A hectic October run of gigs starts with a Bristol double-header; The Rev tomorrow, but tonight the promise of some wide-eyed and optimistic surf/ powerpop in prospect, from sunkissed Floridians Surfer Blood. A band I’ve followed for some time, picking up their splendid powerpop-infused “Astro Coast” debut back in 2010, I’ve nonetheless somehow contrived to miss seeing them “live” up to now, but am glad to address that on their Autumn tour promoting current, 3rd, effort “1,000 Palms”. More of a return to the innocent surf-washed harmonies of their debut, after a darker, more difficult 2nd in “Pythons”, this should be a fun, melodic bop-along. Let’s see…
After
an afternoon spent at an inflatable park with the kids I set off at 7,
hopefully for some bouncing of my own! A quick drive down with footy
talk radio for company (all over the sacking of Brendan
Rodgers from Liverpool) saw me pitch up at a virtually deserted “Dirty
Boat” at 10 to 8; the Thekla, sometimes an early gig at the weekend, was
running later so I had a 40 minute wait for support Eternal Summers
(bah!), who thankfully arrived promptly at 8.30
to a sparse crowd but swathes of dry ice. After an uncharacteristically
dour opener, this female fronted trio fair galloped along at a
whip-crack pace, with some very listenable post-C86 jangle effervescent
pop. Not sure if the pace and buoyant mood of the
material made up for the lack of memorable hooks and choruses, or
submerged what good hooks there were; either way it was diverting but
not particularly memorable, with easily their best number (“Leave It All
Behind”?) saved for last. At 45 minutes, a little
overlong, too…
This
meant barely time for a quick loo dash before Surfer Blood took the
stage for last-minute sound-checks, before re-emerging at 9.35 in front
of a more ample but still probably only half-full
Thekla. Nonetheless, they set to it capably, a short instrumental
opener segueing into the tumbling bass and cascading vocal attack of
“Grand Inquisitor”, the splendid opener to their new album. “It’s nice
to be back on this boat after 5 years!” announced
boyish vocalist John Paul Pitts, prior to the chunky mid-tempo Teenage
Fanclub stomp of oldie “Floating Vibes”, “thanks for spending your
Sunday night with us!”
This
was in fact a lovely way to spend a Sunday night; Surfer Blood’s
intelligently-crafted rock mixes sly strumalong verses leading to
invariably big, memorable hooks, awash with melody and some
very fine intertwining harmonic patterns from Pitts, fellow guitarist
Michael McCleary (a dead-ringer for Mayor Carcetti from “The Wire”,
IMHO….!) and bassist Kevin Williams. Right in my TFC/ Gigolo Aunts/ Redd
Kross upbeat and buoyant powerpop wheelhouse,
this stuff, so I lapped it up, bopping down the front throughout, with a
small but enthusiastic Bristol crowd, the enthusiasm being mirrored by
gregarious vocalist Pitts; “Bristol is one of our favourite UK towns;
I’d love to retire here and live on a boat…
in the next 3 years!” The sunwashed melody of “Island” was an early set
highlight, before Pitts went walkabout in the front rows during the
almost calypso verses of “Take It Easy”, before (having evidently
spotted me down the front making an occasional brief
note or two) then stopping the song altogether to ask me what I’d been
writing! T’was only appropriate then, for me to hand my gig card to him
(back onstage now) at the song’s conclusion, to the response of, “thanks
Bristol… and thank you David Rose!”
A
fine set built to an impressive conclusion, with a breathless “Feast/
Famine” being topped by a titanic, dramatic “Swim”, the high watermark
in their canon of work, a huge strident chorus resonating
around the old boat. Final number, “I Can’t Explain” almost came close
to topping that, though, the slow burn of the bright early verses again
leading to a brain-grabbing hook, which then built to a lengthy feedback
and reverb-soaked lengthy finale. A 3 song
encore ended with a final chunky post-grunge number recalling Chicago’s
Number One Cup, which again finished with a cacophonous finale, to end a
damn fine set.
Got
my set-list signed by the band too, including affable vocalist John
Paul Pitts, who promised to check out my blog. I hope you’re reading
this, JPP, and I hope you approve of this write-up. I
certainly enjoyed bopping along to the eminently harmonious Surfer
Blood tonight, and I hope to be back for more!
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