52% intelligent. 9% modest. More monkey than bear.

Monday, February 07, 2005

But I promise not to cry anymore....



Nottingham Rescue Rooms is a pretty small venue. It's just around the corner from Rock City, and it says it has a capacity of 500, but it doesn't look like it (although I suppose I've never been up on the balcony, and that could be like the TARDIS, couldn't it?). Whatever. Last night, Lord Bargain and I popped down there for the first time since we went to see The Bluetones a couple of years ago... to see The Dears.

It's actually Lord Bargain's fault that I went at all. He heard them on the radio, and managed to persuade me to buy it (without having heard it), on the grounds that it was right up my street, and that if I didn't like it, he would give me the £10 it cost me. Fair enough. They are often said to be reminiscent of pre-Parklife Blur and of The Smiths/Morrissey. Although I kind of know what they mean, I don't really agree. That's not the comparison that springs to my mind. The singer, Murray A. Lightburn (pictured above) has a wonderfully rich baritone, which actually reminds me a little bit of David McAlmont (only a little bit - he doesn't quite have that kind of falsetto range, but who does?).

I have to say that the album ("No Cities Left") didn't grab me immediately. There are a couple of really good songs on there ("Lost in the Plot" being the best), but it wasn't one of those albums that I couldn't tear off my stereo (from 2004 - Interpol, Snow Patrol, Franz Ferdinand...). It's good, but not great. When I saw that they were touring Nottingham though, I thought they were worth a go, particularly in such an intimate venue and when the ticket was only going to cost me £8. Naturally I decided that the least that Lord Bargain could do for getting me into this in the first place was to accompany me on the night.

I had a pint of Staropramen (nice!) from a plastic pint pot (not nice), but I suppose you can't have everything.

Support came from Pure Reason Revolution and Ambulance Ltd. Both were pretty good. Pure Reason Revolution were quite heavy, but had an almost folky vocal harmony style, that I thought was a bit reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac or (oddly) The Mamma & The Papas. The female bassist in particular had a lovely voice. As no gig review is complete without a brief fashion critique, the singer has terrible haystack hair and looks like he used to be in the Wurzels, but on the whole I thought they were pretty good. Ambulance Ltd. are from New York (where I think about 50% of the world's guitar bands are from, the majority of the rest coming from Manchester, Liverpool or, er... Oxford.... oooh remember Ride? shoegazing personified). They seemed alright. Lord B liked them, but I'm afraid I can't really remember anything about them. Not exactly a ringing endorsment, I know, but they were okay.

When they finally came on, The Dears filled the stage. It's a small stage, and there are six of them, including 2 keyboardists, who both have their keyboards facing directly out into the crowd. I suspect they'll have a bit more room when they inevitably play a sunday afternoon slot at Glastonbury - they're that kind of band. They all have their moments, but two of the band catch the eye particularly - Murray Lightburn, of course, but also Natalia Yanchak, who stares glacially out into the crowd for most of the set. She has a lovely voice, and sings the utterly heartbreaking line:

"I have never cried
In anybody's arms
The way that I have often cried in yours"

During "The Death of All Romance", a duet with Lightburn.

I don't know their songs well enough to be able to give you a rundown of what they played and what they didn't play, but they were pretty good. They seemed to be troubled by technical glitches and excessive feedback, but overall I thought they were a pretty tight unit. The thing that really marks them out though is Lightburn's voice: rich and powerful, and as capable of a harsh bellow as it is of taking off and soaring. He does have a slight Morrissey-esque turn of phrase, I suppose, but nothing I thought was too blatant (although I notice a link to Morrissey's website from their own pages). I certainly didn't hear any Damon Albarn in there, thank God.

£8 well spent, I thought, and it inspired me to put the CD on in my car this morning, which I think is a good sign.

I'm also very much looking forward to seeing Thirteen Senses in such an intimate venue in March....

----
On the album front this week, I expect I'll be popping out to buy the Bloc Party album, "Silent Alarm". That album title sums them up. They are so of the moment that their album is named after a tidal wave early warning system (and yeah, I did read that in the sunday paper.... had you not realised there isn't an original thought in my head yet?)

14 Comments:

  • At 10:27 pm, Blogger Damo said…

    Bigger Thirteen Senses dates coming in April/May. I hope to be working at the Bristol gig...

     
  • At 1:25 am, Blogger Graham said…

    Aha, I do like Bloc Party. D/l'd the album (I cant afford to buy new trainers, let alone a CD at the moment) and I was really impressed with the first few singles too.

    Shouldnt admit that though.

     
  • At 9:24 am, Blogger Teresa Bowman said…

    I can recommend seeing Bloc Party next time they play anywhere near you. I saw them on the NME tour and they were very, very good.

     
  • At 9:41 am, Blogger Soaring said…

    Helllooooooo!!! How long have I been going on about Pure Reason Revolution???? I know the drummer! I know the drummer! He's getting married to the singer in the band I play in!!! (Susanne Manning) Yay!!!! The lead singer is his brother John and they're from Reading. Agree with the hair. Mad. What can you say. But Genius composer. I heard the demo and the new limited edition not yet out ready for pre-order single!!! I can get signed copies if I try really really hard!!!

    Wow! Finally a discussion that I can enter into at least knowing SOMETHING about the band in question!!! They're playing in REading on the 23rd Feb...

     
  • At 10:01 am, Blogger swisslet said…

    Soaring - excellent. Your comments are always welcome here, on any subject and at any time.

    amd if you see this lot, you can tell them from me that I thought they were pretty good in Nottingham on Sunday night.

     
  • At 10:08 am, Blogger Soaring said…

    Cool! I will see Soose on Wednesday night and so I will pass on the positive feedback! I'm sure they will love it!

     
  • At 10:34 am, Blogger Teresa Bowman said…

    Be that as it may, there is no getting away from the fact that "Pure Reason Revolution" is one of the worst band names I have ever heard. Ever.

     
  • At 10:43 am, Blogger swisslet said…

    It's not a great name, true, but better than "Ambulance Ltd."

    "The Dears" isn't great either, really.

    (oh, and track#5 is very, very Smiths-y, I decided this morning in the car)

     
  • At 11:28 am, Blogger LB said…

    the Pure Reason Revolution single is called "The Bright Ambassadors of Morning", just to continue the "ridiculous name" theme. It sounds like something from the bloody Woodstock festival.

    they also looked like extras from a Timotei advert - you've never seen so much flyaway hair in your life.

     
  • At 11:31 am, Blogger Damo said…

    NME reviewed said single this week, and said it was so mad that they didn't quite know what to make of it.

     
  • At 12:30 pm, Blogger swisslet said…

    as I said to Lord B when they played said song on Sunday night, it sounds like a Ferrero Rocher advert set to mad, swirling 60s psychedelia....

     
  • At 11:44 am, Blogger mike said…

    Wow, this was a well-blogged gig:

    http://exultationsanddifficulties.blogspot.com/#110778174378817221

     
  • At 2:13 am, Blogger Timbo said…

    I think the PRR singer bloke looks not unlike the lead singer from Def Leppard. Surely a bad thing. And yes, I do remember Ride.

     
  • At 11:55 am, Blogger 3rd daughter said…

    i'm off to see the dears on march 3rd. can't wait!

     

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