557 SEAFOOD, Jetplane Landing, Dustball, Melaton, Oxford Zodiac, Monday 13 May 2002

Seafood again? Flipping 'eck! But this one was totally free, as Seafood bassist Kevin had stuck all 3 of us on the guest-list for this show, the nearest they were due to pass to us on their current tour. The prospect of a tipped support band was enticing as well, so Ady got Rachel and myself at 20 past 7 and we hit the Zodiac at 8 - David Rose +2!

Got in just as first band Melaton were ploughing through their first number. They sounded like a second rate Radiohead; that'd be Elbow, then! I dunno, bands that play such bloody miserable plodding crap can't really be having that good a time onstage, so we ignored them from the relative safety of the bar.

The next band up kicked off an amphetamine-fast rush of punkified pop, but it wasn't until they'd finished their second number that we discovered it wasn't the expected Jetplane Landing. "Hi, we're Dustball..." Dustball??? Surely not the gang of young Ash wannabee oiks that supported Tiny Monroe up at the old Point lo, those many moons ago? But sure enough, here they were, (relatively) fully formed and obviously having undergone some serious overhauls on the way. They played some exciting rock which ranged from brainy Blink-y punk to more sophisticated light and shade song structures, and sported a young vocalist whose dynamic inflections recalled Placebo's Brian Molko. Good (and unexpected) stuff!

Kevin and Caroline Seafood were manning the merch stand so we chatted before heading stage right, near the front, for Jetplane Landing. An American-sounding band with an obviously Irish vocalist, they played some dirty black rock'n'roll at full speed, full volume, and with inspiring intensity and conviction. They certainly mean it, maaaan, and kicked out the Jams in a way which (for me) recalled the more savage edges of early Nada Surf or early Jimmy Eat World. A rebel-rousing speech before their final number underlined the fact that they're rockers by volition rather than choice, and despite no one dancing, they went down a storm.

Down the front for the entrance of Seafood at 10.30, a pretty late one but well worth the wait. A blistering start this time with a superb "Splinter" and "Western Battle", setting the tone for this set. They'd obviously picked up some tips on intensity and conviction from Jetplane Landing, as this set seemed tougher, more confrontational and in-your-face than other recent Seafood sets, excellent (of course) though those night have been. "Easy Path" was up next, again seriously toughened up, and by now Rachel and I were hurling ourselves around with wild abandon as well!

The set was perfectly paced between coherent structured rock songs, extreme wig-out noise-fests - the mid-set "Folksong Crisis" a highlight in this regard - and slower paced, moodier numbers, including the standout "Desert Stretched", performed solo by David and a beefy acoustic, with background vocal colourwash from Caroline. A metronomic "In This Light", including a pulsating feedback mid-section which precipitated some primal screaming from David and some speaker stack-leaping from Kevin, climaxed another excellent Seafood set! This one finished at 11.30 so we hit the road immediately afterwards, instead of hanging around to chat. But we'll be back for Seafood gig number 20 - soon!

558 DUSTBALL, JACK DRAG, Young Knives, Bath Moles, Thursday 18 May 2002

Found out about this almost by accident; checking the Jack Drag website for possible Boston shows in June while we're there, we found out he was playing 3 UK dates this week! So, we headed down to late-night Bath Moles for this, the second of his three, along with a curious Ady, who I really didn't think would enjoy this,. But hey, you never know! Hit the venue at 10, getting in on their complicated "paying guest-list". I've never understood this policy, and it made even less sense tonight as the place was deserted!

John Dragonetti, the mainman of this shifting collective that is Jack Drag, and his girlfriend/ keyboard player Blake Hazard, wandered into the club at 10.15, greeting us like long-lost friends which was as lovely as ever. We caught up with a thoroughly engaging couple while the first band were on, so I have no recollection as to what they were like, other than that they were loud! I also recognised JD's drummer Steve Scully as he arrived with bass player Joe Klompus, and introduced myself to the erstwhile Francine sticksman, who allegedly remembered me from the Gravel Pit after-show party at James Horrigan's place back in 1999! Well, I was a little drunk and loud there, so it's quite possible...

Jack Drag, on at 11, played a sadly truncated set - only half an hour - but they filled it with more ideas, interesting noises, colour and pop, and simple superb pop tunes, than most other bands would struggle to pack into 3 hours! Drawing totally from new CD "The Sun Inside". John and co. played a mighty fine-sounding set of inventive, introspective, slightly trippy but always good and groovy tunes, lent an extra edge with Steve's "live" drum lines. John again also demonstrated a serious guitar pop virtuosity, as yet another Boston band scored a direct hit in the live environment, with a fine set!

Compliments afterwards before catching Dustball, who were headlining. I dunno, I'd not seen them for years, and now they show up twice in a week. What are the chances? They were again impressive, breathless, hard-edged and spiky, with the Molko-esque frantic vocal delivery of their painfully young (still!) singer to the fore. I'll certainly check them out again, but tonight, as we cleared off after their set at 12.45, the night belonged to Jack Drag!

559 JACK DRAG, The Four Storeys, Elastic Bandidos, Oxford Zodiac (downstairs), Friday 17 May 2002

Second Jack Drag live experience in two nights; mainman John Dragonetti mentioned the previous night that this was an early one, and with an Evan weekend to come this was most welcome. Also, a promise of being on the guest-list was enough to sway us into going to two in two nights! Dragged Shifty Disco fan Beef along as well, although he had to pay to get in! Hit the venue at 8, in on the list as promised, and into the little-used downstairs room. First thing which hit us was how cold it was; then we saw the fish! A mini aquarium was built into the far wall between the venue and backstage. Weird!

Stood near the fish as the first band came on just after 8. Apparently Swedish, they nevertheless had a Pulp-ish late 60's British B-Movie soundtrack feel to them, but were a little dull for my tastes. So we chatted with John while they were on, and got him some British beer! Oxford's Four Storeys were next up; apparently 3/4s of old Britpop wannabees Thurman (seen at Reading 1995), they weren't bad actually. Not a million miles removed from their forebears, but with more of a knockabout 60's feel to them, rather than the slightly glammy stylings of old. More Ray Davies than Marc Bolan, if you like! John kind of liked them, anyway.

Jack Drag were due on at 9.20 and joined us exactly then - this was an early one, as promised! This time, we got the full works as they played for the best part of an hour, again leaning heavily on the new CD, but this time throwing a couple of more familiar tracks in from the last "Soft Songs" CD. Once again Jack Drag were bright, colourful and poppy with slightly trippy and ambient overtones, but never losing the attention or interest. "There's a lot going on in our songs," drummer Steve Scully had mentioned, and this requires the sound to be balanced well, and once again it was, despite Blake having terrible problems trying to hear her keyboard through her monitors!

The word "accomplished" is terribly overused and abused, but it's spot-on when describing Jack Drag. John's songs, introspective without the wallow, and emotive without the angst, are seriously accomplished. The work of a softly-spoken but cerebrally very articulate man, and his guitar work in particular touches the ragged hem of genius. Another damn fine show, during which for me the thoroughly absorbing oldie "At The Symphony" stood out.

Shame then that the evening ended on a slightly bum note; John had invited us backstage to "the other side of the fish", and we chilled there while the guys cleared their stuff off the stage. However, the promoter then turned nasty and confrontational for no apparent reason, demanding backstage be cleared of the band's gear for his cocktail bar at 11. And this was still 10.30! So, tired and with an early start, we left him to his hissy fit, and Jack Drag to the clearing up. But hopefully we'll meet again - next month in Boston! (note, and yes, we did!)

560 Mull Historical Society, BEN KWELLER, Oxford Zodiac, Tuesday 28 May 2002

John Dragonetti of Jack Drag, hosts of our last gig, had tipped me off that former Gigolo Aunts sticksman Fred Eltringham was playing drums for Ben Kweller, so I took the opportunity of a local BK gig and a spare evening, with Rachel off on a training course, to check it out for myself!

Hit the venue at 8, picking up a BK fanzine on the way in, thus discovering that Boston friend EdV's roommate Josh Lattanzi was also playing in Ben's band! So I waited down the front, meeting Ben in the process, before the Lord of Eltringham wandered across the hall. So I took the opportunity to tap him on the shoulder and say, "so if you're here, who's drumming for the Gigolo Aunts on their current Spanish tour?" Luckily Fred remembered me and greeted me with a warm handshake, as he told me Velvet Crush's Ric Menck was drumming for the Aunts! Chilled with the big guy before Josh walked past; greeted this amiable chap with a hug and caught up awhile before they went back to prepare for the show.

So, the show! Ben Kweller came on at 8.30, bounding onstage with a huge acoustic guitar and his usual buoyant verve. After a quirky solo opener, name-checking "Ice Ice Baby" and Snoop Doggy Dogg (!), he was joined by the band, and kicked off a surprisingly splendid set. I've checked Ben out solo a couple of times of late, and his stuff has been fun and melodic, but rather lightweight. This all changed with the addition of the band, this treatment really bringing out the best in the songs with which I was already familiar. Ben, backed by these boys, seemed a more confident performer, and led the crew through a dynamically played set; in fact, a few of the more unfamiliar numbers towards the end of the set had the guitar punch and huge hooks of "Phaseshifter" era Redd Kross, no less!

Having no interest whatsoever in the Mull Historical Society (they had their chance last May and blew it), I hung around awhile, joining a throng in buying a BK CD from the merch stand, then headed outside, hanging out with Josh and Fred, chatting about mine and Rachel's forthcoming Boston trip, and helping them load up their gear! Also got to chat with Ben, a surprisingly modest young man who appreciated the Redd Kross comparison and agreed with me that a band made his music soar. Headed home after farewell hugs from the guys, after a night of good company and unexpectedly good rock!

561 [spunge], BOWLING FOR SOUP, Gash, Bristol Fleece, Thursday 30 May 2002

This was very much a, "will we, won't we," gig, as it was firstly rescheduled to this evening from the previous night, and then down-graded from the Academy, then BFS weren't going to play, then they were! So off we went, eventually, accompanied by BFS groupie The Big Man. Hit the venue at 8 to find that, because the Academy was originally scheduling this show as 16+, the Fleece weren't serving alcohol! So Rich led us backstage to meet the Soup guys and sneak some of their rider!

Caught most of young skate-punk openers Gash. When on-song, they sounded like a less mature China Drum, but were mostly relentlessly noisy and steamhammer repetitive. Bowling For Soup are however a much more musical and varied proposition. A most unusual band; self-confessed goony skate-punks, but with a sense of melody, harmony and good hooks, they came on to "I Just Want A New Girlfriend" and put together a very entertaining and easy-on-the-ears set. Good oldies like "Belgium" and "The Bitch Song" dovetailed in with new numbers, including the theme to new film "Jimmy Neutron", which was dedicated to Rich and which had more than a hint of the Dickies "Gigantor". As support, they wisely concentrated on the songs before the inter-song banter, although the quips (Jaret saying, "today is a very special day; it's my seventh birthday, yes, I'm 7 today!") and plectrum-juggling were in evidence. "Here's a song we stole off a goddamn Canadian," was the intro heralding their version of Bryan Adams' "Summer Of 69", which concluded a fine set.

Hung out with Rich and the Soupers during Spunge's set - ska-punk is so not my thing, particularly when they nick hooks from New Wave classic "Back Of My Hand" by the Jags and "Another Skunk Song" by Joyrider, and wilfully massacre Elvis Costello's classic "Oliver's Army". So we hit the road after their set, after Rich had spent ages saying goodbye to all the Soup and everyone connected with them. Just like Rachel and myself in Boston, really...

562 RIVAL SCHOOLS, Little Hell, Magic Dirt, Bristol Fleece, Monday 10 June 2002

When The Cat's Away Dept.; Rachel was off to Scotland on business this evening, so I thought I'd take advantage by popping off to a gig! Sorted late tix for this one and got Shaun from work to accompany me, to check out one of his Emo heroes, a band whose CD he'd taped me in the first place! Hit the road at 7.15, parking up at 8 and jumping the queue to get in. Well, I bloody hate queues!

Had time to get a drink in before Magic Dirt, first band on, joined the rapidly-filling crowd onstage. Sporting a rakish-thin female vocalist which from our rear vantage point resembled Madder Rose's Mary Lorson, they played a brand of noisy garage rock, recalling recent finds The Bellrays, but less sleazy and strident, and a bit more tuneful. One to watch, perhaps... Unexpectedly, we had a second support; Little Hell, who despite being not too bad really at Reading Festival last year, have evidently regressed since then as they were bloody awful tonight. A horribly ham-fisted howl of a set, once again recalling AC/DC but this time at their most lumpen and dead-headed. Luckily they weren't on for too long...

Rival Schools however kept us waiting for 10 minutes over their expected arrival time of 10.15, but were worth the wait when they casually sauntered onstage. Veterans of various late 80's and early 90's hardcore outfits (notably vocalist Walter Schreifels, who was the guiding light behind Gorilla Biscuits), they've been lumped in with the burgeoning Emo movement, perhaps a little inaccurately in my view, as to me they recall the pre-grunge US hard-edged rock of Superchunk and early Buffalo Tom. This certainly came through in their performance this evening, as they produced a sweaty, down and dirty, fast-paced US alt-rock set. Elements of da Chunk and da Tom were prominent, as was the sinister steaming laze-rock of Dinosaur Jr. New single "Good Things" was a cool mid-set highlight, but the top tune for me was the jagged ferocity of "Used For Glue", accompanied by synchronised jumping from Walter and Rivers Cuomo lookalike guitarist Ian Love. Prior to this, the set closer, Walter had rather bizarrely quizzed the heaving crowd about David Beckham and the World Cup!

A more subdued 3 song encore rounded off a bloody good set from a band able to merge the ferocity of hardcore with a more tuneful and, yes, emotive approach. Hmmm, maybe that Emo tag isn't too inaccurate after all...

563 THE GENTLEMEN, THE SHEILA DIVINE, Creature Comforts, Brownies, New York City, NY, Wednesday 26 June 2002

Having arrived in Boston yesterday, our first full day this trip was spent travelling down to NYC on the Greyhound bus! Following a breakdown and bus swap, and torrential rain in the Bronx, we arrive at Port Authority way late at 6.15, checking into our hotel then pretty much immediately taxi-ing over to tonight's gig, our reason for being in New York in the first place! We hit the venue just before 8, spotting Gentlemen drummer Pete Caldes in a group of blokes hanging out outside Brownies. We shake his hand, then realise that the guy with his back to us - whom I'd just stiffed - was a now longer haired EdV, Gentlemen bassist and our best Boston buddy! Whoops!

We chill and catch up with Ed before popping into this venerable NYC venue for the last time - they're closing it in August. Say "hey" and have a surprisingly long chat with the normally recalcitrant Mike Gent, before catching the Creature Comforts. A band from Lawrence, Kansas (I later make the connection that this is also the home town of Big Dipper predecessors The Embarrassment!), they churn out a fast-paced, expansive sounding rock set which on this evidence falls midway between the jagged and emotive rock of Buffalo Tom and the laid-back, slightly countrified lilting US rock of the Gin Blossoms. Not bad at all, and toes are duly tapped.

We'd run into the guys from The Sheila Divine outside the show whilst hanging out with EdV, surprising the living fuck out of them all in the process (a contextual thing, you see - Aaron, who we met inside the venue, said "hey" to us before the penny dropped as to where he knew us from!) they explained that this was an important showcase gig for them with a number of labels, promoters etc. on their guest list, so I hoped they'll appreciate a couple of Brits freaking out down the front. This we do, from, the opening bars of the slow-burning epic "Automatic Buffalo", through to the dying howl of last number "Ostrich", and all points in between!

Tonight, The Sheila Divine needed to deliver a stunning performance, one which they are well capable of, and delivered in spades despite any undue pressure which they may have felt under. They were no less than inspired and jaw-droppingly brilliant tonight; the straight-ahead rock dynamism of "We All Have Problems", a superbly strident "Hum", a jagged, bruised "Like A Criminal" with its passionate climax "yeah, yeah, yeah"s, and even a discordant but fascinating new number "Black River", dedicated by Aaron to, "everyone who made the trip down to see us from Boston... or England!" They all worked perfectly tonight, and the set is easily as good as I've ever seen The Sheila Divine.

We catch our breath after their set and are surprised by the guy who'd danced in front of us at the show. He'd made the trip down from Boston for the gig, and he presents us with a TSD "live" CD of the first Paradise "Countrymen" CD release show, which I'd been at last year! Cool! We stay stage front and centre for the next set, leaving my post only to get a beer for the soundchecking EdV.

The Gentlemen join us at 10.15, a little past their allotted slot (but hey, it's been running late all evening) and are immediately "on it", with the blow the cobwebs away rock riffery of new CD opener "Let Us Know". They trot out the first half-dozen from their newie in formation order, with the practiced ease of a by-now well bedded-in live unit. It's easy to see how they won this year's WBCN "Rumble", as this Gentlemen group are a quantum leap ahead of the tentative line-up I'd seen back in the Summer of 1999, during my first Boston jaunt. Vocal chores are swapped around, Lucky Jackson taking the mic for the Stones-like rawness of "Show Me How You Rock'n'Roll", and EdV growling out the nevertheless much poppier, Costello-esque beat of the brilliantly titled "It's Not So Much That I Disagree With You, It's That You're Wrong". But it's Mike Gent's performance which anchors the set; angular, agitated and acerbic ("all the suits left, I see; funny how the richest people always want to get in free!", he noted, which I hope was a swipe at TSD's "guests" and not us guest-listed Brits!), Gent was always a captivating presence and is clearly the captain of this team, directing the Gravel Pit trio through a damn fine, strident and well-rocking set.

We're knackered and not a little hungry by now, so we say our farewells and grab a cab along Avenue A, unfortunately only finding a MacDonalds open near our hotel to grab grub from. So much for the city that never sleeps!