Got
a little confused around the Cirencester one-way system, but parked up
in Market Street, relatively unencumbered by other traffic – so far
Ciren was living up to its’ “sleepy” reputation! This
was underlined further as I found The Golden Cross down a pedestrian
side street, inhabited by a dozen or so locals being assailed during
their evening meals by Familiars’ soundcheck! I grabbed a chat with
Familiars’ frontman and keyboardist Steve Skinley
after they’d finished soundchecking, happily discovering somewhat of a
kindred musical spirit with a shared musical heritage (Bunnymen, early
Simple Minds, Throwing Muses, 80’s Bierkeller nights etc.). We also
lamented the turnout tonight, which literally
promised to be one man and his dog – the dog being a lolloping old
golden Labrador who (I shit you not) actually wandered up onto the
raised back-bar stage area a time or two during their set, and the man
being me!
Nonetheless,
I took a seat in front of the stage as Familiars eased into their
opening set at 9, the chiming, elegiac opener “Landscapes” initially
slow burn, Steve’s vocals low and mournful and
again favourably recalling The National’s Matt Berninger, then the song
picking up a head of steam, galloping into a more dramatic crescendo.
Thus was and is the band’s
modus operandi – dark evocative songs which more often than not
are built around a repeating keyboard refrain, with a hint of underlying
menace recalling open, windswept landscapes and dark threatening
clouds, then building to impressive climaxes, more
joyous and often anthemic in nature. A number of different threads and
moving parts to the intelligent song construction as well; “Battle
Stations” featured an almost “Terror Couple” Bauhaus opening drumbeat
and some slashing, Wire-like fretwork from guitarist
Rick Morton before the typically soaring chorus, and “Tooth And Claw”
threw in some almost Summery C86 jangle amidst all the high drama. A
real melting pot of disparate, often juxtaposed elements, yet working in
perfect harmony, and I enjoyed them all!
And
the man can sing – despite, like last night’s host Jim Kerr, suffering
from flu after effects (at one point he asked me to grab him a brandy
from the bar – “purely medicinal!”) – Steve Skinley’s
voice was again a standout feature; haunting, sombre and mournful when
required, mostly as their songs eased into life, but also soaring, the
“whoa-oh” harmonies often driving the numbers along to their impressive
finales. “Call To Arms” required a restart
due to a swarm of angry bees infiltrating the monitors, but the
subsequent, faster paced and rockier “Techa” had a “Pearl And Dean”
style “ba-ba ba-ba” crescendo, which Steve happily acknowledged!
The
band took a break after a fine 40 minutes opening set, and I joined
Steve, Rick and bassist James Thring for some entertaining muso chat in
the smoking yard before set 2, which was basically
more of the same! Second number “Half Life” was a highlight with a
fluctuating bassline courtesy of James, “Ticker Tape” almost ventured
into Scott Walker territory with its’ rich balladry, then the final
double whammy of the excellent, haunting “Ballyhoo”
(“a sad song,” announced Steve) with its’ “Killian’s Red” keyboard
riff, and “Bottleneck” (“a silly song to finish”) rounded off a
consistently splendid and impressively committed performance from this
intelligent band. Shame really, that there were so few
people taking notice.
Some
more rock’n’roll chat with my hosts, who were grateful for my support
and attendance, before I reluctantly hit the road just after 11. I’ll be
back for more Familiars though, and so should you!
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