overlap

It's been a very long time since I paid only £3 to get in to a gig. Obviously it helps to be watching a band who aren't big news, but if there's any justice in the world, this lot will be soon. At the end of yet another horribly wet day, as has been so typical this summer, I wasn't that desperate to go anywhere, but having missed two gigs the previous nights in favour of making just this one, I forced myself out, and lived to be rather glad I did. Zissou, support band number one, were rather interesting in a not quite fully formed but threatening development way. I'm listening to their myspace now to remind myself what reference points they hit. There's a hint of Jonn Penney's vocal styling, and there was a bit of Half Man, Half Biscuit in the occasional jerkiness of the music and a bit of Jim Noir's pop quirkiness, but whatever comparison they'd like, they impressed me enough that I'd make sure I got there to see them if I heard they were supporting somewhere else. The Ash & The Oak had me stroking my chin in exactly the manner that deserves derision and scorn. Partly because I couldn't work them out, and partly because I couldn't work out whether I was bothered. Rachel, who alternated between bass, melodica, baby glockenspiel and a couple of other things had a marvellous dress, accessorised with red belt and shoes, and was hard not to watch despite being sat down. The electric guitar (and sometimes bass) player was unobtrusive enough, and the drummer did what he needed, but the singer came across as the weak link. In a soundcheck-free, bass-heavy, live performance environment, the lead vocal needs a bit of strength, and delicate, keening vocals just get lost in the sound. Even that you could get away with with a bit of stage presence, or communication with the crowd, but it just wasn't happening for me. See if I'm being overly harsh here. Three bands at a quid a crack is nevertheless great vfm, but The School are more than worth the price of admission on their own, having got me rather excited when I first found their myspace from someone else's guidance on facebook. Despite their relative proximity, I'd never have come across them otherwise. Sure, I'm a sucker for a female vocal (except Sh*rl**n Spit***), and without Liz Hunt's dynamic vocals the band would have no focal point. The occasional clunky keyboard phrase (try the intro to Valentine) adds to the vaguely shambling charm, and All I Wanna Do brings to mind Kirsty MacColl's 'They Don't Know', which is exalted company as far as I'm concerned. In contrast to the preceding band, taking my eyes off Liz is difficult, and when I can it's because I never realised from listening to the myspace tracks how well the fiddle lines fit the songs. Indeed I'd barely recognised the presence of a fiddle, and the combination of two female musicians also brings to mind Aberfeldy, another band making simply beautiful, classically structured, girl meets boy pop music with singalong tunes, and with more to offer than the basic guitar/bass/drums combination. Fabulous. * "And Suddenly The World Is Full Of Sunshine" is the first line of the Left Banke song And Suddenly, as covered by The School, and I can't think of a single sentence that sums up their sound any better than that.

Labels: gigs, Liz Hunt, The Ash + The Oak, The School, Zissou