I
am gratified to note that, for the first time in a while (probably my first
viewing of Raze*Rebuild back in 2016, in fact), one of my, if not my overall
actual, favourite new band finds this year comes from my home town Swindon!
(Well, the ‘don via Mexico, in the cast of vocalist Giselle Medina, but still…).
I See Orange impressed greatly at Swinterfest earlier this year (gig 1,426)
with some hard and heavy grunge-influenced tuneage and riffery; familiar
elements, sure, but delivered with enthusiasm, verve and no little talent, with
Giselle’s strident tones a feature. Further listens to their material at the
gym inveigled their songs even further into my consciousness and put them firmly
on my gig radar, hence my grabbing a ticket for this one-off Thursday Vic
showing, in advance of a first full-length album release…
So I trundled up the hill just after 8, parking in the free spot around the corner from the Town Gardens and wandering in just as openers Misanthropic Vision were kicking into their set. Definitely not my cup of heavy nu-metal and screamy emo, I’m afraid, with their numbers also rather jarringly seeming to change tempo mid-song without any proper flow, giving the impression of being Frankensteined together. A shame, as the ebullient female vocalist actually had a decent voice when she put her mind to it, but instead seemed to prefer that tuneless nu-Metal howl. I abandoned their set after 3 numbers, as did Dean, so we sat in the quieter bar and chatted before Beef turned up. Back in for King Attitude, a more veteran band of post-hardcore/ UK82 purveyors splitting their set between originals (a one chord wonder about a visit to the STD clinic typical of their oeuvre) and covers (roughhouse rants through The Stooges “No Fun” and a superfast “White Riot” nonetheless pricking up my old punk rock ears). Again, a bit hard on the ears for me, so back to the bar, chatting with regular gig friend Jo and also old Chiseldon gig buddy Paul!
From the (faintly) ridiculous to the sublime; engrossed in conversation, Paul and I then heard I See Orange’s set kick off, so we quickly repaired to the back room venue, sneaking through an ample but not packed crowd to a spot down the front next to big ISO fan Beef, house right. Said opener, “La Bruja” was a cracking opener, hitting the ground running with a strident Scarce/ Veruca Salt post-grunge powerpop vibe. “Morbid”, next up, slowed the pace slightly with a clapalong dreampop guitar opening, ceding to a roaring chorus and thunderous outro, Giselle taking aim at the crowd with a couple of bubble guns (!), and the quiet/ loud grungy growler “Love Me Too” was preceded by Giselle’s explanation of the premise of the song, as a love song for Kurt Cobain!
In fact, Kurt’s ghost and grunge rock legacy permeated this set like words through a stick of rock, with many of the numbers on show tonight sharing that quiet/ loud grunge dynamic and thrashy power chord base. However, I See Orange are more than simply Nirvana copyists; inspired by that era and attitude, there are other 90’s indie and alt-rock elements and references on show, and as previously mentioned, their hooky choral builds are delivered with energy, dynamism and vitality, with the gregarious Giselle in particular a flexible, kinetic focal point. “Simply” had more of a Pixies-ish creepy bass intro leading to a Dia Del Muertos funereal march; the bass intro of “Fairy”, next up, was a nod in homage to Joy Division’s “Transmission” before its more sleazoid Iggy feel; and following a more mellow and introspective “Bones And Gold” (“a more sentimental type of song,” remarked Giselle, also apparently only its’ second “live” outing), “Wine Boy” was probably my set highlight, a sturdy and upbeat slab of growling 90’s powerpop.
A couple of new numbers (“not even on the album!” according to Giselle, hard-hitting drummer Charlie Hart asking, “how does it go?!”) in the edgy “Upstairs” and the riff-powered gallop of “Cold Blooded” led us up to set closer, Giselle challenging us to “go crazy! Locos!” to the Veruca Salt-esque sleazoid rocker of “Mental Rot”, rounding off an impressive, strident and powerful yet surprisingly proficiently delivered set. A quick chat with old colleague Stella afterwards, before chatting all things Kurt and 90’s rock with post-grunge student Giselle for awhile, then last man out of the venue (!) and home about 11.30. A band to loom large in my gig radar in future, then (probably starting with their Album Release Show at the same venue next month!), I See Orange may not just be the best band in Swindon right now, but one to hopefully break out of the ‘don in future for greater things. I for one will be watching closely…
No comments:
Post a Comment