Wednesday 19 May 2010

491 EMETREX, Econoline, Oxford The Point, Saturday 3 March 2001


The last of 3 in 4 gigs for Emetrex, and the last date of their tour before they flew back to the US - tomorrow morning! - so we had to be there! The fact that this one was only 30 miles down the road made it easier too. So Rachel and I scooted down the A420 and parked in the usual car park, bumping into Emetrex outside the dodgy eaterie opposite The Point, sampling their dubious wares! Hit the downstairs pub briefly, meeting Tim and crew there, then up to the venue for 8.30. Hung out with the Emetrex guys and their Seriously Groovy UK label people, boring the pants off Lorraine from Seriously Groovy about other Boston bands, and about You Are Here! Connections, connections...

Chilled out listening to bassist Dave McGlynn's stories of the tour, particularly a superb show in Limerick, before Econoline came on. The sound was better and hung together more coherently, but Econoline were still harsh and abrasive and not my cup of tea. Back to the bar then!

Emetrex were on at 10.30, starting so quietly that they caught Rachel and myself (chatting to Dave from Seriously Groovy at the time) totally on the hop! Popped into the reasonably well attended venue as Emetrex eased into their set with "Left 63" and "So Bright" before a blistering "Staring At The Stone" set the show alight. There was a real end of term feel to this show, with the practised confidence of a band totally attuned to each other and relieved to be heading home (Ben mentioned beforehand, "I want to go home, I miss my mom - and my truck!"), but wanting to leave on a high. And they delivered.

Another set of haunting, moody yet magnificent shimmering and soulful guitar rock and tasteful, touching balladry which solicited a great reception from the crowd, who were really being won over. A touching "Thunderstruck" was again the precursor to a magnificent finale "Saturn", a potential Boston classic in the style of "Winona" and "Island". Plangent magnificence!

Hung out afterwards for ages, collecting band signatures on Set List No. 300, then hit the road. Thus endeth the Emetrex tour, an excellent 3 shows from an embryonic yet evolving band with boundless potential. Good Boston friends too!

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