June 24, 2005 The Malt Cross (Nottingham)
When you first walk into the Malt-cross it isn’t the type of place you expect to see Live rock music, the whole shape of the building is a bit odd and the stage is high up and detached from the crowds at the bar and the seats but in a weird way its still quite cool. Tonight we have come to see 3 bands we haven’t reviewed before and even though the audience doesn’t all seem to be here for the music, at least its busy.
First up are We show up on Radar a ambient 2 piece band that consist of a lead vocalist who swaps between Keyboards and guitar and a DJ who adds keyboards as well as the odd backing vocal. Its a soft and slow start but very interesting and quirky with a trippy surreal feel to the songs. This brand of Pop-rock reminds me a bit of The Eels or Ben Folds but with the random bird noises and effects from the DJ and the quirky if not slightly odd lyrics, it all feels very strange, in a pretty good way. The Melodies carry the songs well and it has a nice chilled out feel. The use of samples and keyboards real make it a interesting and fairly original sound even though its not always catchy and the vocals are a bit weak at times but its very relaxing and fun. The sort of songs you could listen to the morning after a big night out or in a meadow whilst on acid discussing politics a bumble bee. Not gonna make you jump around and not the most emotional music but a nice gentle start to the evening with a fun, qui rky twist.
The tempo goes up next, when Nutron Stars take the stage. With a lively front man who plays fun melodic riffs on his guitar and shouts catchy hook line chorus’s on ever song, the pace really picks up. He is accompanied by two keyboardists who add drums, bass, keyboards and percussion as well as backing vocals. It has a definite 80’s influence maybe some Depeche Mode but with a strong hint of 90’s (aka Presidents of USA) and modern garage rock (aka The Hives). Its upbeat and chart friendly and makes the crowd start to take abit more notice. I can imagine in a more personal venue these guys would get the crowd really moving. The guitars are loud and catchy and the electronic beats keep the sound strong and bouncy adding extra thump. The vocalist has good stage presence and a interesting and strong voice which chants out the lyrics and lets them lie nicely in your memory. I would like to see these again at a more rock-able venue for sure!
Finally tonight’s headliners are The Henry Road. Once again this band use keyboards to great effect letting them sour and fly over the top of the guitar riffs and carry the melody well while the slick and funky drums and bass keep it tight and together. With a 70’s ‘stoner’ rock influence mixed with a more pop-rock flavor, The Henry Road have some nice songs which are very easy to listen to. With a sound that reminds me abit of Kula Shaker or Space of the 90’s but showing a more psychedelic feel at times with some Pink Floyd or the Doors influence shining though. I personally prefer the more experimental side to The Henry Road with some songs using great guitar and keyboard soloing and interesting sounds and tempo changes. The bulk of their set tonight though seemed to be made up of the catchy and more mass friendly songs, which sounded similar to the Beatles Sergeant Pepper era of pop-rock. They played a tight and well performed set with good interaction with the crowd but at times I felt it got a little boring, a s to many songs sounded the same. It was all a little hit and miss with some songs floating and moving beautifully and others lacking that extra burst of emotion and killer punch.
I think all 3 bands that we saw tonight, used good melodies and well performed songs with interesting and original twists but The Henry Road and We show up on Radar lacked bite at times and even Nutron Stars didn’t really seem to connect. I am not sure if this is something that these bands need to work on though or more to do with the odd setting and shape of the venue. I would certainly like to see all 3 bands again maybe in a different place!
Writen By Gaz
