Device @ The Pitz
19/04/08
This is obviously one of Devices biggest local gigs to date and with a whole hour for them to play with we’re probably set for a bit of a wild show. Last year had the band working their way up to the head of the bill and now they are taking the helm of a show at the Pitz at their current peak.
The crowd is getting larger, a slight improv is setting up the sound and guitarist/vocalist Joe seems to be ruling the roost, jamming out on top of a huge stack of speakers before leaping down as the gears go into motion straight into a sense of urgency with an up-tempo version of “Reflections”. It’s not all plain sailing though, as a guitar hitch near the end of “Automatic Fear” and bass trouble hits early on though the band keep going.
“Trace The Paces” is one of the newer tracks that the guys have come up with, chiming into the hall with a bit more of a refined touch than the majority of their material, yet still fitting in with the prerogative of the band’s overall sound of ballsy, swaggering rock with a progressive edge that mixes in brutal breakdowns and harmonies from Nick and Joe, the guys are certainly not resting on any laurels yet.
The lads finish off with “Whilst We’re On The Subject”, finishing the set with a force of riffs, dynamics and unashamed weight as the band swagger as the last number drives the audience into wild submission, pausing only during the final big breakdown before towers of riffs, feedback and thumping beats from Dan and Bud fill the hall with a fervour that carries on after the band finish, there’s two things for sure, Device are back with a vengeance and they are most certainly on their way up.
Craig \m/
i Killed Pharaoh @ The Pitz
19/04/08
One Lockjaw band that I have seen before are “i Killed Pharaoh” , though back then they seemed a little stiff in the Musatronic days. Now we can gladly see that it isn’t the case this time, the guys are relaxed, rather jovial and sporting jerseys. The operatic vocals are the first thing to strike out during their set, leaping up and down alongside toned riffs, thundering drums and a pace that borderlines between the steady and the uneasy.
One of the key elements in iKP’s sound that I absolutely love are their use of slap bass, hammering along some lines that create some interesting and unsettling rhythmic devices that create the basis for many of their songs, bodging together a blend of funk and angsty dischordance that seems fairly fresh compared to the usual sound in their chosen genre.
“Did I Ever Mention Policy?” includes those riotous riffs with the aforementioned doo-wop basslines, forming hooks along a foreboding melody filled with sparse riffs, the whole track teetering on a loose edge towards the end. “Septombre” fit’s into a similar niche, though the angst is turned up a few notches as melancholy harmonies and off-key guitar drag out a foreboding, decadent and raw melody.
Then we have “Upstaged” that finishes things off with a much more mainstream funk-metal feel, even capturing a few sounds akin to an early RHCP before a descending breakdown puts the set to rest. It seems that while they have mellowed between songs, their material has really developed and they are devoting the energy to what matters, substance over style.
Craig \m/
Eight Page Pullout @ The Pitz
19/04/08
The first band up on the bill from the label are four lads from Scotland, namely “Eight Page Pullout”. Unfortunately the turnout is hardly anything, to quote the Device crew who were heading the night, “It’s an embarrassment”, and I’d have to agree, because you all missed something pretty damn good.
“Come one, come all!” is the call to arms during an intro of a tempo shifting intro with duelling guitars from Rikki and David, yet the turnout is crap. Still, one of the first things I got hit by was a resemblance in sound to a certain Blink 182, warm, rebellious and a bit fun, though these guys have nailed down a much stronger beat with David Adams and Gavin taking the bass and drums respectively.
Despite a soft entrance the guys are hardly static and the range of material is pretty wealthy, as there are some slow and heavy tunes in there alongside the formidably catchy “King & Country” and the hook-ridden “Stand Up” that urge an audience to get up front and have a good time. Even the the three-way harmonies in “The Good Times” seem to bring out a passion in some of the crowd.
There’s a bit of a Scottish quirk that’s a bit endearing too, not just the banter between members but also in the music itself, the more you hear the more you notice the roguish Scot roots that work well with their jovial sound.
The resulting formula is admittedly rather poppy, but never too much. It’s reigned in at the right moments and let loose during the hooks and between songs, and let’s face it, there’s not much worse than a band who take themselves overly seriously. In short, Eight Page Pullout are a breath of fresh air from the careerists and dour faced acts and aren’t afraid to mix the work of the usual gigs and recording with a bit of fun.
Craig \m/
Sunset Lounge Sessions: 17/04/08
The Sunset Lounge sessions at the Cannon down in Newport Pagnell have been a mainstay for a good while now, this week I realised that the place was far overdue a visit and decided to check out the night. The starts are as they are this time of year, a few people around at the start and slowly getting more packed, though the selection of acts is mainly guitar based with only a newcomer called David providing a little change with a keyboard set ahead. But the Sunset Lounge has laid down it’s gauntlet in the form of sarongs, candles, joss sticks and eggs so it’s time to see what talent will take up the invitation tonight.
As per usual, Jeff acts as host for the evening and begins the session with a few tunes (along with a commandeered guitar…), some his own, the others covers. Regulars of the night will know of Jeff’s habit of playing some of the blues, starting off with a slow, jagged and solid blend that speeds up into a more upbeat bluesy sprint Among the covers are “Crazy”, which is is handled in a way that befits Jeff’s low end style while Teardrop is great but not quite in Jeff’s niche.
Taking the second slot is David, a slightly quiet chap who Jeff found at another open-mic night. It seems to be a case of the stage bringing out the best in people as he really comes out of shell and puts on a performance with powerful vocals and flowing keys as David displays just a portion of his work with tracks like “Give It Away”, one of his usual tracks and “Too Late”, a track that’s soft on the keys and big on vocals, while a cover of “Fly My Son” fills in a more mainstream slot.
Dan and Matt also run an open mic night, though it’s at the Sno Bar on Sundays. The guys make an appearance for a couple of sets. Dan begins with “Pity”, one of his own songs that’s a mix of chug a lug blues with a bit of a delicate after-touch, hard, proud licks balancing out with some tender strums and powerful vocals. Before long, Matt also joins up as the pair take on a Kooks cover that pits the their vocals and guitars together for some striking harmonies.
Matt sticks around for a while, and you can see how his style compliments Dan, though not quite so strong vocally, his guitar skills are pretty ace. Bendy, sharp and hard fretwork are the driving point for most of his set, though a much tender touch is given to a Depeche Mode cover that comes across very light and immensely gentle, only cropping up in a jagged middle-eighth that goes towards crafting a solid ending that generates a generous rapport.
One fairly big name to return to the Cannon is Dan Plews, a man who’s done quite some travelling and has musical roots firmly set in the Celtic side. Joining Dan on stage is Barbara who’s on fiddle and the two begin with an old Irish jig named “The Butterfly”, a certainly urgent, yet flowing entrance. The rest of his set follows a pretty straight line with tracks like “Ill Feathers” and “Pay Day” being more mainstream yet still unashamedly traditional.
One young act on tonight is Callum, backed up by Tim, and it’s another case of opening up on stage, Callum becoming a bit of a rogue with some old-school, gravelly blues carving it’s way through the set as Tim provides the licks and chords while the former jams out enthusiastically. The style seems a little on the Hendrix side, and fittingly the duo perform a version of “Hey Joe”which, along with the rest of the set, goes so well that an encore is called up.
Now for two regular faces to appear in what seems to be a new duo, namely Garry and Teto, it’s an interesting combination with Teto’s strong vocal style being poles apart from the former’s more subtle approach. Together, the pair take on some of Teto’s own material, opening with “All In My Head”, mellow chords and soulful vocals counterbalancing each other while another unamed song follows in the same vein though a few hitches come up due to the new pairing.
Garry eventually goes for a short solo slot soon afterwards, going along a much more comfortable, laid back yet slightly dour. It’s all about the low end and a soft approach on vocals and guitar as the night begins to wind down. “Walking The Glass Mile” is still one of the main tracks in his repertoire and has a bit of a dark kick to it, slightly malevolent and unnerving, hanging on the edge between the comfort of an armchair and the edge of a sheer cliff.
It also seems we have an outside influence tonight as we have a Northerner called Ollie taking the last open slot and proving that Bolton does actually have talent. The first thing to strike you when he begins is that his vocals are pretty strong, straying deeper into vocal territory over his guitar lines. The set goes relatively well, featuring some of his own material while a finish with the Beatles “Help” compliments his playing style pretty well.
Jeff caps off the night after hunting for some fellow Canadians, though having no luck in getting any of them on stage, “This is your Karaoke!” are his last words to the crew to get them involved but still to no avail. Instead, Jeff finishes in a mellow acoustic number that winds the evening down as everyone has their last pint and settles down into what’s left of the night. It’s great to see that the Sunset Lounge is still going and we still have some new and old faces, plus with a showcase coming up in a couple of weeks it’s proved to be an undoubted mainstay of the local scene.
Craig \m/
Thursday night brought in a whole new business to Milton Keynes, if you read the Go! or had your wits about you then you would have known that the night was a launch party for Rock Hard Music, the newest place in the scene that was not only a guitar shop but also featured a studio. The event was a bit of an ensemble of both entertainment and the people around, bands, musos, people in the music business and even some journos too, if they were involved in music then they were sure to be there.“But why write a review of this?” I hear some of you ask. Essentially it was a gig, there was beer, a stage and also some musicians performing, and though the store isn’t a venue as-such, you can’t argue that there were some good class of musicians up on the makeshift stage.
Apt Art returns to Wolverton a second time around in March 2008. With more exhibitors and a wider variety of art around, including photography, sculpture, tattoo designs, stitching, drawing and paintings, all from local talent! It managed to acquire quite a turnout from local art lovers as you can see from the photos. Exhibitors displaying their work were:
- Laika Fire
- Dayne Britten
- Holly Bailley
- Mr X Stitch
- Louise Pollard
- Matthew Parisi
- T Cuthbertson
- Charlie Kennedy
- Rachel Ayres
- Craig Short
Some time back, Device announced a forthcoming CD, an album in fact, that they would be releasing. After some anticipation and hearing the demo, the album was up for grabs at a certain gig in Kiln Farm. I remember Steffi carrying out a promising review on the demo, but as good as it was it’s still just the tip of the iceberg, so the question is what else does “Obstacles & Playgrounds” have to offer on top of what they have already achieved? By first impressions, I’d say quite a lot, have a listen!
Location:
The County Arms,
189 Newport Road,
New Bradwell,
MK,
Bucks,
MK13 0AL
Contact:
Tel: (01908) 313840
aptlynameduk@yahoo.co.uk
www.myspace.com/aptlynameduk
Crew:
Rachel, Matt, Zach, Sean, Darren
Here is where venues stuff will be put up, information on your local promoters, etc.
See reviews on events in this section, from launch parties to festivals..
