Music – Page 13 – Mosher'sUnimaginativelyEntitledBlog

Combichrist + support – The Arches, Glasgow

[More pics located in this Flickr set]

Not a band I’d heard of before a week or so ago, but after checking out some videos on YouTube and a handful of recommendations from friends I decided to take a chance. The Arches is a weirdly-shaped venue, and there were three support acts so I aimed to get there for the doors opening. However, there seemed to be some technical issues so the 7:30 advertised time ended up nearer the 8pm time printed on the ticket (which I’d not seen previously as I was collecting in on entry).

Xavia were due on at 8, but hit the stage maybe a quarter of an hour later. Definitely local judging by the lead singer’s voice (which sounded pretty much along the lines of “like us or I’ll knife you” in its Glaswegian-ness), they managed to get a small pocket of the crowd going with their electro-goth-metal fusion. Not a bad little band, frankly. If I had to pick out a band they reminded me of, I would go for the Sisters of Mercy, though fans of both bands would probably lynch me for saying such a thing.

Next in line were Surgyn – Â pair of lads who looked like students dressed in white rubber aprons. The “music” consisted of a MacBook playing backing rhythm while they lampooned around shouting. Sorry, but completely not my thing. Full marks for the “look” and having the balls to get up on that stage, but otherwise they were no better than Boyzone. No musical instruments and lot of jumping about. Pants.

Jayce Lewis was main support, another act I’ve never heard of but judging by the amount of merchandise available I guess he’s more popular than I expected. Not a bad front man, but the music didn’t really hit any nerves for me. A fair bit of the crowd definitely knew his material and enjoyed it well enough. Good, but forgettable.

Finally, running pretty late and eventually over-running the “strict curfew” by a significant amount, Andy LePlegua (a.k.a. Combichrist) took to the stage for what was a pretty non-stop performance. Interaction with the crowd was fairly minimal, but this could have been down to trying to cram all the songs into a shortened set as a result of the delays. Don’t get me wrong, he was hardly charisma-less but there were just no rambling between-song speeches or delays.

From another point of view, it was simply 90 minutes or so of relentless “electronic body music“.

Combichrist’s music seems to vary slightly from material a little closer to Surgyn’s, through to something more akin to Rammstein. What makes the difference is the introduction ofÂ real instruments. After a couple of songs, the electronica was joined by a proper drummer on proper drums. Later on, a rather scary-looking guitarist (I **** you not – he could have passed for the masked guy from Scream) added another layer of depth to the sound.

Now, I can’t name a single song, but the one thing that really made the music interesting was that drum kit. I don’t care how great your laptop and synths and all that ***** are, you simply cannot have a thumping soundtrack without proper drums. Bollocks to your “unf, unf” and “tsh, tsh”. They pale into insignificance when put up against a madman with two sticks, some stretched skin and a few metal frisbees to batter the ever-loving crap out of.

This is what separated Combichrist from the other bands of the evening. They were more brutal, harder, faster and overall just more metal. OK, so they’re definitely not a traditional metal act but there was enough in there to keep me interested. Not the sort of thing I’d normally listen to, but definitely a good live act.

Sacred Reich – King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow

[Full set of photos in this Flickr set]

Twenty five years since their first release and sixteen years since their last, Sacred Reich last played the UK when a good portion of this crowd were still half-collections of DNA in separate parents who quite possibly hadn’t even met. OK, maybe notÂ quite that long but not far from it. The last time I saw them in the UK (and the last time I’mÂ aware of them being in the UK) was in 1991, opening for Sepultura on the “Arise” tour.

Sacred Reich are one of those bands that “got away”. While the likes of Metallica and Megadeth were riding a huge thrashing wave, SR and many of their other peers didn’t quite shift the units required to take off on those big world tours. A shame, as Phil Rind and company produced some cracking songs a good selection of which battered the eardrums of the congregated this evening.

Their music is quite politically motivated, covering topics such as commercialism, suicide, warmongering, environmental policy and so forth. Oh, and vampires. They also manage to blend some huge, fast riffs and belting choruses with slow, crushing rhythms and opening chords you can bounce and chant “OI!” to.

I don’t think the band skipped a good song from their (small) catalogue during their 75-minute set. Â Opening with “Independent” and moving swiftly on to “Love…Hate” before pausing to greet the crowd, Phil (or “Phul” as he’s referred to in Glaswegian) struggled to be heard over the songs and chants. Even with a microphone and a stack of amps, the small venue gave the crowd almost as much volume as the band between songs.

There were no tracks from 1996’s Heal, and “Free” was the only other track from the next most recent (1993) album,Â Independent. The remainder of the set was from the band’s earliest – and best – two-and-a-half albums.

“I Don’t Know”, “Death Squad”, “Administrative Decision”, and “Crimes Against Humanity” provided some variety, whilst classic thrash/acoustic mash-up “Who’s To Blame” raised the roof as soon as the intro was played.

The only cover of the night, a great version of Sabbath’s “War Pigs”, came towards the end of the set which was rounded off by “American Way” and the superb “Surf Nicaragua” that had the pit thrashing like a rather pissed-off tiger shark.

It’s great still being able to see bands I rocked to back in the 1990’s coming back, still playing the old favourites. Sacred Reich are fairly unusual in that they’re not supporting a new release. Exodus, Testament, Annihilator… Â are managing to find a tour with a new release here or there. Sacred Reich aren’t. I have no idea how they’re funding this excursion but even if it barely leaves them beer money I’m incredibly grateful they had Glasgow on their itinerary.

A classic set from a classic band. Long may they rock!

Tragedy (Bee Gees Tribute) – Glasgow O2 ABC2

[full set of gig pics available on Flickr]

Just to clarify, this isn’t the punk band with the same name that come up if you search on last.fm. Tragedy are a comedy tribute to the Bee Gees (and other music of the era) who infuse the disco-busting moves with the power of pure metal!

Now, let’s be honest. The 70s sucked. Disco was a huge decade-long joke that some people don’t seem to have managed to get over. However, there was some genuine talent there and some good beats. The songs weren’t bad… it’s just their setting that was wrong. Throw away the bit where people took it seriously, strap on some guitars, ramp up the distortion and you’ve got Tragedy.

Looking at their web page this week, shortly after the death of Bee Gee Robin Gibb, and you’ll see that they’re genuine fans of the original artists. Not just “we like the music and it would be fun to do it differently”, but knowledgeable and appreciative of the talent involved in a huge performing and songwriting career. Their live performance does everything to affirm this opinion, at no point taking the piss out of the music’s original artists. Instead, it’s done with a huge wagging tongue placed firmly in a glitter-coated cheek.

Ann came through from Edinburgh for the gig, and we missed both opening acts due to the early doors and the need for food. The ABC and Garage are bad for this (their one downside, they’re otherwise both excellent venues) as they host student nights during the week so curfew is usually 10pm. Just for the record, we had a very nice Indian at the Rawalpindi just over the road. Well worth popping in if you like a good curry, and they even make it the way you want it.

We made it to the venue a couple of minutes before the band came on, and settled in at the front of the 70-80 strong crowd. The last time they played the UK was four years ago opening for the Wildhearts. I guess their crowd size has grown slightly, though they deserve more. Mind, all bands start somewhere – look at Hayseed Dixie as a prime example.

Blasting through a ninety-minute set, the band cunningly changed their name on several occasions in a bid to cover artists other than the Bee Gees. We had Donna Bummer and Black Abba-th, amongst others. Spandex was stretched, glitter flung over the crowd, guitars licked and drums pounded. Let’s face it, everyone knew every song. Even in the form played on the night, they’re instantly recognisable classics.

Audience participation was pretty much mandatory, and Ann (amongst others) ended up on stage towards the end along with some poor sod who was handed a guitar… while the band sneaked off stage to the bar.

Simply put, they’re fun. Just what a gig should be. Not just seeing a band in person, or hearing your songs played a bit louder than you can manage at home. Entertaining, over the top, silly, outrageous and fun.

There are still a few dates left on the tour. Go and see them. I doubt they’ll be expensive (Glasgow was only Â£9 on the door), and you get your moneys-worth. Their first album, We Rock Sweet Balls And Can Do No Wrong, is only a fiver at the merch stall as well. Definitely worth picking up!

Paradise Lost / Insomnium – King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow

[For more pics of both bands, check out the Flickr sets: Insomnium / Paradise Lost]

You know sometimes you get to a gig, hear the support and think “I should have got here a little earlier”? Well, that happened tonight.

King Tut’s always have a late doors-opening time, around 8:30 when most venues are nearer 7:00. As such, I never know when to get there and by the time I should be leaving the house I’m actually starting to wind down for the night and thinking about getting a cuppa. Yes, I’m getting old. I’m dealing with it, so you have to as well.

I got to the venue around 10:00, picked up my Sacred Reich ticket from the bar (No booking fee! **** you, TicketMaster!) and walked upstairs with a pint of the eponymous lager. The place was packed as Finnish deathers Insomnium played melodically towards the end of their set. There were plenty of appreciative cheers from the crowd for the two songs I heard and rightly so. Definitely a band I’ll be checking out soon.

I’ve been following Paradise Lost for some time now – since my uni days in Bradford, in fact, around the time that Shades of GodÂ and IconÂ came out. The first time I saw them was at the Queen’s Hall, if I remember correctly, where I got in free as I was with the university radio station. The next time I saw them, or at least Aaron Aedy, was when I was glass-collecting at Rios and he wished me happy new year.

That, for me, sums the guys up. You meet them once as a studenty fanboy, and they remember you enough to say “hello” several months later when they’re shitfaced at a new year party. Hell, I saw him a year later when I was working in PC World (dark days indeed) and I think I sold him a computer. The next time they played Bradford I was sat next to Aaron’s mum up in the gods at the St George’s Hall. The downside of guest lists is you often don’t know where they’ll put you!

Anyway, as the years went on (pretty much post-Draconian Times), I kind of lost track of Paradise Lost. I rediscovered them a few months ago and was pleased to see they were still doing well though mainly abroad. This was emphasised by the fact that they were playing a venue as small as King Tut’s on their tour. Great place, but it isÂ tiny.

So on to the gig. With a little over an hour to fill, they managed quite a variety. Of course, I know the old stuff best but there’s nothing wrong with the newer material as I discovered. I think there were only two tracks off the newest release, Tragic Idol, which came out… erm… today! Along with those were a handful of others I didn’t really recognise, but quite a few I did.

“Widow”, “One Second”, “As I Die”… all great songs and as with many artists, these older numbers were the ones the fans cheered the loudest for. Nick introduced each track with his typical style of humour mixed with a dash of “miserable bastard”. Let’s just say that Jack Dee has some competition.

It is great to see a band play when the core has been together for so long. The onlyÂ member currently with them not to have been there since 1988 is drummer Adrian Erlandsson. The other four are founder members and have never left the band, even temporarily as far as I can tell. To work and tour for so long with the same guys says a lot about them, and they’re very good live as a result.

Aaron is constantly banging his head a-la Scott Ian, Greg (still with long hair, the bastard) poses as he plays the high notes, Steve keeps the rhythm going on bass and Nick leads from the front. Having seen them at Download some years back, they’re as confident in front of a festival crowd as a couple of hundred drunk Glaswegians and it’s good to have had the chance to see them in front of such a small crowd.

Definitely worth taking my slippers off for, and I’ll be hunting for the new album in the morning.

Andrew W.K. / Hawk Eyes, Glasgow Garage

[For full Flickr sets, see here: Andrew W.K … and Hawk Eyes]

Another gig for three sneaking in with two tickets – although I think most promoters (except perhaps TicketBastard) would think it pushing things a little too far to try and charge a foetus for entry. Tonight’s headliner is a party master and he brought with him a new band from down south somewhere:

Hawk Eyes

I have memories of M*A*S*H when I see that name and I’d rather have been watching DVDs to be honest. They’re not bad and a couple of the songs got the foot tapping, but there was nothing memorable about them at all. Decent musicians, nice lads, some promise and a few cheers from the crowd… but overall just a filler before the main act.

Actually, according to the Wikipedia article (linked above), they supported Ginger Wildheart on his tour in December. I knew the name was familiar. Whether it’s the same band or not, I don’t know, but it could well be them. If it is, then they’ve definitely got better.

For the record, though, little SkullKrusher hid near mummy’s spine for their set. She wasn’t impressed.

Andrew W.K.

Andrew W.K. sells himself as a party animal. A man with an ethos that’s summed up by the statement ” Every day you’re alive – you don’t need any other reason to party.” His Twitter feed is full of party tips, reasons to party, people he’s partied with… He exists purely to make sure that everyone else has a good time. And to keep white t-shirt and jeans manufacturers in business.

Imagine, if you will, a party hooter horn thing in human form and made of 100% pure awesome. This is Andrew W.K. If you’re not bouncing by the time the first chords of the first song are struck, then there’s a mortician outside who wants to know how you got out of the nice cold room they were keeping you in.

You may notice that the Flickr set has fewer photos than I normally take at gigs. This is partly due to AWK’s white clothing making him very hard to photograph without glowing, but mainly as I just had to ditch my camera with Gillian, get into the middle of the crowd and go ******* mental.

Touring on his first (and best) album I Get Wet, the whole thing was going to get an airing, and it did. You know how the crowd sings along to the intro to Iron Maiden’s “Fear of the Dark“? They did that through the entire set. It’s not often you’ll see a crowd enjoying a set as much as this one, bouncing around and singing along – not as much of the crowd as tonight. Barring the handful on the balcony and a few round the sides (including certain pregnant ones), I swear everyone was was going crazy.

This included SkullKrusher who very quickly moved to the front of mummy’s belly and started thrashing like a mad one. Our kid has taste already!

AWK himself is quite the musician, covering keyboards, vocals, guitar and drums (the last two briefly) during the set. He was joined by a motley crew who were as much into the fun as he was. I don’t think you could pick six musicians who looked any more different. Yes – six. Quite a crowded stage!

Drums, bass and three guitars were ably covered. In addition there was a remarkably hot woman in a leotard on backing vocals. Unlike the pretty young thing helping out at the Ginger gig back in December, this woman didn’t look out of place for a second. Giving it her all, singing well and very much a part of the act rather than being purely eye candy.

I did get a nice picture of her bum, though. Sorry.

The set lasted a solid ninety minutes with minimal “crowd chanting for the band to come back on stage” time. A couple of slower numbers did get the crowd to calm down a bit, but not for long. Towards the end we were treated to a new song, simply called “Head Bang”. Oh, yes. We did. An epic new number, much in the style of the first album and definitely a highlight of the set.

I once heard AWK’s music described – by someone criticising it – as a series of 2 minute long beer commercials. They’re right. It is. Short, sweet, hits you hard and leaves you laughing and wanting more. “Head Bang” continues that tradition and long may that tradition continue.

Checking his Wikipedia article, I was staggered to read that he’s only 32. That means he was only 22 when I saw him destroy Leeds Festival back when he toured supporting the album the first time. Now, I’ll be honest – I’m not a fan of his other material. It simply doesn’t match up to I Get WetÂ with the odd exception. However, with a live show this good, who cares?

A great night’s entertainment and all three of us headed home smiling. Well, I know two of us did – I’m pretty certain the third would have if she knew how.

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