November 10, 2004
Kicking the night off with some gritty punk-rock, were Jessica Question. With powerful, crashing drums and loud ringing guitars, they immediately grabbed any misplaced attention by the scruff of the neck. The accompanying bass throbbed through the sound to create an unquestionable answer to the continuously asking loud guitar thrashing and ever changing effects. They had all the simplistic qualities of a three piece band, not so unlike the first Stereophonics album in style. Each song in their set was a very British storming punk-rock anthem, with some great tempo changes, but after each individual and often impressive intro, they all ended up sounding very samey, and losing that character that defined them. They moved around well on stage, and produced a well-practised, tight performance. They didnÂ’t seem to want to talk to the crowd too much though.
Final Hour took the stage for what was their first ever gig together and the frontman immediately displayed a good range in vocals, with great use of emphasis. There were a few missed notes, but intentional or not, they created a quite fitting raw sound that complimented their music. The frontmanÂ’s guitar and the bass worked well together, but were a little too similar to each other for there to be enough definition. The drumming was pretty flawless, with lengthy steady sections broken up by well-timed fills and cymbal use. Great switching between grinding and racing guitar riffs meant that the songs themselves didnÂ’t get boring. There was however, a problem in trying to determine one track from another. One thing that let Final HourÂ’s performance down the most was a very noticeable lack of movement. The bassist stepped about a bit, and the frontman clung to the small space immediately behind the mic stand. The songs generally had a feel good vibe musically to them throughout the set, but when you tuned in to some of the lyrics they conflicted with this mood a little, which left you a bit confused about what you should actually feel.
Up next were Starscreen with their very distinctive riffs, and the ever impressive guitarist, who played the roll of lead and rhythm guitar without seemingly breaking a sweat, this guy so very obviously like making his toy make noise, and so, laid out some damn fine solos to boot. The drumming was sturdy but a little repetitive, and mostly hailing from the same side of the kit. But they provided the rock for the old indie anchor to hold on to. The singers voice came though the best in the long, powerful notes Starscreen have so confidently slipped into their songs. There was a slight shortage of variety in tone, but his strong voice never wavered and kept its clarity throughout. Their stage presence undulated continuously. One minute you werenÂ’t impressed the next; you were having second thoughts and found your focus transfixed on the stage. They didnÂ’t do a whole lot of talking between tracks, they were just happy to get on with it, all very professional, but lacking a little in character.
Finally a band that didnÂ’t look like they were wearing cement shoes. [Dweeb] stormed the stage with their extremely happy Hundred Reasons style Christian rock n roll. Very prominent bass, energetic drumming, and ass-kicking guitar solos meant that every song was an attack on our lulled mood and even though some started with slow melodic and often beautiful intros, they soon changed into feet stomping blinders, and the stage changed into a mass of lunging hair and flying colours. It certainly made us sit up, watch and listen. There was a hint of ska influence somewhere in the guitar riffs and great displays of pauses, timing and emphasis in the powerful vocals and backing vocals, with a strong occasional scream showed that Dweeb know how to write, although it was a shame that the obviously passionate and inspired lyrics werenÂ’t that clear.
To see more pictures from this gig click here Review ~ Steph Photos ~ Glynn
Written By Steph
Photos ~ Glynn
