Scene Report: Bristol, January 2008
By: Sian Norris
First up, happy new year from the South West (and from Rockfeedback as a whole, in fact) and here's hoping you all had an excellent Christmas period. Prior to this freezing January, Bristol spent the preceding December gearing up for the festive finish to the month, with a host of gigs that felt more like parties and a fair dose of sequins.
The 'best use of sequins' accolade goes to CSS, who rocked the Bristol Academy on the 6th December. With a definite yuletide theme to their set - snow, trees, and a good humoured dancer dressed as a Christmas tree - the night was full of naughtiness and excellent music. I love CSS; I love the way Lovefoxxx's vocals are deep and sultry and then soaring, I love the way the beats move from a sweet simplicity to complex twists and turns. I love the way that CSS make electro fun again, with costume changes of sequins and Lycra to rival Kylie, and songs that poke fun at popular culture and love and sex, whilst being unutterably catchy and accessible. 'Let's Make Love...' was obviously there, along with personal favourites 'Off the Hook (accompanied with Lovefoxxx stripping off another layer of Lycra) and The Bitch, an L7 cover and some unsurpassable dance routines.
Yet sadly, the band were let down by the venue. I've never been a fan of the Academy - the layout makes it difficult to see the band or feel part of the atmosphere, unless you are one of the lucky few right at the front of the dance floor. The drinks are overpriced, and if the volume of the can doesn't fit in the glass, then the rest of the alcohol is chucked. They confiscated some polo mints and as soon as the band finish they herd you out like cattle, making it all in all an unpleasant place with little atmosphere, housing a band so full of attitude they should be blowing the roof off. Still, it was otherwise an excellent show, carnival-esque and ever so Christmassy.
Next up on our gig-going calendar was the lovely, amazing M.I.A. I first saw Maya Arulpragasm on Popworld in the summer of 2004, promoting her single 'Sunshowers', and then in early 2005 supporting Roots Manuva, before the release of her first album Arular. She completely blew us away that night - with just a guy on the decks to back her, she sparkled with energy, wit and enthusiasm to the point where I could have quite happily gone home after her slot. So it was with lots of anticipation that I arrived at the Anson Rooms to see how she's changed, matured, and how the tracks on the new album match up live.
She was supported by Santogold (pictured with her just over there), an American girl with two of the best dancers I've ever seen, rapping in exemplary fashion over simple beats and showing just why she herself is being touted as the new M.I.A. She was really fresh and exciting, and I got the same feeling I had when I saw MIA in Brixton - this girl is going to be massive, so watch out for her.
Then, preceded by a video lecture on the failings of democracy and majority rule, the set started. Accompanied by a singer, DJ and incredible visuals that have become part of her trademark, M.I.A. burst on to the stage with 'Bamboo Banga', and didn't disappoint. Even though the new album is decidedly weaker in my opinion to Arular, it all sounded great live, mainly because her energy and enthusiasm and the show she puts on distracts you from the fact that she doesn't always have the best voice. 'XR2' sounded great, as did 'Jimmy' and Kala's standout track 'Boyz', combining the two things that make M.I.A. what she is - politics and pop!
Yet the best moments were from Arular, 'Bucky Done Gun' and 'Pull up the People' still sound as fresh and exciting as they did in 2005, as does 'Sunshowers', a totally gorgeous and refreshing track. Before the encore she dropped 'Galang', which sent the audience wild - the beats on that track work so perfectly with the vocals, the whole thing flows together, rolling along, again with the potent mix of politics and pop. She dragged up a huge dance troupe of audience members for 'Bird Flu' and '10 Dollar' (a great sing a long anthem if ever there was one) much to the consternation of the bouncers.
Finally the encore saw Afrikan Boy getting up on the mic with her, for what was a disappointing end to an excellent show. I had high expectations of Afrikan Boy after hearing good things about him from friends, but it all started to feel a bit shambolic; him yelling in to the mic and M.I.A. merely shouting back. Then the lights turned on, then the lights turned off, and the flow and the music seemed to go jerky and cacophonic, until we decided to make a hasty exit, bumping in to Katie from Tight Fit and Saul from Beef on the way, which is always a pleasure!
Caught a couple more gigs before Christmas at The Croft, moving on from electro to rock. First up was Geisha (pictured), something much anticipated and yet which left us all severely disappointed. The guitarist from Geisha used to be in A Lion with Sexy Bitch's Rob, which recommended them, and when the lead turned up on stage dressed in a dress and Santa hat, I had high hopes for yet more festive frolicks. Technically it could have been great - they are all good musicians and you felt with the use of layering and distortion they knew what goes in to making a good song. But the tracks never quite made it to being of any huge worth, and in the end they turned the amps up so loud, making it so clamorous that you couldn't get a sense of what they were trying to do at all. Instead we all felt that they had turned up the volume to hide the lack of substance beneath.
Keeping on the rock scale was one of the many Croft Christmas parties, featuring the excellent My Own Flag (pictured), the Get Outs, Vespertine and 3 Ho's. My Own Flag are heavy and intelligent, walking a steady line between humour and heaviness which makes them one of the most exciting and interesting bands in Bristol today. And they are all very nice chaps too, which is always a bonus in an industry full of egos and no substance. I really enjoyed their set, but wasn't so keen on Vespertine. They were a fine band, but one for whom nothing really stood out. The Get Outs meanwhile were loads of fun - again, nothing musically to take our breath away, but the enthusiasm behind the playing and the sense you had that these were just great guys who were having the best time doing what they liked to do was infectious, and it was fun to dance to their set. The 3 Ho's were pretty heavy, but interesting with it. They opened with a musical take on the Christmas story, in which the guys saw a star and decided to follow it, ending up in a town where there was no room in the Travel Lodge, before trying a stable where the son of God had just been born. However, when they professed not to believe in God, they were hounded outta the stable in a rather vicious manner! The mixture of a storybook rhythm with heavier rock was excellent, and set us up nicely to enjoy the rest of a set filled with lots of noise, fun and a constant cheeky grin.
And then, all of a sudden it was Christmas! I got hold of the new Kylie album which is excellent, even very Justice sounding in places, particularly on new single 'Wow'. And my album of the moment is the classic ESG record South Bronx Story, with its gorgeous disco afro beat tune 'Dance'.
Just a quick word to finish about Tape, which has been newly resurrected for a couple of months now after the end of Mutant Pop. Run by Puffin Jack and Richard Carnage, they've got Andy Weatherall on board mixing up a gorgeous amount of techno and house, so I'll definitely be trying to get to its Native home in the New Year.