Hot and humid in Boston today, but we hit the record shops up Mass. Ave nevertheless. Then big Dave Wanamaker has an idea... his mate's band Bleu are playing at the Paradise tonight. I'd already got the heads-up on Bleu as they'd won the Rumble last month, so we're more than happy to jump into Dave's $100 car and head on down! Get in free (yay!) and check out the rather loud and promising soundcheck, as well as Bleu's vocalist's huge sideburns! It turns out Dave's friend is former Expanding Man and Senor Happy guitarist Bill Guerra, also one of James Horrigan's friends. Small world - again!
Rach and I find a balcony vantage point in this cool old dilapidated ballroom venue and watch it fill up, but we're down the front for Bleu's set itself. Bleu are extremely dynamic, with big power chords and huge riffs, very overstated and dramatic without veering into pompous territory. The music veers between 70's heavy rock and intelligent post-grunge, with big strident choruses and simple sing-along hooks. They're actually great "live", full of seething power, and it's easy to see how they won the Rumble. A very enjoyable set, which leaves me eager to buy their CD, which I do afterwards from Bleu's vocalist Bleu (!) himself on the merch stand. Bleu warns that the CD is "mellower", and big Dave even suggests that the thing sounds "electronic". I'm puzzled as to how it could, having just seen that hulking great behemoth of a rock show, but okay, whatever...
Jump Little Children, headlining, are a different kettle of fish. They try to be Radiohead (oh no, not here as well!) whilst employing a string section! Odd; we couldn't get them at all so we left, taking a stroll back to our digs, whilst singing the praises of Bleu!
Rach and I find a balcony vantage point in this cool old dilapidated ballroom venue and watch it fill up, but we're down the front for Bleu's set itself. Bleu are extremely dynamic, with big power chords and huge riffs, very overstated and dramatic without veering into pompous territory. The music veers between 70's heavy rock and intelligent post-grunge, with big strident choruses and simple sing-along hooks. They're actually great "live", full of seething power, and it's easy to see how they won the Rumble. A very enjoyable set, which leaves me eager to buy their CD, which I do afterwards from Bleu's vocalist Bleu (!) himself on the merch stand. Bleu warns that the CD is "mellower", and big Dave even suggests that the thing sounds "electronic". I'm puzzled as to how it could, having just seen that hulking great behemoth of a rock show, but okay, whatever...
Jump Little Children, headlining, are a different kettle of fish. They try to be Radiohead (oh no, not here as well!) whilst employing a string section! Odd; we couldn't get them at all so we left, taking a stroll back to our digs, whilst singing the praises of Bleu!
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