Well, I'm writing this little piece from my new "summer house" overlooking West Common. Pretty gorgeous it is too, although the room I managed to find is rather, well, small. Also lacking in Internet access at the moment too, so I think I'll be dashing down to the library fairly often. Got all my CD's stacked up along the back of my desk though, which is nice. Going across a row, I encounter "Air - Moon Safari", "Four Tet - Pause", "Leftfield - Rhythm and Stealth", "Sleeper - Smart", and finally "Various Artists - Is It Rolling Bob? A Reggae Tribute To Bob Dylan". Ah, good times... Moving away from me though, and on to the past weekend's fun and frolics. I'm going to talk about each gig I saw this weekend, which was a pretty wide range of stuff.
Thursday night saw the return to Lincoln, for only the second time, of the House Of Jealous Lovers night at So:Luxe. Its no secret that I'd been looking forward to seeing Bono Must Die, but I was also interested to see one of the first performances from I Need To Discover, the follow-on project from ex-I My Bike frontman Colin Barstow. Having spent most of the afternoon and evening running around handing out fliers in town, putting up posters, and generally lending a hand, it was with great expectation that I finally grabbed a drink and settled down to watch him perform. Happily, he failed to disappoint, playing very strongly and confidently to a pretty heaving room, blasting out tune after tune of guitar and synth dual audio attacks. Certainly talking to people afterwards they were incredibly impressed with his set, and in particular his energy, particularly in his voice. I've got a whole post on I Need To Discover which I'll put up later in the week. Bono Must Die took to the stage after a short changeover, and immediately urged everyone to move forward to the very front of the band and generally "get in to it". They played the crowd fantastically, baiting them, urging them on, and generally involving them fantastically. The music was, slightly rough around the edges at times, but I guess part of that is the style. Gritty. Lead singer Toby's constant adventures into the crowd and his relentless energy led the rest of the 4-piece in an at times ramshackle trip around the nightlife and associated quirks of 21st Century "Generation-X" London. A small scale stage invasion followed the typically synth-led cover of 'Sexyback' by Justin Timberlake, as the band launched into signature tune 'Trafalgar, a tale of a boy called Ping and his painfully "scene" band. In the words of the song, "idolising Peter, never got much sweeter", an illusion to the trend of London bands, and indeed national bands, to try and copy the style of the ex-Libertine Pete Doherty, normally with horrifically embarrassing results (The View). So, a pretty solid show from a band who leap from a mass of dirty synth to assault your senses, brashly and rudely. Congratulations to HOJL for pulling off such an interesting and fresh night, I eagerly await their continued contributions to what is rapidly becoming a far more varied Lincoln live scene.
Friday night and a trip down to Skegness to see Lincoln's Live Riot and Skegness' own Djune. Still recovering from the freshness and energy of Thursday night, the calm setting of Whisky A Go Go, slightly swarmed in eager 6th formers, was a nice change. Live Riot kicked things of with their vaguely Twang-like brand of swagger-indie. An impressive attempt to fuse the arrogance and swagger of Oasis and the pure grime of a small town "pub" band, resulting in something altogether more marketable and listenable. They put on a pretty energetic performance, adapting well to what seemed a pretty calm and "too cool to dance" crowd. Definitely something to watch out for in a slightly different venue or situation. Djune followed after about 30 minutes, launching into a set of guitar-driven indie-pop. If their sound was a sandwich, it would be Egg And Cress. Nice and tasty, and perfect for lunchtime or a sunny day. A balance between soft comfort, and a desperate attempt at some kind of crunch. Although they seem to have the energy in them somewhere, and have a fantastic management team behind them, they seem to be lacking that spark, even in the new songs that they debuted, to really take them as far forward as they could deserve to go.
Saturday night saw a return to Lincoln and its familiar RaW night at the Mezz Bar. This particular week, I had been invited to put a few tunes on between bands, which I duly obliged with, albeit with a slight amount of apprehension at the mass of switches and knobs in front of me. The night opened with a nice acoustic set from Days Before Television who ran through a collection of covers and original material, before making way for Winterlong. The Mansfield based four-piece managed to scream and sweat their way into some kind of Beechams aided hole, while mashing a pretty traditional lineup of guitar, bass, and drums into something that felt like it was trying to cover far too many bases at once. Maybe some focus next time to compliment the energy and songwriting potential? Lincoln's Park Bench Theory took to the stage next, launching into a pleasing mix of old and new material. The have a sound that bridges the gap between traditional indie-rock and a more blues/bass driven sound, perhaps reminiscent of The Strokes or The Vines. I can't help but feel that they found it hard to pull of a performance in a venue such as the Mezz Bar, being perhaps more suited to the sweaty foot-stomping atmosphere of venues such as the Bivouac. The night concluded with an impressive set from a pair of local chaps, TV Kicks. They engaged well with the crowd while creating an impressive array of hooks and rhythms with their guitar/drums setup. What could have been a very flat sound was boosted by the constant communication between drummer and guitarist, and the tightness of their show. So, a nice collection of bands, albeit all of a pretty traditional style and feel.
So a pretty busy weekend really! I'll leave you with some MP3's by a few of the bands mentioned, as well as a link to images from a couple of the nights. Lastly, thanks to everyone who's helping spread the word about Our Iron Lung, it's great to feel that people are behind supporting and encouraging a local music scene, and its connections nationally, by being eager about different ideas and ways of expressing that "scene". This is OUR Iron Lung, not MY Iron Lung. Drop me an email or a message. Tell me what you like. Tell me what gig I should be at. Tell me who I should be listening to. Etc.
[MP3] Bono Must Die - Trafalgar
[MP3] I Need To Discover - Wolves (Final Sexy Edit)
[PHOTOS] House Of Jealous Lovers @ So:Luxe, Lincoln - 7/6/07
Thursday night saw the return to Lincoln, for only the second time, of the House Of Jealous Lovers night at So:Luxe. Its no secret that I'd been looking forward to seeing Bono Must Die, but I was also interested to see one of the first performances from I Need To Discover, the follow-on project from ex-I My Bike frontman Colin Barstow. Having spent most of the afternoon and evening running around handing out fliers in town, putting up posters, and generally lending a hand, it was with great expectation that I finally grabbed a drink and settled down to watch him perform. Happily, he failed to disappoint, playing very strongly and confidently to a pretty heaving room, blasting out tune after tune of guitar and synth dual audio attacks. Certainly talking to people afterwards they were incredibly impressed with his set, and in particular his energy, particularly in his voice. I've got a whole post on I Need To Discover which I'll put up later in the week. Bono Must Die took to the stage after a short changeover, and immediately urged everyone to move forward to the very front of the band and generally "get in to it". They played the crowd fantastically, baiting them, urging them on, and generally involving them fantastically. The music was, slightly rough around the edges at times, but I guess part of that is the style. Gritty. Lead singer Toby's constant adventures into the crowd and his relentless energy led the rest of the 4-piece in an at times ramshackle trip around the nightlife and associated quirks of 21st Century "Generation-X" London. A small scale stage invasion followed the typically synth-led cover of 'Sexyback' by Justin Timberlake, as the band launched into signature tune 'Trafalgar, a tale of a boy called Ping and his painfully "scene" band. In the words of the song, "idolising Peter, never got much sweeter", an illusion to the trend of London bands, and indeed national bands, to try and copy the style of the ex-Libertine Pete Doherty, normally with horrifically embarrassing results (The View). So, a pretty solid show from a band who leap from a mass of dirty synth to assault your senses, brashly and rudely. Congratulations to HOJL for pulling off such an interesting and fresh night, I eagerly await their continued contributions to what is rapidly becoming a far more varied Lincoln live scene.
Friday night and a trip down to Skegness to see Lincoln's Live Riot and Skegness' own Djune. Still recovering from the freshness and energy of Thursday night, the calm setting of Whisky A Go Go, slightly swarmed in eager 6th formers, was a nice change. Live Riot kicked things of with their vaguely Twang-like brand of swagger-indie. An impressive attempt to fuse the arrogance and swagger of Oasis and the pure grime of a small town "pub" band, resulting in something altogether more marketable and listenable. They put on a pretty energetic performance, adapting well to what seemed a pretty calm and "too cool to dance" crowd. Definitely something to watch out for in a slightly different venue or situation. Djune followed after about 30 minutes, launching into a set of guitar-driven indie-pop. If their sound was a sandwich, it would be Egg And Cress. Nice and tasty, and perfect for lunchtime or a sunny day. A balance between soft comfort, and a desperate attempt at some kind of crunch. Although they seem to have the energy in them somewhere, and have a fantastic management team behind them, they seem to be lacking that spark, even in the new songs that they debuted, to really take them as far forward as they could deserve to go.
Saturday night saw a return to Lincoln and its familiar RaW night at the Mezz Bar. This particular week, I had been invited to put a few tunes on between bands, which I duly obliged with, albeit with a slight amount of apprehension at the mass of switches and knobs in front of me. The night opened with a nice acoustic set from Days Before Television who ran through a collection of covers and original material, before making way for Winterlong. The Mansfield based four-piece managed to scream and sweat their way into some kind of Beechams aided hole, while mashing a pretty traditional lineup of guitar, bass, and drums into something that felt like it was trying to cover far too many bases at once. Maybe some focus next time to compliment the energy and songwriting potential? Lincoln's Park Bench Theory took to the stage next, launching into a pleasing mix of old and new material. The have a sound that bridges the gap between traditional indie-rock and a more blues/bass driven sound, perhaps reminiscent of The Strokes or The Vines. I can't help but feel that they found it hard to pull of a performance in a venue such as the Mezz Bar, being perhaps more suited to the sweaty foot-stomping atmosphere of venues such as the Bivouac. The night concluded with an impressive set from a pair of local chaps, TV Kicks. They engaged well with the crowd while creating an impressive array of hooks and rhythms with their guitar/drums setup. What could have been a very flat sound was boosted by the constant communication between drummer and guitarist, and the tightness of their show. So, a nice collection of bands, albeit all of a pretty traditional style and feel.
So a pretty busy weekend really! I'll leave you with some MP3's by a few of the bands mentioned, as well as a link to images from a couple of the nights. Lastly, thanks to everyone who's helping spread the word about Our Iron Lung, it's great to feel that people are behind supporting and encouraging a local music scene, and its connections nationally, by being eager about different ideas and ways of expressing that "scene". This is OUR Iron Lung, not MY Iron Lung. Drop me an email or a message. Tell me what you like. Tell me what gig I should be at. Tell me who I should be listening to. Etc.
[MP3] Bono Must Die - Trafalgar
[MP3] I Need To Discover - Wolves (Final Sexy Edit)
[PHOTOS] House Of Jealous Lovers @ So:Luxe, Lincoln - 7/6/07
posted by Liam Haynes at 2:57 PM
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