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This is a strange one to review, as 50% of lineup for the night was the same as the previous Old Blue Last gig I attended.. with both Silhouette and KASMS playing the same slots.. so crimes of repetition may well be committed ;)
However, a good opportunity to re-live a gig that was composed of much coolness.. albeit without the benefits of Televised Crimewave performing this time.
First on were 'Silhouette'.. who looked, both figuratively and in reality, very hot indeed. Once again they played a great set, these guys (and girl) are a real quality act and come out with gold standard tune after tune accompanied by one of the best female voices I've heard in a long time and a sense of confident stage ownership. They really draw you in.. anyone who likes their drums with a tribal twist and their vocals delivered with the authentic under-the-skin-ness of Nick Cave and PJ Harvey's love child will simply be bewitched by this band.
It must be said, tonights performance wasn't quite on a par with the last time I saw them, there was a slightly distracted air to the band tonight.. and (probably the cause of the distraction) Helena's vocals weren't coming through as clearly as I'd have liked. Now, some bands can get away with a muddy vocal mix, but Silhouette are the kind of band that very much hinges on a the sheer quality of Helenas singing.. so a less optimal mix was bound to take something away from their usual poweful effect.
Nevertheless, I loved the show and enjoyed the set all the more for the fact that I'm a little more familiar with the material now. It seemed that almost as soon as they had begun, they were playing their final number.. I could quite happily have watched them play for twice as long.
One final observation.. I can't help wondering why Silhouette are currently playing the low slots at gigs.. apart from the fact that this lineup is relatively new they're all experienced artists in their own right and Silhouette are definately headline material.
The next band on, 'Le Tetsuo', seemed strangely familiar.. and then I remembered I saw them back at Artrocker in March.
Sadly, to paraphrase my last review of them.. 'I quite liked them musically, but I found their live performance a little less convincing and it lacked consistent drive and it all seemed a little too laid back' seems to have still applied.
They're a popular band and always seem to go down well, they have personality and a likeable demeanour, they also have some really strong tracks.. but something about their live performance doesn't quite deliver the manic elements that their audio seems to promise. In my opinion, they would probably have been more suited as the opening act.
The penultimate act of the night were 'Plastic Passion', who are an act I was completely unfamiliar with. Giving them a listen on MySpace I found I quite liked a few of their tracks.. while some of their material contains the kind of vocal and guitar elements that are very popular at the moment (but I find a little samey), tracks such as 'File Under' have some satisfyingly P.I.L. elements to them.
Their live performance was self assured, competent and witty.. and it quickly became apparent that this is one of those acts that girls like and fathers probably worry about ;)
Sadly, they didn't really do it for me.. but then I've always liked my live music with some sort of distinctive extra (and, dare I say, menacing?) edge and I couldn't find that in this particular performance.
By this point I was flagging somewhat and gave a brief consideration to the idea of leaving early and enjoying the cold-comforts of home.. but as KASMS were the next act on I suspected they may be able to wrench me out of my stupor..
Thankfully, I was bang on the money! ;)
The last (which was also the first) time I saw KASMS perform live I was quite impressed but a little skeptical about the over-use of some photo-grabbing gimmickery. Not unfamiliar with this approach myself, tricks such as leaping into the audience can work well and really increase the tension of a gig by obliterating that imaginary boundary of safety between the audience and the stage. The problem is, if over used (another sin I committed at one time), this can start to seem contrived.. and I was a little conscious of this the last time I saw them.
However, tonight was a very different affair. With moody up-lighting (afforded by the all important red light at the front of stage) and good use of stage and shadow, this performance showed a much more dramatic, sinister and.. dare I say it.. erotic side to KASMS.
Rachel still delivered her trade-mark manic bratty performance, writhing around the stage and audience like a girl possessed whilst delivering and an avalanche of vocals.. but the performance had a much more seasoned and mature feel to it this time. If the last gig I saw them perform was all about unbridled manic fun.. then this one was very much more a performance piece.
There were some genuine moments of deranged drama and angst to this performance which reminded me of a more unpredictable and more sexual cross between early Siouxsie and The Violets.
Despite some rather irritating hecklers behind me.. this was the deserved headliner of the night.. and they filled me up with the 'hell-yeah'/'clap-like-a-deranged-seal' goodness that I crave at live gigs.
KASMS have definately won me over with this performance.. and I shall certainly endeavour to see more of them in future.
Just one word of warning.. nobody.. and no hat.. is safe with this band ;)
Now that I've mentioned both the words 'hot', 'erotic' and 'sexual' in the same review.. I feel dirty. Time to copy and paste into the SBA MySpazz journal.. and then a cold shower ;)
Ed.
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excited
bored
