The Chase / Flamenco Thief - The Thunderbolt, Saturday 20th April

It was going to take something special to sell out the fantastic Thunderbolt bar in Totterdown tonight as the ‘Hit The Deck Festival’ –Bristol’s multi-venue version of SXSW dominates the weekend listings. A brave move you might think therefore for an EP launch then but emerging local based pop/rock band The Chase seem to take it all in their stride.

(Picture courtesy of Richard Oxford www.richardoxford.co.uk)

Opening for them tonight is incredible one man band Flamenco Thief aka Craig Sutton. After a staggering 110 gigs last year, there’s a real buzz around the part-time postie from Bath bolstered by recent support from NME. Soon heading off around Europe, the unassuming virtuoso turns his guitar into a bongo drum, knuckle-rapping with even more rapidity than Gabriela Quintero. This is possibly the most original 30 minutes of guitar playing you’re likely to hear this year. There’s some impressive Segovia style picking on ’92 Chemicals’ a track that showcases the percussive rhythms that has the audience whooping with approval. Nothing has been thieved on mind-boggling ‘Mad Cow Stomp’ which quite literally has to be seen to be believed. The Boss rc300 loop pedal creates layer upon layer of hypnotic melody and metronomic hip-hop beats that really have no right to work. Real quality.

On to our headliner and Bristol quartet The Chase who arrive off the back of some rave reviews after recent support slots for the reformed Space and awesome Dizraeli and The Small Gods.  Promoting their diverse new EP ‘Pudding Pie Lane’ –their 2^nd in their near 2 year existence so far, the group’s crowd-pleasing blend of funk, pop, rock and soul is set to earn them a residency at one of the city’s leading venues.  Frontman Tom Pepper, heavily coiffeured and adorning a dapper grey waistcoat bounces around the pokey stage, clearly enjoying every minute.  Pepper spices things up (sorry) on best track ‘Bigger Things’, vocally, Johnny Borrell (Razorlight) meets Adam Levine (Maroon 5) boosted by some uncompromising pounding from the exceptional Duke Grooves.  There’s definitely a post-‘By The Way’ RHCP feel to some of the middle tracks with a quasi-funk that’s unashamedly accessible and lapped up by the lively crowd. 

 

Barenaked Ladies cover ‘One Week’ is somehow sped up with an added bite making it more than a testing karaoke interlude.  Slowing it down for two acoustic tracks we’re told to either go for a smoke or head to the bar and Pepper’s Dad does just that fighting his way back to the front to deliver a shot to his son.  It’s a fair reward for some committed soulful crooning on ‘Drawn To You’ that does anything but part the audience, instead hinting at some burgeoning songwriting talent.  Imagine Anthony Kiedis on the Scissor Sisters’ ‘Take Your Mama Out’ for the insanely catchy ‘Trying To Say,’ a track that has Hit written all over it.  So The Chase for success is on for the Bristol boys and after a rapturous response tonight and another promising EP in the bank they might just make it to the big time.

Kindly published by Venue:
http://www.venue.co.uk/music-live-reviews-c/20483-the-chase--flamenco-thief-

Best Tracks:

The Chase - Bigger Things
Flamenco Thief - Mad Cow Stomp

On Sale: Click on link below

The Beat - Friday 12th April, The Fleece

 It’s 33 years since the release of the debut album by Birmingham ska legends The Beat that spawned much-loved anti-Thatcher song ‘Whine & Grine/Stand Down Margaret.’ And tonight the calypso classic is greeted by a bouncing capacity crowd with real vitriol as it kicks off a blinding set of reggae fused 2-tone skanking. 

Whatever your view on Maggie and her legacy it’s hard to ignore the ironic air of celebration throughout the packed Fleece audience tonight. Ripped dreaded toaster Ranking Roger skips onto the stage clutching his mobile and unleashes some fairly damning pre-prepared thoughts on the late PM and her destruction of communities. The Beat were a major force within the late 70’s/early 80’s ska scene, their music inspired by political and socio-economic upheaval in a time of strikes, riots and chronic unemployment. Thatcher’s reforms and their effect on society was always likely to be at odds with the bands message of ‘peace, love and unity’ and as Ranking Roger finishes his diatribe by declaring it as one of the greatest weeks of his life, it’s obvious that there’s still no love lost.

 

The Beat are a tight live proposition even in their advancing years.  Ranking Roger’s son, Ranking Junior aka Mini Murphy stands alongside his father giving the group a contemporary boost with some impressive rapid freestyling.  The lively rapper gives the old classics an extra dimension and he’s able to work the audience as well as his evergreen old man.  ‘Rock The Casbah’ would surely get Strummer’s blessing for keeping the diverse crowd of skinheads, students and middle-aged mothers jovially jumping like its 1982.  Working through an impressive back catalogue of lilting Jamaican ska that takes in the contagiously catchy ‘Hands Off She’s Mine’ and the incendiary delight that is punky Jam-style ‘Click Click.’  Ranking Roger encourages more celebrations of the iron lady’s demise on ‘Jackpot’ instigating a chant of ‘Hip hip hooray’ and the crowd are more than happy to oblige. 
 

Everett Morton stands out on Smokey Robinson cover ‘Tears Of A Clown’ the man most responsible for bringing the band’s reggae style with his uniquely fascinating polyrhythmic drumming.  ‘Ranking Full Stop’ has father and son working seamlessly in heartwarming tandem, full of energy creating those infectious dance rhythms.  Roger happy to let Junior take the spotlight with an improv showcase of fast rapping with Dad faithfully joining in on drums.  ‘Mirror In The Bathroom’ is majestic; extended to include a superlative dub/ragga middle eight, more great freestyling from Ranking Junior and some silky sax from newbie Simeon Murray.  High-fiving the boisterous audience to end the gig it certainly feels like both band and crowd have shared something special.  With a new lease of life live and a formidable bundle of classics to pick from, there’s no doubt that they’ll be winning new fans and continuing to supply the soundtrack to many more Friday nights to come.

Kindly published by Venue:
http://www.venue.co.uk/music-live-reviews-b/20461-the-beat

Best Track: Click on link below
The Beat - "Mirror In The Bathroom"


Setlist: TBC

Albums available:

The Eels - Friday 29th March - O2 Academy

Mark ‘E’ Everett is one of the funniest front-men in rock.  The wizened singer/songwriter joins the latest incarnation of one time Brit Award winners The Eels to the stage, adorned in a band uniform of black Adidas tracksuits, flat caps and aviator shades for a set that’s certainly high on entertainment although frustratingly assembled. 

It’s a rather static sell-out audience at the O2 as they tour their 10^th studio album ‘Wonderful Glorious.’  With a four-pronged guitar assault and all-action drummer Knuckles set up in an unusual front left position things look ominous for those expecting E’s moving cathartic cocktail of death and loss.  Live, the Eels have often irked die-hard followers with their tendency to ‘beef up’ their back catalogue, sometimes bypassing the well-loved mid-paced songs inspired from the tragic deaths of E’s parents and sister for a weighty slab of stodgy rock.  That aside the current tour is every bit as bonkers as the last one which spawned the epic desire, loss and redemption album trilogy and saw E dressed in a white jumpsuit giving out ice-creams to the front row.

The jutting mangled opening guitar from Honest Al compliments the familiar husky vocals well on ‘Bombs Away’, a solid start to an underwhelming/sluggish early trio of new material.  A well-received cover of Fleetwood Mac blues classic ‘Oh Well’ revives the crowd, the ending of which sees chaotic guitar contests met with some fervent audience head bopping.  ‘Tremendous Dynamite’ is a joyous two dimensional scuzzfest that sees the charismatic E at his throat-scratching best.  Into the middle of the set and there’s more bro-hugging and genuinely funny banter orchestrated by the razor-witted hairy ringmaster.  ‘New Alphabet’ has a Beck style funk that seamlessly fits the biographical update, E revelling in his new positive outlook on life “You know what? I’m in a good mood today, well I’m so happy it’s not yesterday, man it was brutal, but it’s all in the past, it’s good to know that it don’t have to last.”  Glad to hear it.

There’s a rather bizarre/hilarious (you decide) renewal of rock vows between E and legendary picker Chet Atkins’ talented grandson (The Chet), the acting certainly less hammy than certain BBC dramas of late as Knuckles parodies ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’.  The superbly executed mash-up of ‘My Beloved Monster’ and ‘Mr E’s Beautiful Blues’ is a definite highlight.  Flicking effortlessly between each track to ‘fool the curfew’ the crowd is well rewarded for enduring a night of mostly new material and a distinct lack of ‘hits’.  Into the second encore and the sumptuously moody ‘Fresh Blood’ has E werewolf howling to seemingly end proceedings as the house lights go up.  The band though has other ideas as they kick of a third encore and a rather dull ‘Dog Faced Boy’ is counter-balanced by some enjoyable jamming for the dedicated remnants.  Live at least the Eels are becoming a formidable rock band; to those who persevere with their studio journey though there really is so much more to them than that.

Kindly published by Venue:
http://www.venue.co.uk/music-live-reviews-e/20424-eels

Best Track: Click on link below
Eels - Prizefighter

Setlist:

1.  Bombs Away
2.  Kinda Fuzzy
3.  Open My Present
4.  Oh Well (Fleetwood Mac cover)
5.  Tremendous Dynamite
6.  In My Dreams
7.  On the Ropes
8.  Peach Blossom
9.  Prizefighter
10. The Turnaround
11. New Alphabet
12. Fresh Feeling
13. The Sound of Fear (Introducing the band/Renewing E's Rock Vows)
14. Wind Beneath My Wings (Bette Midler cover)
15. Go Knuckles!
16. Itchycoo Park (Small Faces cover)
17. Souljacker, Part I
18. Wonderful, Glorious

Encore:
19. I'm Your Brave Little Soldier
20. My Beloved Monster / Mr. E's Beautiful Blues

Encore 2:
21. Fresh Blood

Encore 3:
22. Dog Faced Boy
23. Go EELS! (Go Knuckles Reprise)