Lord Huron - Thekla, Friday 17th May

US country rock quintet Lord Huron bring a densely layered soundscape of complex rhythms, killer hooks and a wagonful of wacky instruments to the lively Thekla tonight.  Originally from Lake Huron in Michigan and now residing in Los Angeles, they’re the brainchild of multi-talented art/design graduate frontman Ben Schneider.  The much-travelled bearded singer has assembled a group made up of childhood friends who are taking their homeland by storm with their fusion of mid-west country desert alt-rock with a Graceland Afro-Pop twist.  Debut album ‘Lonesome Dreams’ (released in January) has been a long time in the making but hasn’t disappointed after the success of the ‘Mighty’ EP which introduced fans and critics to their dreamy folk from the frontier and choral cathedral harmonies with a driving groove.

The band overcome early sound issues and from the start more and more objects seem to arrive to clutter the stage, most of which surround Moby lookalike percussionist Mark Barry who appears imprisoned at the back of the stage.  Opener ‘Ends Of The Earth’ like many tonight opens with a wall of atmospheric noise with mystical wind chimes, birdsong and hint of thunderstorm accompanied by some earnest cowboy coo-ing.  Compared to Fleet Foxes but with more urgency, the rootsy folk also draws upon the Americana feel of CSN&Y with 4 part harmonies and sweeping production.  Adorned in a white Stetson, Schneider has two microphones in front of him suggesting some possible effects-laden foul play but in truth there’s so much activity going on throughout each tune that the vocal quest for perfection falls into the background.

‘She Lit A Fire’ sails into David Gray territory but not in a bad way and ‘The Man Who Lives Forever’ brings out the pots and pans once again, Barry hits the drums with maracas in one hand, tambourine in the other, Schneider shakes what appears to be a clutch of Christmas baubles whilst captivating the audience with more soulful yearning “Said that death is a deal that you cannot refuse, but I love you girl and I don't wanna lose you.”  There’s not much in the way of interaction tonight other than a quip about the band lifting the Thekla’s anchor and the venue drifting out to sea, no bother because the audience are far away with them on a dusty wind in the Arizona desert. 

Show-stealing percussionist Barry adopts a bamboo waistcoast which he strokes in time to bassy ukulele for crowd favourite ‘Time To Run.’  With its chiming, beautifully simple melodic guitars meeting shamanistic percussion and a slick REO Speedwagon vocal it gallops along like a Mustang horse across the prairie.  Another track brim-filled with the customary contagious calypso rhythm is the warm and fuzzy ‘Lonesome Dreams’ which suffers from a frustrating mid-song break but soars back strongly as the singer passionately pelts the rim of a drum to his left.  Later this year the band could threaten to upstage Mercury masters Alt-J who they will support on their US tour and there’s no doubt that their live show is an unmissable event.

Kindly published by Venue:
http://www.venue.co.uk/music-live-reviews-l/20664-lord-huron

Best Track: Click on link below
Lord Huron - 'Time To Run'

Album available through links below:

Bite The Buffalo - Grillstock, Saturday 11th May

Beefy blues-fuelled fuzz is high on the menu today as aptly named Bite The Buffalo provide the perfect soundtrack to a day of rib-munching and ale guzzling at Grillstock, Bristol’s premier Deep South barbecue fest.

Bearded Bath based brothers Stos and Dimitri Goneos arrive following the end of a full tour of the US and a slot at the SXSW festival in support of impressive debut ‘Blue Lips.’  Originally from the Copperbelt in Zambia the two bromigo’s regard Robert Johnson, Lead Belly and Muddy Waters as key influences on their brand of snarling stomping 70’s rock.  Recorded in a lighthouse in Dorset, the album is an explosive, scuzzy homage to Americana that’s much more authentic than The Black Keys and they’re the band that everyone seems to be talking about in the queues for hot dogs and spicy wings. 

Named after a Zambian drinking game that would surely consist of a healthy dose of Tennessee whiskey Stos (lead vocals, guitar) and Miti (vocals, drums) are soon onto the tiny tented stage creating joyous havoc in front of a soggy but high spirited crowd.  ‘Tell Me What The Dead Folk Know’ is a hillbilly rock’n’roll hoe-down that has Stos reeling off music’s departed icons howling as he goes.  The result of which has the tent violently shaking and it’s hard to believe that the noise from within is only being made by two people. 

The sharply dressed singer is performing step aerobics as he turns effects pedals on and off throughout whilst Miti (who is a spit of Zach Galifianakis), with tongue hanging out for the most part, wildly thrashes the drums.  A top-notch cover of Lead Belly’s ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night’ is the only non-blues effort in the set whose highlight’s include the hurtling White Stripes like ‘My Gun’ and Eels sounding ‘Cherry Window Blues.’  Playing pretty much the entire album, most tunes end in a similar balls-out bloated jam as Stos’ squeezes every last inch of noise out of his Hofner.  It can get a bit repetitive in places and the duo’s impressive vocal range is subjected to a slightly irking and unnecessary glossy metallic effect towards the end.  It is a minor aberration though and doesn’t spoil album title-track ‘Blue Lips’ which has a hypnotic surf-slacker feel that gets the crowd shifting.

“Facial hair is the main inspiration to this band’ claims Miti as he bemoans the lack of recent lip hair of the Kings Of Leon before a furious cover of ‘Molly’s Chambers’.  Things even get a bit lightheartedly sleazy as two bellydancers gyrate away atop picnic tables much to the Buffalo’s approval.  The repertoire is definitely stretched as they go way over curfew, the fans happily plying them with beer to keep them on stage longer.  Tonight’s slick performance reflects a strong momentum for a band that has every chance of success and if you’re pining for a good ‘ol chunky slice of bluesy-rock then you better get out and see them before you get caught up in the stampede.

Kindly published by Venue:
http://www.venue.co.uk/music-live-reviews-g/20605-grillstock-bite-the-buffalo

Best track: Click on link below
Bite The Buffalo - Tell Me What The Dead Folk Know

Buy album here:

The Wedding Present - The Fleece, Friday 3rd May

Way back in 1992, British guitar music was going through a dark age.  Grunge and gawdy euro-pop had usurped the baggy scene and a bruising recession had bankrupted Rough Trade and many other prominent indie champions.  Before Suede’s debut album and the early stirrings of Brit-pop, Leeds band The Wedding Present were about to secure an impressive record once held by Elvis of securing 12 consecutive top 40 hits in a year.  This was a fairly typical move from a band that seemed to have always done things on their own terms.  Initially rejecting the advances of major labels to retain creative control and shunning the limelight in favour of gratifying their adoring fanbase they were able to create two bona fide low-fi classics in debut album ‘George Best’ and ‘Seamonsters’. 

A sell-out crowd greets evergreen front-man David Gedge and co as they kick off with punk-pop pleaser ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah’.  Shuffling drums and brooding bass are tethered by stoic guitars throughout the early tracks and without much of a change in tempo it can all sound a little one-dimensional until you account for Gedge’s well-crafted bittersweet lyrics of jealousy, love-turned-sour and loss.  In a Smith’s-like fashion it’s often fairly downbeat content delivered in a triumphant way and the audience are enjoying every minute.

With no fewer than 18 different line-ups for a career that has so far only spanned 8 albums it’s no surprise that on-stage chemistry and banter is fairly non-existent throughout the 90 minute set.  New bassist Katherine Wallinger is almost catatonic throughout tonight’s set, new to the line-up she looks like she’d rather be anywhere else than alongside the living legend to her right.  It doesn’t seem to matter though as Gedge has more than enough charisma for the whole group, passionately gesticulating with eyes firmly shut he looks like he’s trying to strangle someone.  Bounding around the stage isn’t really his style but he’s able to hold the crowd well throughout what is a greatest hits set with most albums fairly represented.



The only new song tonight is ‘Two Bridges’ which stands up pretty well alongside the tried and tested but there’s nothing to suggest a new sound or direction.  The real melancholic essence of the band comes through on mid-weight tunes like ‘Give My Love To Kevin’ and the superb ‘My Favourite Dress’ which sees Gedge at his most resigned as he laments "a stranger's hand on my favourite dress."  The sonic thrust of ‘Dalliance’ is still as powerful ever with the guitar thrashing overload reminiscent of a 747 leaving the runway.  Starting innocuously enough it sounds anything but an anthem but it’s the one everyone is calling for as Gedge’s husky drawl moves through the gears to a frantic finish lapped up joyously by a gang of fat-headed builders at the front. 

Perhaps they never got the credit they deserved commercially but their influence as legends of British indie will always be celebrated by their adoring fans and they’re still a great draw live.

Kindly published by Venue:
http://www.venue.co.uk/music-live-reviews-w/20571-the-wedding-present-

Best Track:
The Wedding Present - 'Dalliance'

Setlist: To follow

Best albums available here: