There
are shedloads of great local bands on the music circuit and the
Carling Academy 2 is a great venue for them to be given a taste
of the limelight.
I recently saw Alaska, Grandscope, Silversuit and Murdoch - so
how did these local bands hold-up?
In a world of apathetic indifference, Murdoch are the soundtrack
to sipping cream sodas in downtown 50s America, while daydreaming
about the girl next door.
Blending
the patchwork harmonies of the Beach Boys and Ramones with the
modern guitar sensibilities of Weezer and Ash, it makes for an
alluring live act.
From the sun-drenched guitars of 'Janey Say No' to the wide-eyed
wonder of set-closer 'Without Rhyme or Reason', Murdoch effortlessly
shined in the shadowy depths of the Academy.
Similar,
but by no means the same, Silversuit unleashed their great new track
'Hit & Run' before technical glitches played havoc with much of
the early set.
Not
to mind, the recent EP track 'Comic Strip Killer' resumed the
dizzy lyrical journey and frenzied indie of the Silversuit we
know and love.
A second new track, keys-laden 'Blue Seas', was a Super Furries-esque
triumph, before the trademark jangly guitars of 'My Cuban Friend'
brought down the house.
Poor
Grandscope were also somewhat debilitated lacking full drums, but
managed to pull off an excellent set nonetheless.
Always
better when doing up-tempo pumping synth tracks, the end of the
Grandscope set was superb.
Track down debut release 'Tricolore' on Bearos Records to see
just how good this band can be.
Brum-favourites
Alaska more than lived up to the legendary whispers by overwhelming
the BA2 with their immense stage presence and huge sound.
Balancing beautiful intricacies (3AM) with a kind of ‘musical
whiplash’ effect (Azure Painted Sky), Alaska gave an impressive,
exhausting performance. And the guitarist is a bit of a star as
well. Fantastic stuff.
Emma.
(Photos courtesy of Dave Timms)
