March 16, 2006
Nutron Stars
To open the night we have The Nutron Stars, now I had seen this band once before at The Malt Cross and on that night all the bands had suffered due to a bad P.A mix but having seen several gigs at the Maze in the last few months, I didn't think this would effect the Nutron Stars tonight. As the first song kicks in however I am quite surprised at the lack of 'oomph' in their sound. Having heard some recordings of this band, it seems that they never quite reaches the same standard live. The songs are based around simple, catchy pop rock riffs with some punk influence and more than a hint of 'The Wannadies' in the vocals. The catchy guitar is supported by two keyboardists, who add bits of backing vocals and percussion at times. It is classic pop rock straight out of Lennon and McCartney's book. Many of the songs sounded pretty similar however and though they seemed to be trying to produce an interesting and catchy blend of power pop rock, it all fell a little short with the beats and vocal patterns being a little too obvious and lacking in the power needed to really pull off the energy this style needed. They do seem quite relaxed on stage and seem to be enjoying themselves and they amuse us all with some of the titles of their tracks but after the initial amusement the songs seem to just repeat too often and it gets boring fairly quickly. There is no doubt that the Nutron Stars can write some really catchy pop songs that have a good bounce and feel to them but they seem to stick to the same formula too often for my liking and many songs finished just as I started getting into them, they were all quite predictable and with the two keyboardists, percussion and drum machines, they could surely push a few more boundaries and experiment a little more. Last time I blamed the P.A for the lack of kick and edge, but I am not sure how many times I can use that excuse. This is fun, catchy music but it has been done before and to a higher standard. It makes you smile but then I often smile in my sleep.
The Henry Road
The second headlining band tonight are Nottingham's own musical version of an acid trip, it is The Henry Road. As the chaotic yet free flowing guitar riffs, random injections of pop keyboards and jazzy drums and funky bass lines come in, I instantly feel relaxed yet confused, maybe it is those weird projections behind the band?!? The Henry Road have a very experimental and interesting style mixing classic pop rock with very flowing and fluent stoner rock which also includes elements of blues, jazz and indie . The guitars and keyboards kick in and out while the drummer really holds down the band, yet even he finds time to add some odd and clever fills and beats. They build massive soundscapes which have a very 60's feel bringing back memories of The Doors and Pink Floyd. They never move or talk much on stage but with the projectors playing colourful and weird images, they get away with it, and their uninterested gaze sort of works quite well, maybe they are just on come downs too. Having seen this band a few months back at Junktion 7, several songs were instantly recognisable, especially 'The Magnetic Furniture People'. The vocal is very catchy and pop friendly with interesting and weird lyrics. The keyboards back the vocal well at times creating an almost cheesy pop sound which contrasts very well with the more random progressive edge they have to much of their music. Henry Road interlock their instruments very well and the way their sound switches from catchy pop rock to flowing trippy stoner rock so smoothly is quite impressive. They also have a versatile and diverse edge with the bassist adding a second guitar in some songs and much of the set feeling like it is improvised on the spot. In essence this band have much in common with The Nutron Stars, their songs are based round catchy, pop riffs and have an upbeat and friendly, fun feel but The Henry Road use that classic formula to get the hooks to their songs and then rip the fuck out of it, twisting the songs round, throwing them into the blender and adding a few mind enhancing substances to create a style that is unique and original. It may not be everyones cup of tea but it is certainly different and clever.
