| INFO | The Gimp
1. The Sand Creek Massacre
2. White Sunday
3. The Race
4. Pure Reason Revolution
The Fez Club
5-6 Gun Street
Reading
23/02/05 |
*See the photos via the link on the top right of this page*
The Gimp - if there's one catchy name for a band night, this is it. El Gimpo himself Marc Wiles of Blah Blah was there, handing out a 'limited edition' white sticker with the band night name handwritten in black marker. Ebay anyone? But enough frivolity and mirth, let's get to the bands. They were taking themselves rather more seriously, and so they should, sounding good and looking good is a tough business these days. Standing out from the crowds of bands is even harder. The Sand Creek Massacre got the ball rolling nicely - countless gigs have polished off their epic alt rock, though what's so endearing about them is that they've always got that rough-round-the-edges feel - epic soundscapes that gently let you float while still pounding you on the head. The frontman has pretty much perfected his high nasal rasp to make the spine-chillingly haunting rock sound distinctive. The bad lighting from the back silhouetting the five lads and darkening their faces almost went in their favour, evoking that ghostly yet broody sound they do so well. The mood changed to an Ian Brown-alike contest with White Sunday, whose frontman did a darned good impression. Football indie this is: Oasis music and Oasis attitude. They even had furry-hooded parker fans shuffling around, nodding coolly and appreciatively. It's a simple rock n roll sound they've got, nothing fancy, nothing complicated. But it works for them. They've got the heart to carry it off, it's red raw and even though it's nothing particularly exciting, these are tunes you could blast loudly on your radio and sing along to. The Race can't keep up with themselves, only having sent out a demo a couple of days ago but having written three songs since. These are evidently the swots of the class, keen to get a move on while they're on a high - it's not a race guys, ahem. They've started to sound a little like The Thrills, with stocky frontman also rasping quite highly but with enough self assurance to scare Robert De Niro. Rock-wise they're much more aggressive than the Irish beach boys, playing with dramatic passion, ripping through chords and pummeling that keyboard. They clearly live through their music, though while the compositions are plentiful and tapestried their spate of song-writing has led them to come up with a samey set, but otherwise it's cracking. A home-coming gig for Pure Reason Revolution, this night was special, despite the fact they've supported The Dears and Hope Of The States on tour. The mellow ELO/Pink Floyd progressive rockers may look like they've asked for super-size me haircuts, but their concept instrumentals are as delicate as a snow-blanketed winter morning - which we can all relate to at the moment. Their first single Apprentice Of The Universe and forthcoming single The Bright Ambassadors Of Morning are real stand-outs in their set, which make you embark on a journey through sun-dappled melodies before being blasted by a wrathful storm - whether you want it or not. An understated magic, they say nothing, only play, engrossed in their instruments as much as you are ineluctably mesmerised. Their harmonic singing among the fray is sweet, almost like stumbling upon some private pagan song in The Wickerman - at it's simplest it's swirling, at it's most complicated it's a tightly woven tapestry of light and shade. It's music that's pure and with reason - could this be a revolution? | 
