Vex Red / Crackout / The Pattern - Oxford Zodiac - 5/11/01
4/5
By: Toby L
Pah! We've had enough. How much longer are we going to get people shoving down our throats the bands that are going to be our favourite acts in months to come?! They're usually wrong anyway! Are we not in control of our own tastes?
Well, at the end of the day, we are in some form or other, but tonight is proof that maybe sometimes being prodded in the right direction can help you discover exciting music that you may not have picked up on otherwise.
Openers The Pattern are startling: visually striking, lyrically baffling and musically rocking. They arrive onstage to a stampede of beating drums, ably provided by long-haired hippy, Scott, frontman Chris Appelgren turning his back to the audience, holding high a tambourine, which he gives a furious shaking. On the kicking-in of all the instruments, he releases the percussion-tool to the back of the stage and turns to face the audience, launching into full Jagger poses and snarls. It's such a frantic and excited opening that forces you to keep attentive throughout their half-hour set, in which they air at least fifteen tracks, all of which are two-minute bursts of furious energy, some laid down on their debut UK EP, 'No Caress'.
This is still part of the story. As their set progresses, the Californian quintet jump up on the PA-system, relish their parts to play, attempt to lead the audience in a clap-along and end it all with a member diving on to the drumkit. To top it all, lead-singer Chris goes and proves to be the most bizarre new star in rock by sucking his thumb during onstage moments when he doesn't sing. Utterly dazzling and bizarrely enthralling, maybe the back-to-basics rock 'n' roll approach is always the only true alternative.
It's always a pleasure to await the next group when you've just witnessed, essentially, a band that - in theory - have stolen the show. Still, the duty this time is left to Crackout, a UK three-piece that have been gigging around the country for what seems like an eternity. But, it's definitely paid off. Before, where you could be slightly interested in what they were doing, you're now roped in to confessing that they're an act you'd buy a record of. Proving brassy, tight and often catchy in parts, the songs range from three-minute punk-poppers to five and a half minute rockers such as 'Barricaded'. Lead-singer and guitarist Stephen's vocal-range at times may sound limited, but tunes such as 'Last In Line' and the finale of 'You Dumb F**k' prompt you off the musing of such matters. As shown by this and debut LP, 'This Is Really Neat', who knows how they can progress. As seen so far, it'll probably involve them improving.
So, on to final band of the evening, Vex Red. As indicated by the free three-track CD given away tonight to passing punters that happened to locate the merchandise-stall, a track such as 'Sleep Does Nothing For You' immediately enables you to realise the difference of this band to others out there which serve to entertain a more heavy audience. The slick production from Ross Robinson - yes, the man behind many of the last decade's hugest alt-acts - is merely a bonus to what is basically a thorough and deep resonance of jaded guitar riffs and eerie synths that hasn't really been exploited in the mainstream. Yet.They blend together an oddly refreshing strain of grungey hooks in the guise of credible, memorable songs and a dashing of experimentation that suggests Vex Red are up to things which others aren't daring enough to have a go at. Where this reigns most prominent is the way that one of the finest moments in their entire set is an instrumental - and if that doesn't suggest they're a rock band of brave proportions, then maybe this night didn't even exist.
For all of the resistance to be held to being recommended on to new acts, well, as long as the quality remains as high as it was in this room tonight, then maybe it ain't such a bad thing after all.
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