Where’s My Crate?

Once again, the Pitz has a bit of a showcase on for a few local names that have been striking up the right chords (no pun intended) with the local scene and a bit beyond. The three bands in question are Firetone, followed by Planets and Hiding In Reno. The latter also have a new Cd out tonight, though all the bands seem pretty good, all fired up for their sets and playing foozball, plus some familiar faces like Warren and a few new friends can’t be bad at all.

It’s been a fair while since I last reviewed the guys of Firetone, and they still seem to be pretty much on top of things, though the early billing is half-surprising. The hall has a few people around at the start, but by the time the guys sail through “Gravity”, it seems a few more people are checking the three-piece out. The set is much of usual from the lads, “Well” finishing the set off with it’s blend of trance and metal with other tracks like “Angel Inside” and “Heiromachy Eternity” bulking out the sound with a few more facets. But don’t be fooled into thinking it’s all the same old stuff, the guys are now cramming in more effects than usual, digital vocal harmonies now taking up an ample amount of pedal-space for Andé while Jammers is still smiling like a damned Cheshire cat from behind his skins and Chris swings his bass about. Along with that, there are glimpses of new material coming out too, the frozen but enrapturing “anti-ballad” of a track that is “It’s Never Enough” and an unnamed post rock number (dubbed “Hiding In Reno” for tonight) are a couple of things to watch out for in the future. All-in-all a familiar set, albeit with with some developments.

Planets have also been pretty busy recently, you’re going to recognise the faces from the old 2ft High crew, but Planets are definitely something very different and a bit bolder, opting for a more aggressive post rock/hardcore leaning that packs out their tracks with the heavy riffs you would expect from the genres. Soundwise, the set starts off fair too, ex Desperate Cycle member Luke taking up bass duties for tonight, though a few bouts of mic trouble stifle the start somewhat, at least it’s a bit more plain sailing when they reach the later moments in the set. The thing is that with most post rock/experimental bands I’ve seen have a tendency to go off on a bit of a tangent which tends to alienate the more casual music fans, but Planets have a relatively grounded style that doesn’t drift out too far, their sounds are suitably stark but still accessible to pick up, something that’s good for the early days before the band really start to make their mark on finding a unique sound. It seems the guys also have the tunes for now, but there’s still some development on the way with some tracks being new or unnamed (i.e. Cheesy Song) but one track they definitely have on board is “Circles”, that seems to be their centrepiece that finishes their set off.

Hiding In Reno are a band who I remember from the old Musatronic days, so it’s been too long since I last seen them. And unlike the other two bands they haven’t opted for any name/genre changes so it’s still pretty much the same with the infectious pop-punk tones bringing about a much lighter mood to the night. That said, they do have their new Cd launch tonight too, so it’s fairly obvious that we’ll be hearing what’s on the disk during their set. The guys enter to stand on a few crates and get started on their set, there’s quite a few people around to see the guys play too, it’s looking like a smooth start for them already. In fact, it’s pretty smooth through most of the set, through dedicating a song back to Firetone, grinding out a mix of material and generally kicking up a fuss in the crowd, there’s not much to stop them at all. There’s time for a trip down memory lane aswell, the Reno lads whip out “Boys Night Out” from their early days for the more old-school fans, though it admittedly sounds a little dated compared to what the guys have on offer now. Especially with “Alone”, one of their newer tracks which closes their set, though. A decent drive of chords and an upbeat tone go hand-in-hand with their sound as it is, but it’s one that gets the audience going for that last rush. I have to admit the guys have seemed to come quite a way from last year, Panks and company looking even more comfortable on stage and the new material sounds pretty strong too, Hiding In Reno couldn’t ask for much more.

But, hey, it actually has been a pretty good night and I actually enjoyed all of the bands, I did have a few thoughts on how it would turn out, being the first time I’ve really seen Planets in their current form, plus the first time in a long while that I’ve gone to see Hiding In Reno. But I couldn’t really complain on how the night went and even the turnout was pretty good , I’ve seen a few local showcases that have been a bit more sparse with minimal atmosphere, but although tonight wasn’t absolutely perfect, it was a damn good blast.

Craig
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Hiding In Reno on Myspace
Planets on Myspace
Firetone on Myspace

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