The hectic gig pace continues after a fine Reading Festival! Bopped down to the Bierkeller with a 5-man carload and got there in time for openers Unrest, a very fine US three-piece with a melodic hard-driving sound not a million miles removed from The Wedding Present - only with more than one tune! (Ouch, that's bitchy...)
Another three-piece followed; surprisingly Throwing Muses! Now bereft of the pop-candyfloss element previously supplied by Belly-bound Tanya Donelly, Throwing Muses were down to a bob-haired Kristen Hersh in shorts and a tight USA t-shirt; Bernard Georges, imposing and funky on bass; and David Narcizo, dynamic as ever on drums.
The set was stunning. Not as harsh as a Hersh-only Muses set might have sounded, but varied in pace and mood, and paying ample tribute to their impressive back catalogue ("Snailhead", a wondrously jagged "Mania" and a melancholic "Hate My Way" all featured in the set), this was a lesson in controlled aggression and emotiveness.
After 2 encores, an acoustic "Delicate Cutters" capped another superb Muses evening. Tanya-less they may now be, but they're still one of the best live acts around in this or any other age!
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