The night's line up consisted of 2 bands announced on the bill, namely 'Best left Unsolved' ("Former Cylus members debut performance in a local band") and 'Colt .44' ("with songs of this quality, I can see big things ahead.") with more TBA. The TBA turned out to be a group called Pro Rata, who convieniently enough were up first!
The pub is as dead as KFC; it's the kind of gig that proves a bands commitment. It's pretty much the other bands, me and Phoenix FM's Nick Field in the crowd as Pro Rata begin to play. I can best describe Pro Rata's sound as haggis; it's a little bit of everything, but with an unmistakable desire to write top quality alternative indy rock! I spent ages trying to think who they sound like, I decided to relax, and turned my brain off for a little bit to enjoy them. When I turned my brain back on I found I had a list stapled to my brain waiting for me! Good Shoes, We Are Scientists, Baddies; it's fun, eccentric music which hits you with a blow-pipe dart filled with a wry sense of humour! Subtle, subtle.
PR were not sporting the tiresome and typical 'indy kid' look i.e skinny's and a pop culture reference t-shirt (coincidentally what i have chosen to wear today lol, look!)
But that's beside the point, the band were great! A joy as infectious as swine flu overtook me! I clapped along as a grin bled across my acne ridden cheeks and lit up my pale face like Blackpool on New Year's eve. I thoroughly enjoyed what little songs Pro-Rata were allowed to play, I sincerely hope I get the chance to see them again! Lovely.
As Best Left Unsolved begin to set up I take as much as I can from their first impressions, trying to judge what their sound might be. The playlist that proceeds them features Cancer Bats, The Bronx and old Greenday, so my hopes were already raised! By this time too I realise that quite a crowd has gathered to watch the former members of Cylus's newest creative effort. I confess I had never heard of Cylus when I walked in the pub that night, but I got talking to a random guy minutes before the set, who informed me that BLU were comparable to 'The Get Up Kids'... still no clue then.
I immediately thought of Jimmy Eat World, then other well known pop punk giants began to reveal themselves in BLU's sound, such as Billy Talent, The Offspring and Blink 182. All bands that I'm fairly indifferent too, tbh the whole pop punk genre is a contradiction in terms in my opinion, but ultimately it's not one of my real hates, so I try to enjoy it when I have to; and enjoy it I did! I detected subtle hints of Misfit's in the sound too, that kind of heartbreak crooning in 50's pop music, shoe gaze I guess I'd call it; which was very complimentary to BLU's sound!
The crowd (as ever with big crowds in the Bitter End) was filled with the band's friends, loyal readers will know already that I am slightly irked by this, but tonight it seemed far more open! A newcomer like me didn't feel excluded by the crowd participation and objective applause.
All too quickly BLU's set was over. I looked up from my notepad and no sooner did I ask myself; "why do the good bands always get shorter sets here?", the last band of the night (Cult .44 remember?) get ready to prove me right.
I could pretty much cut and paste my comments from last week on 'Nothing Gained' as a review for this band. Lame, uninspired pseudo-metal that makes me ashamed of my local scene. Imagine (if you dare) 'Load' era Metallica, combined with a lot of blues based riffs and you get the kind of cock sauce no thrills metal sound that Colt .44 make. I don't think it can even be called metal, does tuned down guitars, distortion and embarrassing skull encrusted short sleeved black shirts make a metal band? No x infinity!
To be fair they played their instruments well and understood how to write a rock song, structure wise, but if you demand more effort than that then you won't like Colt .44.
For the record, Disturbed S-U-C-K, and Soil S-U-C-K.
It's what I like to call, an outsiders worst idea of what metal is. It does nothing more than just be music that chavs won't like. So whilst I'm grinding my teeth and almost setting the paper alight as I write all this down, the band is about to start another song. The lead singer begins by saying "This is a new song, and it's pretty heavy. Well, heavy for us. Is heavy alright for you guys?"
Sadly my response of "Yes, why don't you finally play something heavy?" is drowned out, and they begin another dull song which like all the others, has the illusion of being heavy to people WHO DON'T LISTEN TO HEAVY MUSIC MUCH. Understandable for the crowd not to realise this but surely the band must know they aren't that heavy really..?
As I laughed to myself as the bass player leered menacingly at the crowd through his blonde dreadlocks, I began to write again. "Just another typical Romford band" I wrote, "going nowhere"; then the singer drops a Nagasaki... They have a record contract. They have an album. It was reviewed by Kerrang!. And they LIKED it.
...for fuck's sake. WORMED are still unsigned and these guys aren't! I've almost recovered from this when I hear some more of their lyrics; "Hey listen up everybody, I've got something to say!" which then just snuffed out the last remaining light of my faith in people inside my heart.
The final Edam nail in the Red Leicester coffin should have been a cover of Lenny Kravits's 'Fly Away' (it rapes my mind that all three of them thought this was a good idea) but no, another song remained. I simply left as the PA began playing some RATM, I turned on my MP3 and began my recovery.
Anyway, thanks for reading. Next week I'll tell you about 'Black Tooth' "the best cover band you will ever hear." Not too far a stretch then. Nighty night.
(Couldn't find a link to some BLU)
http://www.myspace.com/prorataonline
http://www.myspace.com/colt442
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