June 9, 2005
This is our first visit to the Boat Club and for those who have never been its in fact a very nice venue even though its a little out the way being at Trent Bridge but we knew it was worth the travelling the moment Grain took the stage with their fun, funky and crazy mix of bouncy acoustic rant rock.
Since we last saw Grain they have added a fifth member in the form of a percussionist, who made the sound even bigger using his skills on Bongos, Tambourine, Maracas and random bird calls. This new ingredient really complimented their already original and obscure sound. Grain prove their song writing ability by putting in a confident performance with great technical skill and excellent lyrical content, spreading themselves across a wide range of genres, from bluegrass and blues to funk and rock n roll. All five musician are technically amazing and arent afraid to experiment. With one of the most brilliantly original and interesting guitarist I have ever seen, Grain breezed through their set, spawning a bouncy and up lifting atmosphere. We have said it before and we will say it again GO SEE GRAIN! An experience you wont forget. ove their act worthy of their third song, which had a more intense air and seemed very professional.
So to tonights headline act, Menz Raya, now we havent seen these guys before and I can safely say they also put on a show we wont forget anytime soon. Crashing onto the stage with hair everywhere, Menz Raya made a huge start with their chunky, technically good, extreme 80s heavy hair-metal. Using simple drum and bass combos, with fast guitar soloing and sing-along choruses, which carry the songs well. They thrust their hips through a tight set but leaving no room for originality. As the set progressed it became more and more apparent that these guys had too much libido and not enough imagination. Covering some awful songs pretty badly and with more poses than Elton John on coffee and Prozac biscuits at the annual posers meeting in South Shaftsbury, Menz Raya acted like a bunch of pro American shag-arses. To be fair they were musical pretty good just had more cheese than a quarter-pounder with extra cheese (were talking like, they ran out of meat and used cheese!) and the crowd lapped up the calcium goodness! It was so un-cool it was funny and we were entertained but maybe not for the right reasons. Tight pants, long hair, posing guitarist and worshipping the stars and stripes wasnt cool 20 years ago and still isnt. Now I remember why the 80s generally sucked. The world need bands like this inspire musicians like Grain to write original and interesting new music.
Review – Gaz + Steph
