Month: November 2011

The Ex are a relentless proposition, and go through a determined set of disciplines and drills that give the feeling of a relentless machine, a buzz saw or a grinder.
Continue reading “City Hands, Bob Corn, Julie Mittens, The Ex – LVC, Leiden 27/10/11”

Iceage are a machine and a relentless one at that. There’s something very, very exciting and invigorating about them, listening to their metallic, flinty, fiery sound stimulates a feeling of being washed clean in the noise: it’s the only way I can put it.
Continue reading “Le Guess Who? Festival – Sunday 27/11/11 Utrecht”

an unwitting comedy moment was served up when we witnessed the guitarist play a trumpet whilst balancing a fiddle under his chin – to paraphrase Mark & Lard there’s “no need”…
Continue reading “Le Guess Who? Festival – Friday 25/11/11 Utrecht”

On this showing Rats were tougher, looser and a bit messier than is normal but to be honest it’s good they mess with their sound: they have to avoid being straightjacketed by people’s expectations now they are getting popular.
Continue reading “Le Guess Who? Festival – Thursday 24/11/11 3voor12 DB’s Utrecht”

We discussed this some time ago, why erm doesn’t a Dutch band has the oomfph which American and English bands have, They are very serious about what they do, but in Holland it’s always… “rechtvaardig te maken wat je doet”. You can put a kind of a cabaret around it to cover your emotions.
Continue reading “Incendiary sit down & eat scones with Henk and Melle”

In all art or music there is a line backwards to some other movement that influences the next movement. In the music world  this is very obvious. I see a line far back in music to cavemen hitting two stones together to make a sound and another caveman hears this and thinks to himself “that sounds good, I wonder what two sticks will sound like”? Fast forward a few thousand years and we have Beethoven, Mozart, Beatles and Gaga.
Continue reading “Incendiary chat to Will Sergeant of Echo and the Bunnymen about his art”