November 9, 2005 @ Junktion 7
Trippin Over Wah bust onto the stage with confidence we hadn’t seen in them since the first time we experienced their show, they were obviously here to enjoy it and it was immediatly apparent they had polished up their timing and boosted their power in preparation for this gig. They have every right to be in high spirits, being one of the youngest gigging bands in the area and with the several shining reviews they’ve gained across Nottingham. There was a noticable increase in conviction behind the vocals, and with their adoring crowd’s full attention, pulled off the best performance of the fan’s favourites such as Goulash and Tokyo Joe that we’ve seen them do. The power and interaction between the two guitars was flawless, with the lead throwing in some impressive, well-timed solos without over-using them. The drumming was kept very simple and this may be to blame for the lack of variation in the tempo and the mood of their set, it was the guitars and the bass that did the talking and with the loud catchy vocal hooks, I don’t think the crowd would have wanted them to slow it down anyway. The cheese factor rose when they ended on a storming cover of Neil Young’s Rockin In The Free World, that gig with Nottingham’s cheese farmers Menz Raya obviously left a bad impression! It was start to the night that would leave the following bands quaking in their boots. Trippin Over Wah are getting frighteningly good.
The room suddenly filled up, it seems The Dustbunnies had brought all their mates to see them in action at their fist gig. The gruff, gritty vocals of the frontman fought their way through the fast, distorted and very loud guitar riffs giving them a modern day garage rock sort of feel, but with the busy, ever-changing drums and the way they played around with the feedback, it was clear there was an influence of 90’s grunge and Brit Rock in there somwhere. The guitar effects were used brilliantly, they were imaginative and were very well executed, giving them a hint of experimentation and leaning them futher towards At The Drive-In rather than The Hives sort of garage rock. The bass seemed to be played at a slower tempo to the rest of the sound, and this was essential in creating a smooth and steady backline to their otherwise unwavering manic and messy sound. With a little more adventurousness and variation the frontman would have the voice to hold his own up there, but some effective backing vocals would have given their sound, especially the choruses, that extra kick in the face that you wanted to hear from them. They had definately given their crowd a great first impression and if they unglue their feet and surpress the nerves on stage, The Dustbunnies could really build on this first gig.
Bremen had the responsibility of topping off the night, but the fickle punters of Nottingham have diappeared leaving the room half full for their set. The vocalist thought nothing of it though, and used the reclaimed land in front of the stage to his advantage, parading around in front of his band, raising his voice above the music and switching effortlessly between long, melodic notes and punchy, angry screams. They had a small synth with them on stage and you could see what they were trying to do, but it couldn’t really be heard above the crashing drums and guitars, it did provide a faint constant, but it was played by one of the guitarists so was promptly cut short to make way for distorted, power-chord riffs. Bremen have obvious metal influences with a melodic side coming through in the vocals and synth, but each song seemed very short and ended before expected each time, due to both guitars throwing the role of lead out the window, and tossing the rhythm around like a caber, there were no solos or any kind of fancy fret-work to drag the songs out. With a few more experiments in their music, particulally the synth and some decent backup for the already proficient vocalist, Bremen could evolve a very interesting and original sound.
Click to see more photos Review – Gaz Photos – Smat
Photos ~ Smat
