A delayed restart to post-Reading gig proceedings, thanks to the lorry drivers' fuel protest blockades forcing the postponement and eventual cancellation of a scheduled Drugstore gig (bummer, but I'm with the lorry drivers on this one, and it's not like we've not seen Drugstore before...). Still, I never expected to drive tonight, but lorry driver Ady had to pull out at short notice. So, hastily redrawn plans...
Hit the venue at 8.15 to hear bad news, scheduled support The Llama Farmers had also ducked out at short notice! D'oh! So we were left with Grebo, a painfully young local act booked earlier that day, and who were obviously playing to their biggest ever audience. Nevertheless, they showed potential with good attitude, energy and punky guitar licks. A couple more tunes to augment the youthful adrenaline buzz, and we might be on to something...
Beforehand, I had a nose through a couple of junk CD boxes on the merch counter and found a prime slice of rock, namely Tommy Keene's "Songs From The Film", amongst the Creation Records castoffs. Result! I don't think the merch guy was too pleased when I offered a measly £5 for 4 CDs, but he took the cash nonetheless!
The Crocketts have been Rachel's main obsession since Reading Festival, thanks to their passionate, incendiary, Irish-tinged punk rock. Tonight, led by crazed, St. Vitus Dance addled vocalist Davey McManus, they put on a fine performance of vim, venom and vitriol. McManus is a continual visual focus, with tension, bodily tics and twitches and neck-bulging effort all featured throughout. "Lucifer", a breathless opener, was the highlight until "On Something", delivered by McManus in the middle of a frenzied and incredibly young moshpit. A wild "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" (yes, that one...) delivered by the bassist in Jesus robes and a Freddy Mercury comedy 'tache, was an unexpected end to an agitated, confrontational yet entertaining night. More power to 'em!
Showing posts with label Crocketts/ Crimea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crocketts/ Crimea. Show all posts
Wednesday, 9 June 2010
Wednesday, 16 December 2009
687 THE CRIMEA, People In Planes, The Heights, Bristol Louisiana, Wednesday 23 November 2005
Rachel picked up the CD from former Crockett Davey McManus' new band The Crimea in Amoeba Records in Hollywood, so wanted to check them out "live". Mellower than the totally manic Crocketts, I was intrigued as to how McManus' crazed "live" performances would fit in with his new charges' more sedate stuff. Triumph or disaster? Let's see...
So we lost our way again down to the Louisiana, but arrived at this sell-out show just as the Heights were finishing off their set with a spiky number. Shame we didn't see more of them, rather than the ham-fisted People In Planes, whose grungy noise improved as their set wore on, but could still do with more rehearsal time!
McManus, looking smaller than I recalled and actually resembling Matt Damon, according to Rach (!), led a sharpish soundcheck in front of the packed crowd, and The Crimea then took the stage at 10.15 to the sound of breaking glass. Their set was slow-burning, uneasy mood music which had a definite sleazy and sinister undercurrent. Slower and mellower than the Crocketts, yes, but the air of underlying menace remains. McManus, whilst reining in his craziness somewhat, still performed with the jerky, twitchy attitude of a St. Vitus Dance sufferer, still the performer who once prompted Rachel to declare she was, "not entirely not scared of him!" "Girl That Died", with it's catchy hookline, "You want to see my happy side? Tell me that my girl just died" (!) was typical of the paradoxical nature of their lyrics, fitting in perfectly with the music's creepy mood.
The set built to a crescendo, with all band members joining McManus in going nuts onstage, before Davey performed the first encore amongst the crowd! To lighten the mood, a bubble blizzard erupted during a jolly final encore double-punch of the Rubinoos' "I Think We're Alone Now" and their signature "Lottery Winners On Acid" to cap a fine set. I complimented a sweaty Davey on the way out - this was definitely triumph!
So we lost our way again down to the Louisiana, but arrived at this sell-out show just as the Heights were finishing off their set with a spiky number. Shame we didn't see more of them, rather than the ham-fisted People In Planes, whose grungy noise improved as their set wore on, but could still do with more rehearsal time!
McManus, looking smaller than I recalled and actually resembling Matt Damon, according to Rach (!), led a sharpish soundcheck in front of the packed crowd, and The Crimea then took the stage at 10.15 to the sound of breaking glass. Their set was slow-burning, uneasy mood music which had a definite sleazy and sinister undercurrent. Slower and mellower than the Crocketts, yes, but the air of underlying menace remains. McManus, whilst reining in his craziness somewhat, still performed with the jerky, twitchy attitude of a St. Vitus Dance sufferer, still the performer who once prompted Rachel to declare she was, "not entirely not scared of him!" "Girl That Died", with it's catchy hookline, "You want to see my happy side? Tell me that my girl just died" (!) was typical of the paradoxical nature of their lyrics, fitting in perfectly with the music's creepy mood.
The set built to a crescendo, with all band members joining McManus in going nuts onstage, before Davey performed the first encore amongst the crowd! To lighten the mood, a bubble blizzard erupted during a jolly final encore double-punch of the Rubinoos' "I Think We're Alone Now" and their signature "Lottery Winners On Acid" to cap a fine set. I complimented a sweaty Davey on the way out - this was definitely triumph!
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