December 4, 2005
So we are late but looking forward to seeing some unsigned local bands get the chance to play the Rescue Rooms. Due to our afore mentioned late arrival and a slight mix up on the door, we missed the first band so we apolise to them as I heard they were pretty damn good too. ooops!
We still have 4 bands to see though and the first is Wraith. The energetic frontman, who sounds and looks like a weird cross between Sting, Jonny Rotten and Jon Bon Jovi, prowls the stage with the band mixing a grungy rock n roll style with a punk and glam edge, with big choruses, stomping drums and dirty guitars. They have good presence, talking to the crowd and moving around a lot, they certainly play with plenty of energy and feeling. The songs are based around deep, dirty riffs that are kept fairly predictable structures but broke down well, Wraith make a pretty catchy style of rock. The vocalist had quite an impressive range to his voice and his deep strong vocal, which can build into screams and grunts like a punk version of Steve Tyler, commands the songs well. With the drums really hammering the beat along and the dirty and deep feel being added to even more by the guitars distortion and bass's pounding lines, this is sleazy, gunky glam rock. The backing vocals seemed a bit weak at times and let the lead vocal down a little. Also, too many of Wraith's songs sounded the same to me and they got quite repeatative, after a bright start. This band has very good stage presence and plenty of 'umph' to their sound but they lacked diversity and they broke one of the holy rules of unsigned bands who want to be taken seriously, they played a cover of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' (and not very well.) Sorry guys, but no band should cover that song, apart from in when pissed-up in the practice room where no members of the public can hear it!
Next up are indie Brit-rockers, London Road, we have put on a saggy-pants gig with this lot before and so sort of knew what to expect. With a nice mix of guitars that overlap well with the bass, they produce a Oasis vibe but with some quite complex lead work and really powerful drumming have a fairly diverse sound, giving them more of a Bluetones edge to their indie style. The songs have lots of catchy hooks and nice guitar melodies and even though the structures are straight forward and the vocal patterns are fairly obvious, they produce a very upbeat, infectious style of 90s-esque rock. The frontman bases his image and sound very much on Liam Gallagher it seems, and with a similar whining voice, that has plenty of power but lacks personality, he overpowers the music. The vocal seems to lack imagination and with a lack of interaction with the audience, London Road start to get a little repeatative. It is quite sad really as their music certainly has a inventive edge for a indie rock band and with very few bands left playing this style in Nottingham, they certain seem to have a good fanbase, with rapturous applause after most songs. They are also very very tight and seem well rehearsed, I would like to see some more diverse vocal patterns though and maybe some backing vocals would give them a more original sound. Also the vocalist really needs to get a sound and image of his own, if he can find a way of moving away from the Liam comparision, London Road certainly have an edge to their music to get noticed as a very decent band in their own right.
To follow London Road we have Patchwork Grace, and this is the second time we have seen them in 10 days. After a commanding performance in Hucknall a week or so ago, we are interested to see if they can put on another great show and if Taz has got over her flu. As the dirty guitar bursts in and the deep driving bass crashes down, it is obvious that this band always put on a top class show. With the guitarist, bassist and drummer glammed up to the max and the 2 standing members struting round the stage in confident mood, it is already an eye catching prospect even before lead vocalist Taz stumbles onto stage. The guitars and bass mix huge bursts of dirty energy with soft indie moments to create a mix of Hole style glam-grunge-punk and almost haunting indie which, with the added power of the tight crashing drums, raises it's dynamic head and spits right in your face. With the glam punk image and well thought-out, almost enchanting movement, this band really are great to watch live. The vocals have great range and tonight Taz seems to have made a full recovery and mixes soft whimpers with huge angry screams to great effect, with the bassist adding raw, growling, shouting hooks at certain times, it contrsts really well. Earlier we saw Wraith try to cover one of those 'never try to cover' songs and now Patchwork Grace do the same, but this for me proved why they are one of the best bands around the local scene at the moment, as their cover of The Cranberries 'Zombie', was not only performed with feeling and conviction but they added their own personal stamp on the song, with angst ridden screams and really dirty guitars kicking in and out, they build and move it in a new, different way to the original, yet still keep true to its haunting and beautiful melody. This band feed off each other so well, with the instruments interlocking and changing excellently, they have a very good dynamic feel and with a stage act that looks so natural yet is full of energy, Patchwork Grace are a very exciting band even before you take into account that they are all only 17. Once you realise that aswell it seems quite amazing just how tight, different and professional they are.
Finally tonight we have Ugli, who base their folky indie sound around simple yet very effective acoustic guitars, flowing funky blues basslines and strong drums. After a brief testimony to the 7/7 bombings, Ugli get on with their soft and emotional set. The vocalist has a gritty edge to his voice but with more catchy, flowing melodies, Ugli mix the pop folk edge of James Blunt or Damien Rice with a more upbeat blues rock feel maybe in more 70's rock Tom Petty sort of style. The use of harmonica in some songs really added dynamic and emotion to the sound. I personally felt it lacked punch at times, a few more kicks of tempo and energy might have made it stand out more as it got a little repeatative. This music is played well and will appeal to lots of people with its middle of the road, catchy melodies. It could do with a more original edge to stand out above the others maybe. This band are really tight and base their songs around the strong and catchy vocals. It is the sort of music that has become quite popular over the last few years and with a very soft melodic edge, it is a nice, chilled out end to the evening.
Reviewed by Gaz
Written By Gaz
