Youth Movie Soundtrack Strategies / Redjetson - London ULU - 10/11/04
3/5
By: Andy Willson
Is there something about London's ULU venue that seems to ear-cripplingly amplify sounds beyond all known intensity, or is it just that tonight is one of the noisiest gigs in recorded history?
The latter, we suspect. Forget your Motorheads or Winnebago Deals of this world, Redjetson should officially be crowned the loudest f**kers ever. Will Young would be proud of such an achievement. Listening to the soon-to-be-released debut album 'New General Catalogue', named after the book that maps the stars, you'd be forgiven for expecting a band influenced by Coldplay, but nothing could be further from the truth. Once plugged in and ready, you're transformed to a terrifying place, where a Fender either side of the stage acts like death rays, dragging you toward certain deafness. The fact that vocalist Clive Kentish's voice can be heard at all is a miracle in itself. He even attempts to play the glockenspiel on one song, with all the use of a one-legged man in an arsekicking contest. Just ain't gonna happen.
Redjetson hail from Southend and the surrounding area, and if this is what kids there get up to in their spare time, take our advice, stay well clear. This said, there are some semi-soothing moments and the beauty of debut release 'This City Moans' ebbs towards the expansive climes of Hope of the States, or a scarier Radiohead. The stunning drumming of Joel Hussey drags 'Perseverance Works' by the short 'n curlies at a blistering pace, and for some reason, you can't seem to get that drum sequence out of your head. Only six songs in the set, but if you thought this was the last of them, ponder again.
On to something slightly different, but equally enthralling. Youth Movie Soundtrack Strategies (try uttering that after a bottle) and Redjetson have been touring together for a while and it's a beautiful sight seeing either band heckle each other when onstage. No time for 'Special Moves' tonight when the job in hand is trying to upstage your mates.
Imagine Biffy Clyro being locked in an empty room, starved for a week, and fed only white noise while retaining stress positions, and you'll be fairly close to where YMSS fit on the Richter Scale. You can almost taste the angst. However, within four songs, we get treated to a bit of a capella, but this ain't the Flying Pickets. Bassist Ham, with the only known green bass-guitar in history, could knot hair in seconds with a blast of his weapon of choice, while lead-singer Andrew makes the most of the evening, and even apologises that his mike keeps dropping, oft attempting in earnest to limbo down towards it to continue singing. Such stage-bound panache means that exertions numbering fourth release 'Spooks The Horse' crackle with a fury previously reserved for atomic bombs.
Almost time to finish, but there is one card left to play and that involves four members of Redjetson legging it onstage, plugging in, and letting all hell break loose. What a sight to behold seeing five guitars taken to the brink, being tossed and turned all over the place. It's the art-rock Goldie Lookin' Chain.
So there go another two new(-ish) hopefuls. And judging by the sheer reaction of tonight's congregation, upcoming times could prove very rosy indeed, if tinnitus-inducing. You've gotta suffer for your art.
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