Takedown Festival
Southampton University
18th March
2012
Well, that just about
killed me. A long day in the company of some of the brightest young talent from
these shores.
The vogue for these
quick ‘in and out’ festivals at Unis and multi venues is something to be
applauded. No portaloos liberally weeping their contents all over your
trainers, no foul, stygian mud, no tents or filthy, Campylobacter-infested lips
and arsehole burgers. Just loads of subsidised cheap booze, stupidly cheaply
priced tickets, hordes of sweaty scene kids and hipsters and lots of loud,
testosterone-imbued rock and roll. Tasty.
The only problem was
that there were so many stages with so many acts, some bands would inevitably
have to remain un-seen.
So, bill in hand,
first up as a post brunch livener were Mallory Knox.
A fair sized crowd had
gathered inside the ‘main’ venue (actually looked like a massive church hall
rather than a grown up venue, but hey) as the proto-fenland refugees strolled
onto the stage. Led by swaggertastic Mikey Chapman, the boys launched into a
tidy, energetic and melody-infused set full of bounce, booming bass and
guitar-infused bosh. All rather splendid. If not a little predictable in
places. But, all-in-all a fine appetiser.
James Cleaver Quintet.*****
Oh yes. A crammed
subterranean hall (much more like a proper chest-assaulting rock and roll haunt
than Mallory Knox’s jamboree at St Benedicts community hall) was treated to
forty minutes of brilliance from this outré bunch of quacking, honking and
cock-kicking lunatic trouser wearers.
There were moments of sheer violence, nihilism and
bludgeon. But genuinely soulful and harmonic interludes peppered the buffet
like iced fancies on Clarice Cliff dishes sneakily juxtaposed with rusty tins
full of fuck your face off naga
chilli.
There was even a sax.
Having never seen these miscreants before and
only having had limited exposure to their work (Loz Guest, Alex Baker and that
bloomin’ Lucozade ad) I didn’t expect the mathi-ness. At all. Ok, the noodlicious Jacky
Udon isn’t as easy on the eye as Eva Spence, but there are definitely moments
of Rolo Tomassi. Chuck in a soupçon of Faith No More and even the mighty Dillinger Escape
Plan and you get the picture. I totally loved it. As did the sweaty, cutie-ridden masses. Original.
Fresh. Nut sack gnawing excellence.
Don Broco*****
I’ve never been
anything approaching pissed off whenever the Bedford-based bawbags are anywhere
close. I love ‘em to death and have waxed merrily many times about this
loveable laddish, mirth-making energy shot. But they clashed with Polar. Of
all the other bands I wanted to see! FFs. Anyway, Guildford’s punker bastard destruction meisters were going to
have to bite the dust. Sigh.
So, with a slight
miff, I headed back to St Benedict’s Church hall to get my dose of Bobby Damage and
the lads. Of course they weren’t going to disappoint. They never do. But they
were going to have to work extra fucking hard to make up for going sans Polar.
They did. Oh yes. The
moves. The riffs. The walk. The smiles. They truly are one of a kind and this
afternoon, they totally killed it. The crowd were a throng of worshipful
acolytes, putty in Monsieur Damiani’s hands. Pits, walls of death (just the two
this arvo!) massive sing-a-longs. Even Thug Workout - sadly omitted from the recent 4YS support set. And, of course the obligatory smiles. Loads
and loads of bloody smiles.
I’ve said before that there’s far more to Don Broco than a
good time party band, and that remains as true as it ever was; but it really
makes a pleasant change, in a landscape full of earnest (and obviously often excellent) emotionally, socially and even politically-imbued rock, for a band to celebrate the
positive and to generate such a joyous vibe. They really look as though they enjoy every semi-quaver.
And it's good to see Mr Doyle settling in so well behind his big old bass.
I can’t wait for their
new long player. And, given the recent news about the lads’ signing to Raw
Power and Sony’s S&D records, a big fat future, pregnant with smiles
awaits. Awesome, as always.
Burn The Fleet*****
Been waiting to see
these bad boys for ages. And the wait was well worth it. In what was
effectively a hometown show, Andy Convey sporting a fine and strong beard led
proceedings in what was to become one of the festival’s major highlights. Even
though they were playing squeezed in at the end of the SU bar with bright
sunlight melting everyone’s heads, they concocted a heady atmosphere.
 |
| Arrrr indeed. |
Their
intelligent and literary infused subject matter and lyrics deftly painted onto a wonderfully
textured and multi-layered musical canvas got the place shaking from the WKD
soused carpet right the way through its asbestos-laden sixties roof.
The crowd
sang along dutifully and the spine tingling Handfuls of Sand got captured
everyone’s hearts as a mesmerising and captivating set closer.
They’ve got a new
album coming out that apparently is going to be given away with the excellent
Rock Sound mag. If it’s only an iota as good as they were today, then we’re all
in for a rare and brilliant treat. Stunning stuff me hearties. Arrrr.
Fei Comodo*****
Only recently stumbled
across these fellas. And I have to say, I like what I’ve heard, so I was
looking forward to their turn at the altar. They were playing on the same
sun-drenched greenhouse stage as Burn The Fleet, but this time, the lighting
rig had given up, so the boys at the back of the stage space were hidden,
Golem-like in the gloom.
No matter, they produced a fabulous and fizzing set.
Heavy riffage and technical bombs provided the perfect backdrop to Marc Halls’
astonishing vocal range. His voice reminds me loads of InMe’s Dave McPherson’s
(must be something in the water in Essex) and he certainly put his lustrous
talents to good use as he cajoled and provoked the matinee crowd to get
involved. Which they did. With aplomb.
There are definite similarities to InMe with a liberal smattering of Midgar; all big balls but hummable and memorable
melody. And it worked beautifully. The anthemic Rival Tides being the stand out
track of the short but wonderful set. Can’t wait to see these guys in a proper
Jager-infused rock and roll sweat box. At night time. With lights that work.
And not in a student speakeasy-cum-greenhouse.
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| So you're a wobber are you? Jolly good. |
Subsource*****
Heavily persuaded by
Real Adventures’ chief plank spanker Dom Roe, I remained stuck to the alcopop
mire waiting for Subsource. Didn’t really know what to expect, but having
dipped into some of their oeuvre I knew there was going to be some serious wob. But nowt had
prepared me for what was to occur. A cool-as-fuck front man with a Heath
Robinson/Mad Max/steam punk stand up bass determinedly and struttingly kicks
off things and all hell breaks loose. Think Shikari, Skrillex, Prodigy, Pendulum, Rush, Reuben, The
Clash, Charlie Mingus (as your grandparents kids), Maybeshewill, Plan B, The
Cure, Matt Bellamy, fucking Sting and Sir Robert Plant all jizzing in a bucket
then impregnating Grace Slick with
the miasma of goopy man soup. Ladies and gentlefolk, the resulting offspring is
in the building.
And they kick balls. With a solid run up. And wearing Billy’s
Boots. Oh yes. Grooves, drops, riffs, soaring vocals and, of course wobs and
808s set the place on fire, evacuate bowels and get heads a bobbing. The crowd
appears to be slightly more industry and grown up than general scenies for this
lot. Some serious nodding, dipping and stepping breaks out and I’ve found a new
band to add to my favourites list. A triumph. Think I shat myself. But a
triumph nonetheless.
Lower Than
Atlantis****1/2*
Another one of my
favourites (and rapidly gaining favourite status with the radio-consuming
nation) LTA were next up on the ridiculously stuffed and tasty menu.. After their
amazing Garage show a few weeks back, this was never going to compare. Was it?
Well, a totally rammed St Benedict’s Hall and Social club didn’t seem to think
it suffered by comparison. Not one bit. The house full signs were up and Mr
Duce and his Tyros set about disembowelling the snap-back sporting throng. All
the biggies were played (including the obligatory Foo’s medley/mash up) and
there was much rejoicing, bouncing, boozing and general moshery. The Deadliest
Catch ended proceedings and the crowd left as stuffed as Chris Moyle’s after a
donut eating contest. Sweet.
Having watched this
lot mature, soften, shift and blossom from a kind of spotty, post hardcore,
poppy punky agressfest into a fully rounded, complex and multi-layered band has
been a genuine pleasure.
The demise of the harder edge (and the loss of
Ryan) has polarised many earhole owners and is a regular waste of mouth gas
among the great and good of the UK scene. But it’s undeniable that they’ve
controlled the shift themselves, appear comfortable in their skins and are producing some
fantastic, original and commercial tuneage.
On the eve of their biggest
headline tour, this evening was a chance to air the still, self-discovering
live side of the band to the adoring masses. And there were some surprises in
store. First up was the extra member. The genial and eloquent James Veck-Gilodi
(worth a respectable 35 in Scrabble) introduces the mop-haired banjoist as his
ikkul bruv, Matt. Apparently a permanent member of the live line up from now
on. Twelve strings good; 18 strings better, clearly. Anyway, seems like a nice
chap, sings well and seems to add to the overall wall of sound favourably.
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| All together now...Sweet Home Alabama |
The
next surprise was the emasculation and castration of Friends Like These, a
go-to tub thumper and signature tune of Deaf Havana’s over the last few years
(even makes a self-deprecating referential appearance in the excellent album
opener The Past Six Years). Tonight, not only had it had its genitals wrenched
off, but the only thing missing appeared to be a choir, 4 tasty female cellists and a key change. To be
honest I didn’t mind a bit. The refrain was always the best bit, but the
aggressive contrast and foreplay of the rest of the song had been cruelly tossed aside. So it felt like
having just the meat at Sunday lunch; tasty but not complete.
Anyway, enough
already. The show was great. And great fun. The whole room joined in the chants
and choruses, shouted in the right places and stayed reverentially quiet for
the emotionally taught and sensitive bits. And got gooey when the time was
right. This lot are truly a class act. They're lazily cast into the same
hopper as YM@6, KIGH, Young Guns et al, but are far more complex and, I
believe worthy. Veck-Gilodi’s lyrics are thought-provoking, clever, painfully
honest and self-revealing. The music is polished, catchy, performed beautifully
and full of light and shade. Big, big things beckon. Saying all that, old stalwart Nicotine
and Alcohol Saved My Life was the stand out track of the set. Even without the
shouty bits – but let’s not go there again. Genuine class though.
This was by far the
smallest venue I’ve ever seen the mighty Welsh Raggabaggabastards in and I was
a wee bit scared. Mind you I have seen Dillinger at The Barfly, so there really
shouldn’t be anything to worry about.
After some apparent
back stage wranglings, histrionics and rock and roll diva guff, Benji and his
boys finally take to the stage, now ‘resplendent’ with a natty backdrop – complete
with the sponsor’s Monster logos shining through it. And all hell lets very loose.
There’s really not too
much you can say about Skindred that hasn’t been said. Mr Webbe is the best
front man in the business. Fact. He could get a group of devastated mourners to
bounce and form a wall of death at the crematorium to Fauré’s Requiem. His
energy and infectious charm are legendary. But that’s always mean to the rest
of the band. Let’s face it, they’re bloody good too. Their syncopation married
with killer riffs and consummate playing show they're much more than a house band to
this, the most garrulous of chat show hosts.
And so they kick off. Rat Race,
Doom Riff, Trouble, Nobody, Destroy The Dancefloor are all belted out from the
pulpit in tonight’s service. The congregation bounce more than Jessica Clement’s hooters when she’s
sitting on the dryer on super spin cycle. The temperature goes up to insane
levels. There’s literally sweat (well, sweat condensation according to the nerdy science student standing near us) dripping off the ceiling. The atmosphere is
highly charged but all done with such a collective massive smile it hurts the
face. It all comes to a frenzied head with the wonderful Warning as an encore. A truly memorable, brilliant and enjoyable end to what’s been a truly
memorable, brilliant and enjoyable day. Apart from missing Polar. Obviously.
Other lowlights: missing Heights, Feed The Rhino, While She Sleeps. Blue K2 - the pikiest drink ever. Bleeuurgh.
Highlights? Don Broco.
Subsource. Burn The Fleet. Sailor Jerry, Cider at a couple of quid a pint. And Benji’s bouncing.
Need a lie down.
The ever-brilliant
Polenta Shitake next.
More tunes soon, Bwoooar.
