Sandwiched
in between two Frank Turner gigs, I’m happy to squeeze this one in… a return to
“live” gigging for Cirencester’s Best Kept Secret, the deliciously doomy
keyboard-led moody post-punk rock of Familiars. Led by “professional attention
seeker” Steve Skinley, they’d been absent from my Gig Dance Card since the 2016
Swindon Shuffle (back in gig 996), quite possibly due to Steve’s other
entertainment commitments. This short-notice gig was therefore an opportunity
to make up for lost time!
I’d
tried to get my Shuffle companions, Messrs. May and Carter, out for this one,
but work commitments precluded either of them attending. It was therefore a
solo run up the hill for me, after Rach brought Logan back from his swim
session, parking up reasonably easily and wandering round to The Castle for
8.45, finding it disappointingly deserted. Cirencester’s best kept secret,
indeed… “known only to one,” as the (early) Human League put it…! Found the
boys in the beer garden and caught up, chatting with drummer Giles about The
National (I’d seen him in passing in the lobby at the end of their Apollo gig
last September (gig 1,055)), which prompted some entertaining circular chat
about other post-punk bands and influences. Always happy to talk rock’n’roll
with this lively and knowledgeable bunch of chaps, but time moved on and they
had to earn their crust tonight…
The
place was still pretty much tumbleweed city come showtime, and I was indeed the
only one sat in the back room as the boys kicked off their set at 9.15. But of
course, nothing ever happens in Swindon, does it? The boys took the sparse
attendance in good humour, however, Giles joking beforehand that they should
have brought Franklin the Labrador along from the Cirencester Golden Cross (my
erstwhile gig buddy for their set there, gig 948), and the band nonetheless
applying themselves to their set with determination and gusto. Opener “Red
Forest” set the tone for the majority of the material in the set, with a
mournful, elegiac keyboard-led opening, building up as the other instruments
layered in, to a strident, hooky chorus and dissonant crescendo, whilst
retaining that dark and gloomy atmosphere. The dramatic “In Silver”, next up,
was more of a tub-thumping post-punk flag waver (shades of Comsat Angels and embryonic
U2, perhaps?), and “Battlestations” featured some dramatic and urgent slashing
guitar riffery from guitarist Ricky, underpinned all the while by some
“Shadowplay” Joy Division-esque bass from James and stripped back, militaristic
drum patterns from Giles. All this provided a suitable platform for Steve’s excellent
vocals, his resonant and dark baritone really taking flight for the choruses
and building crescendos. And for once the sound was kind to them here; The
Castle sound mix can occasionally be a bit iffy (and hasn’t always served
Familiars well…), but whilst a Raze*Rebuild can power through poor sound with
an avalanche of tumbling rock riffery, Familiars require a more nuanced and
balanced sound, which was thankfully in evidence tonight.
“We
like sad songs, sad and loud… like a bad blouse!” quipped Steve before “Half
Life”’s racier gallop, Steve then referring to “Tickertape” as, “a 2 chord
wonder – that’s one chord less than punk, folks!” A new number, “Dynamite”,
initially started uncharacteristically happily, with an almost late Summer
evening vibe, before morphing into a “London Calling” style march, and the
“Killian’s Red”-like circular piano pattern of “Ballyhoo” provided the
launchpad for said song to really take flight. “Last one – then we can get
drinking!” announced Steve before usual set closer “Bottleneck” ended the set
on a more upbeat note, the small handful of punters who’d eventually taken
notice from the backroom and bar applauding their efforts, and justifiably so.
Congrats
and some more rock’n’roll chat before I headed off, mindful of tomorrow night’s
Frank gig, but still taking a diversion to Mr. Cod before heading home. A great
shame that Familiars played to such a sparse crowd; they deserve better, but
that didn’t stop them delivering another fine performance. Well done boys, and
see you again soon, I hope!
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