January 19, 2006
The tables are turned. If you're in a band now is the chance to either get your own back if you've ever had a not-so-good review and to call Gaz's band all the names under the sun or you can show your appreciation for the good work he does do and to praise him that he does actually know what he is talking about. At least musically. First band of the saggy pants night is Ordo Ab Chao. On the stage you see very different characters with Gaz dressed up as a monk- (why I hear you cry?) teamed up with a mask. This is either cleverly crafted thought out stage presence entertainment or Gaz doesn't want anyone to know it's him. The guitarists eye make up and manic facial expressions give a System of a down feel to the band. At first the gimmick nature seemed to over power the music and I wasn't immediately blown away with the musicality but once the band got into it the talent started to shine through. It's difficult to pin point the genre with a slight techno esque feel to one of the songs and a set of bongo drums providing the beat and the style seems to be very much uninspired and their own. Further on in the set the melodies, harmonies and percussion merge together really well and the crowd love it. There's a fine line between not taking your band seriously with light hearted humour and musically being rubbish because the stage presence takes over and fortunately this band do not plan to cross that line. Towards the end the texture and tempo speeds up rapidly which impresses me finishing the set of nicely. (No I wasn't bribed or twisted the truth the band really did tick the right boxes)
Next I am about to pop my Jimmy the squirrel live experience virginity with excitement after hearing great things about the band. When you think of other ska bands such as Madness, The specials, Reel big fish and mad caddies you might not think a local Nottingham band will be any different. And you would be wrong. At first organisation doesn't seem to exist with a slow start but these are young lads trying to have a good time and this is just part of their chilled out presence. Later on we find out that the bassist and drummer tonight are not usually on these instruments making up for a missing band member and not many bands can carry on with this set back but Jimmy the squirrel successfully do. The set is a balanced mix of slower melodic songs which the crowd are almost high on musically with an Rx Bandits feel to them and the faster upbeat ska fuelled tunes encourage the infamous jumping, hopping and swapping each foot. You can tell the band love the music and with emotional lyrics, a good sound and song structure cleverly put together I would definitely recommend seeing this band live.
Next is another local band called Grain who are incredibly versatile with a mixture of ingredients mashed together making the perfect yet unlikely recipe. The spectrum of musical styles is immense with folk meeting funk bringing hip hop influenced beats and indie melodies with them. Not forgetting the peculiar noises that just add the perfect sprinkling of humour. The band show an obvious talent of diverse dynamics and texture with a banjo and a bongo drum. The stage presence ties up the package nicely with the crowd frequently laughing as the band also laugh amongst themselves. They deliver a product very similar to Modest Mouse and are a very entertaining band to watch on a Thursday night beating all student nights hands down. The song 'Easy' which can be found on the bands Myspace profile is the most appealing with its catchiness and progressively changing melody with the perhaps soon to be infamous strange noises. Tipped to be one of the better bands in Nottingham and a saggy pants favourite once you get yourself to a gig you understand why. Unfortunately I couldn't stay for the last band Bleeding hearts but the first three local bands in themselves were enough for a good night out. Ordo Ab Chao couldn't be jumping on the bandwagon at any better time with the Nottingham music scene at an all time high.
Reviewed by Kristi
Written By Kristi
