Scene Report: Bristol October 2009
By: Sian Norris
Hello readers, and welcome to this autumnal round up of new bars, old bars, new bands and re-formed acts.
The Big Chill is known for its big, happy and relaxed festival that attracts names and visitors from around the world, but not everyone knows that they have started to open their own bars, two in London and now one on Bristol's Small Street. I went along to see what they'd done with old favourite club Native, and was suitably impressed. Once you get over the shock of the change from Native (there are windows! The walls aren't black! The door is at the front!) you are left with a charming bar, light and airy with vintage lamps and smooth wooden floors. The walls are adorned with vintage record covers that become hypnotic as I stared at them from the other side of the room, whilst behind me, paint pens and white boards are tantalisingly placed to attract budding graff artists and drunken doodlers.
Musing over the menu I was impressed by the luscious mouth watering selection on offer, an international flavour of small bites and sharing platters, reflected in the impressive and diverse bar menu. Beer, or spirit and mixer this is not, the wine list swirls across the back wall, as a roster of spirits stack beneath it, and a range of beer on tap and bottled. They've converted the garden so that it has become a cosy spot with stools and cute pictures painted on the walls.
Sitting on my own with my gin and tonic I had plenty of time to look over the October line up and it doesn't disappoint. Big Chill bar is obviously dedicated to creating a range of entertainment, as well as exploiting the range of Bristol talent available. The opening night saw Daddy G and Queen Bee reunited at the decks, and the nights on show include dubstep, old skool, funk and soul.
The bar does have a Start the Bus feel to it, from the seventies lamps to Swiss Tony's Rock and Roll bingo (as opposed to the bus's Puff Daddie's Musical Blingo) but I think this stands up because they will be exploring different aspects of the Bristol music scene. And although I will always have fond memories of Native, it certainly won't harm having a new bar in Bristol City Centre that plays good songs, attracts good names, and is generally charming to hang out in.
From Big Chill I headed to the other displayer of vintage lamps, Start the Bus, to check out Sexy Bitch (now a three piece after the departure of Coz) and hot new band of the moment Error Error. Despite an incident with a broken string (which gives you an impression of how hard they were playing!) the performance felt confident, accomplished and comfortable, with Rob and Mark bantering on stage, Mark teasing Big Jeff, it all felt really fun and relaxed.
Opener “Step Back” crashed into the set with a real Britpop energy. The performance was on full, visceral form, with the energy never compromising on accomplished musicianship. Next track “Virginia” is a loud and passion driven duet, building the drums and guitars up and up before crashing out into a slow break down that leads you to a muted end. Mark's vocals complement Rob's really well, as JP's drumming keeps everything tight and unified. ‘New Order’ moves away from the loud and proud Britpop rock sound to something much darker, with a firm and driving bassline that builds up to an angry chorus, cacophonic guitars break in, and you are swept up into the complexities of the guitars and the drums. New track ‘Steak’ really suits Mark's vocals, as did the stirring ‘Lights Came On’. ‘Steak’ is a real classic pop song, understated and slightly trippy, and it certainly has single written all over it. It's the perfect sing along track, with a driving beat that carries it through, a touch of black humour and the trademark loud Sexy Bitch guitars pushing the song forward. This same sense of the understated was clear again in song ‘Talk Too Much’, a slick track that builds and builds into a multi layered soundscape. It was fast paced, energetic and exciting, as the sound and vocals take turns in pulling back before lifting right back in again, a song that keeps you on your toes and makes you desperate to hear what the next beat will be...
What I thought was a cool, brooding intro to ‘It's Our Pornography’ turned out to be Mark re-tuning after his broken string incident, but in my opinion the bassy build up could easily be incorporated into the track! This and ‘Nigeria’ sounded classic as ever, those two tracks never get old, they are the perfect examples of dancing, jangly shouty pop, a total sing along moment that always gets your feet itching.
Had a marvellous moment being the only one in the crowd dancing to Pulp's incredibly beautiful tragi -comic ‘Disco 2000’ which came out when I was a teenager and realising that I was older than at least two thirds of the people in the room...Luckily for me the DJ was showing as much dancing enthusiasm as I was.
Sexy Bitch were followed by Error Error, a band that had a superb aesthetic, from the Germanic electro look of the bassist, to the geek glasses and well designed tousled hair of the singer, and the stunning drummer in teeny leggings and t-shirt. The opening of the set was just fantastic, mashed up Korg mixing with a strong and stomping bass that made you shake your shoulders and your hips and completely drew you in to the performance. The songs were great fun, and it was clear that the band are accomplished and ambitious, with a very strong sense of what they want to express and who they want to be. It was all really nicely skilled electro pop with sing along dance along moments but the big problem was that, despite how clearly brilliant they were at playing and performing, each song sounded like something else. Nothing really gelled, and as the gig progressed I felt like I was ticking off a list of all the bands that have done well over the last two years as they played a song that sounded like each band. I think it is great that they have such a diverse range of influences (with sounds coming from IamX to the Black Kids to the Arctic Monkeys) but I feel they have the potential and talent to really push out of becoming a band that sounds like other bands, and develop their own strong sound and identity. It is abundantly clear that Error Error are talented and dedicated, and I think if they forge their own identity and go beyond their influences they could both be huge and a stunning set up. It was a thoroughly enjoyable performance, I just feel they could do so much more.
We moved on from Start the Bus to Mr Wolfs for the Drawn zine night for some lo-fi electronica from Cajita. With a trumpet in tow, the songs had a lovely country feel to them, folky vocals over a smooth and minimalist drum and bass track, as staccato and urban influenced visuals were scattered behind.
It was a return to Start the Bus that finished the month, to catch the latter side of an all day event, arriving just in time to catch the end of Countryside's set. They were harmonic and melodic as ever, pushing in a bit of distortion and korg effects that contrast so nicely with Steve's angelic vocal style. The set ended with Tripping Sunshine, a track which still sounds so fresh and new, a fab, jangly track. They were followed by the Medallists who were tight and technically proficient, playing straight down the line indie rock.
They were the last band to play, as an incredible display of scratch dj-ing hit the decks, which included an amazing mix of Daft Punk and Beastie Boys, and, weirdly, Jamiroquai, it was fab to see such accomplished, scratch and mix dj-ing on display, the whole crowd was moving and cheering, a perfect musical experience. Followed by a performance from Boys and Dance, it was a night to remember why Start the Bus can be such a lovely place to spend a Saturday night.
Artists in this article: Countryside, Error Error, Sexy Bitch