December 7, 2005
Music can be re-shaped, inverted and pulled apart by its seams, before being catapulted in new dimensions, that even a cozy ‘just enough room for a dance floor’ venue can deliver it.
I bring you the story of a girl meets boy, gets some instruments and makes great music. End Of. It is a two piece band called Felix that are not a band to clearly show their influences yet develop a unique style to call their own. Which with the ability to influence other people is something needed desperately in modern music. The girl proves she is not just a pretty face as she takes to the stage with a mini xylophone, playing it as she sings along to the first song. If you are bored of the run of the mill guitar, drums and bass typical band then get yourself to a Felix gig. Through out the set you see the deliverance of keyboards, mini keyboards, xylophones, guitars, a double bass and melodica and pretty much anything else imaginable. Including a beat box guy ‘laying down’ perfect sounding percussion beats. Felix provide songs about men buying drinks for girls in see through skirts and wanting to get boys so drunk they do not talk. This girl wants to revolutionize men’s typical drunken mentality. Towards the end a song is dedicated to every one in the venue called ‘Death for everyone but us’ and the singer jokes that we must be glad to be there. And every one does seem glad to be there with every song sounding different, with frequently changing dynamics which is refreshing. Throw in a Regina Spektor cover and mini CD’s in paper bags for sale at the end and you have a band to look out for.
Next up is soloist John, a rising new talent with a spoonful of success already behind him, with a song that made it to the end of the big blockbuster Wedding Crashers resulting in him ‘breaking’ LA. It can’t all be bad. As stage presence goes we see a hatching egg as confidence grows through out the set especially as more and more people come through the doors. With obvious influences from Jeff Buckley to Nick Drake we see a man giving us the keys to his heart and soul. His songs are full of passion and desire showing an expansion in guitar playing knowledge. Some songs sounded similar but with only him and a guitar he plays really well this can be excused. You can tell he loves the music and the lyrics mean so much to him when he screams out “all I want is you” and “It’s another world you take me to”. As the set progresses he becomes more and more talkative and expressive. Lyrically he sings from the heart with “Have I wasted all my life/Can I taste it all again” With the audience hyped up it is a good way to welcome the headliner of the night Story One.
Story one is a local Nottingham band that have even managed to get Steve Lamacq of Radio 1 as a fan. The first thing I thought when the band came on stage and started playing was Arcade Fire and Bright eyes notched up a few levels. Story One mix big instruments with simpler drum beats as well as diverse violin melodies. The stage presence works well and the leader of the band takes great delight in talking to the audience. If you imagine violins, guitars, bass guitars and drums competing with each other you can imagine the immense sound that the room is up against. Furthermore you can imagine the noise coming to a halt with the shouting of ” My violin’s unplugged” and the laughter this brings to the venue. When all is well and things are back to normal and our ears continue to be washed up by the loudness the bass then also breaks which makes the crowd laugh even more. Under pressure the band is controlled and by giving the audience a good time they score brownie points.
The whole evening was a success and left me with the warm feeling that people were coming up with original and innovative melodies and meaningful lyrics which with the anniversary of John Lennon and the recent death of John peel in our mindset we can only thank god that someone is out there making new music that is different.
Reviewed by Kristi
Written By Kristi
