The Great Escape: Day 1
Artist:
65daysofstatic
Making our way to the South Coast for the inaugural Great Escape festival in Brighton, it's pleasing to see the weather isn't too bad, and by that we mean that it's not actually raining, which it seems to be everywhere else. The mood is one of quiet optimism, if not about the weather, then at least about the music.
First stop is The Albert, a nice, traditional pub near the train station. Here we await 3hostwomexicansandatinofspanners. Hailing from Bristol, their name (and song titles) belie their music, which consists of short, sharp, punk-esque polemics against society. They carry on where Mclusky left off, especially in regards to the elaborate song titles, of which 'Although Michael Moore Is An Admirable Individual, He Is An Appalling Film-Maker' is a fine example. As a first taste of what's to come they put not a foot wrong, mixing clever lyrics and spiky blasts of guitar in a very enjoyable half-hour set played at breakneck speed.
Next in line is Spleen United, mainly because they're playing in the same place and we like it, but also through intrigue as they're apparently an electro band, rather than death-metallers. Unfortunately for us, Spleen United are no Lordi, and despite the fact they're indeed suited and booted replete with designer fringe, they seem somewhat overblown for a pub venue. The whole thing worsens when the backstage orange-peel lights make an appearance, which, along with the dry ice machine seem to bode for a bad choice. When they finally start playing, their sound is a mix of heavy, throbbing synths with overlaying guitars which prove not to be as awful as first feared. However, it still causes us to experience three stages of emotion: dread, followed quickly by guilty pleasure, which is then clearly overtaken by horror. It's hard to explain the feeling we get whilst listening to a song where the stand out lyric is "I lost my ring in a volcano", which we can only guess refers to Lord of the Rings, so we'll leave it at that.
Putting Scandinavian electro out of our minds, we then head to the Ocean Rooms, primarily a bar, on a hunch for Canada's Holy Fuck. Similar in spirit to !!! albeit without the vocals, they rely on a groove-based mix built up using only simple electronic keyboards, laden with effects, regulation bass and drums. The result, in a live setting at least, is nothing short of incredible. Feet move, the audience cheers, and we wonder why we've never heard of this band before - and all this at only 9 o'clock! After what seems like only a few short minutes, they're off, and after some deliberation so are we, over to the Concorde 2.
Unfortunately, it's only after we get there that we realise The Answer are playing. Now if the question is 'Name a mediocre hair rock band in thrall to the 70s' then the answer is, well, The Answer. In the interests of fairness, they are all very talented musicians (etc), but really they're just very, very boring, so we retire to the bar to contemplate our stupidity, and wait for 65daysofstatic. Thanks to the tight schedule at The Great Escape in general, our wait is not a long one, and soon we're anticipating music that looks to the future rather than dwells in the past. One thing that 65daysofstatic can't be accused of is being boring soundalikes, and we're treated to unashamed blasts of electronic glitches, intense drumming and raucous guitars. The crowd comes alive for first album fave 'Retreat! Retreat!', and by the time the piano intro to the excellent recent single 'Radio Protector' begins, any thoughts of The Answer are well and truly banished in a frenzy of noise and feedback.
In terms of a band of the day, it's doubtlessly Holy Fuck who make the most lasting impression, even managing to make DIY at least attempt to dance.
Sam Lusardi
65daysofstatic Official Site
65daysofstatic Myspace
Making our way to the South Coast for the inaugural Great Escape festival in Brighton, it's pleasing to see the weather isn't too bad, and by that we mean that it's not actually raining, which it seems to be everywhere else. The mood is one of quiet optimism, if not about the weather, then at least about the music.
First stop is The Albert, a nice, traditional pub near the train station. Here we await 3hostwomexicansandatinofspanners. Hailing from Bristol, their name (and song titles) belie their music, which consists of short, sharp, punk-esque polemics against society. They carry on where Mclusky left off, especially in regards to the elaborate song titles, of which 'Although Michael Moore Is An Admirable Individual, He Is An Appalling Film-Maker' is a fine example. As a first taste of what's to come they put not a foot wrong, mixing clever lyrics and spiky blasts of guitar in a very enjoyable half-hour set played at breakneck speed.
Next in line is Spleen United, mainly because they're playing in the same place and we like it, but also through intrigue as they're apparently an electro band, rather than death-metallers. Unfortunately for us, Spleen United are no Lordi, and despite the fact they're indeed suited and booted replete with designer fringe, they seem somewhat overblown for a pub venue. The whole thing worsens when the backstage orange-peel lights make an appearance, which, along with the dry ice machine seem to bode for a bad choice. When they finally start playing, their sound is a mix of heavy, throbbing synths with overlaying guitars which prove not to be as awful as first feared. However, it still causes us to experience three stages of emotion: dread, followed quickly by guilty pleasure, which is then clearly overtaken by horror. It's hard to explain the feeling we get whilst listening to a song where the stand out lyric is "I lost my ring in a volcano", which we can only guess refers to Lord of the Rings, so we'll leave it at that.
Putting Scandinavian electro out of our minds, we then head to the Ocean Rooms, primarily a bar, on a hunch for Canada's Holy Fuck. Similar in spirit to !!! albeit without the vocals, they rely on a groove-based mix built up using only simple electronic keyboards, laden with effects, regulation bass and drums. The result, in a live setting at least, is nothing short of incredible. Feet move, the audience cheers, and we wonder why we've never heard of this band before - and all this at only 9 o'clock! After what seems like only a few short minutes, they're off, and after some deliberation so are we, over to the Concorde 2.
Unfortunately, it's only after we get there that we realise The Answer are playing. Now if the question is 'Name a mediocre hair rock band in thrall to the 70s' then the answer is, well, The Answer. In the interests of fairness, they are all very talented musicians (etc), but really they're just very, very boring, so we retire to the bar to contemplate our stupidity, and wait for 65daysofstatic. Thanks to the tight schedule at The Great Escape in general, our wait is not a long one, and soon we're anticipating music that looks to the future rather than dwells in the past. One thing that 65daysofstatic can't be accused of is being boring soundalikes, and we're treated to unashamed blasts of electronic glitches, intense drumming and raucous guitars. The crowd comes alive for first album fave 'Retreat! Retreat!', and by the time the piano intro to the excellent recent single 'Radio Protector' begins, any thoughts of The Answer are well and truly banished in a frenzy of noise and feedback.
In terms of a band of the day, it's doubtlessly Holy Fuck who make the most lasting impression, even managing to make DIY at least attempt to dance.
Sam Lusardi
65daysofstatic Official Site
65daysofstatic Myspace
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