds Bush Empire

Crystal Fighters' debut album 'Star Of Love' has pretty much been on constant rotation in my girlfriend's car for everything from the supermarket run to trips down motorways on course for weddings and back again.

The vastly layered and intriguingly experimental long player has now been deeply embedded in both our minds and trepidation and excitement of seeing how this translates live has brought us into the heart of the Shepherds Bush Empire.

I was genuinely surprised, and possibly a little downheartened as opener Solar System was played by something resembling a rather standard band set-up, with a pounding drum-kit and ferocious guitar sound wrapping itself around what on record is a bass-driven stomper of a dance-influenced beast.

But this was merely a tease, as three songs in and the familiar, assimilated dub-step drop of Swallow remains wholly intact for the live rendition, prompting me further into the throng of bodies tossed around with abandon before the stage as I throw my own shapes with joy.

It is within the crush of the crowd that you truly experience Crystal Fighters and all of their energy, delivered by the movement of people, and yet it is still possible to find yourself, with your hands in the air and with your own personal space to dance and be free, whilst the sweat drips down your back and spilt beer squelches and slips underfoot.

The band follow the twists and turns of the album live, proving themselves evermore eclectic and fascinating with each song, whether it be the manic pneumatic drumlines and harsh dance vibes of I Love London that is tailor-made for a Shoreditch scenester's rave, or the blissed out summer calypso sound of Plage that transports you to far-away beaches with dreams of dancing without end.  Every track is delivered effortlessly to a crowd that truly believe in this band, and by closing track At Home, with the lights up, the entire venue, from the lower stalls, to the ascending balconies, are in thrall, and singing back the chorus' simple refrain with unbelievable passion.

A crowd this dedicated are not fooled though, and no sooner have the band exited the stage do the cries for Xtatic Truth begin.  And sure enough they return, taking a brief detour via a cover of a 'Golpes Bajos' number before arriving at the called for crowd pleaser.  This is it, the end of the night, and the nearing of the end of the journey that Crystal Fighters have taken in support of their spectacular debut album.

Xtatic Truth pulls no punches, it is what everyone wanted and everyone gets exactly what they expected.  One last chance to jump around, dance around and sing, a dizzying euphoria flows in waves as the heaving, sweaty mass move together as one, jubilation spread by a powerful and hypnotic performance before being evicted from this fantasy and back onto the streets of Shepherds Bush and the ever nearing signs of Autumn.

At Home by Crystal Fighters

9Blind: Live @ Camden Underworld

'We're 9Blind'

Those unacquainted with the North London rock band were served the briefest of introductions before the four-piece lunged headlong into their opening salvo of all new tracks, played in celebration of the 'Union EP' that had been uploaded to stream earlier in the week, ahead of its forthcoming official release.

Those that have followed 9Blind and contributed to their ongoing success had already familiarised themselves with the likes of Sincere Regards and Deleted Scenes, avoiding potentially embarrassing scenes of eager crowds shuffling awkwardly to dreaded 'new songs'.

The tracks played from the EP held no real surprises, and I doubt their fans would have it any other way, a change of direction would have been unwelcome, soaring guitars, drums being pounded into submission and vocals that flit from a screamo tendency to heartfelt and rousing singing are all part of the 9Blind signature sound that stands firm and these new songs bolster an already impressive arsenal of metal standards.

The wrapping up of new tracks laid out for those gathered was quickly followed by a diversionary blast through The Killers' Mr Brightside, given a testosterone injection and cranked up to 11 so that all the indie sheen falls away, leaving a chugging, metal monstrosity of a cover version.  And the singalongs continued with a brief clutch of familiar tracks plucked from last year's Negative Response To Change rounded out the night, headed up by my personal favourite, My Heart Bleeds.

One lowly drunk's careless and selfish moshing sadly halted the band whilst he was quickly ejected by the close-knit North London Bromance Core that follow 9Blind, this hold-up, combined with over-running supports and an impending clubnight in the same venue vastly truncated the headline set.

Having time for just two more songs before having to leave the stage, the evening was a joyful exhibition of a band's creations, though also troubled by minor inconveniences along the way, the most inconvenient of all being that physical copies of the EP that was due to be launched this very night, was sadly unavailable due to unforeseen circumstances.

Watching a band that hail from the same suburb as I do, facing such adversity when given an opportunity to shine is frustrating, but it is rewarding to watch 9Blind admirably battle on regardless.

credit where it's due:

photos courtesy of Chris Lawrence (DotCLP)