Motion @ LMUSU
By James MeehanSAVING LENNY
The first impression I got of this band was the noise. Two guitars can often be noisy and in this instance that was the case. The first two songs passed without any real incidence, however by the third song the noise gave way to a SKA/ Punk/ Pop style. Which, it would seem was the desired effect.
The female singer gave this band of talented youngsters an interesting point of focus in what was always going to be considered good, but never ground breaking or special.
The high point for me was when a technical glitch lead to a saxophone led rock n roll jam which had me genuinely excited that this band may bring another level to their sound. Alas it was just a break.
Ultimately, Saving Lenny are an impressive outfit, who have an effective if muddy sound. Maybe post GCSE's they will return with a more creative sound that truly utilises their obvious skill. 6/10
THE BILDERBERG GROUP
The first impression I got of this band was the fact that the main singer/ guitarist looked like Jarvis Cocker and the other singer/ guitarist looked a bit like Damon Albarm. This is no bad thing, but there was an undeniable feeling at the back that what we were witnessing is what would have happened if Pulp had never made it.
The theme of the set seemed to be trebly guitars stabbing at notes with a warm background. The keys/ bass created a mellow basis for a sound that seemed to have a mellow lack of urgency.
The warm vibe conjured images of summer for me, and when I closed my eyes I was taken back to 1996, sitting with my friends by the river having a beer and listening to the essential tunes of the time by artists a lot like the Bilderberg Group.
I did enjoy this set in a reminiscent kind of way, but as the average age of the crowd demonstrated, this is an ageing genre and whilst it was great in its time, and the torch is being carried well by acts such as this, it is on its last legs. 7/10
MOTION
The first thing I noticed as the band broke into their first song was how low they were. With the keyboard player sitting very low, the drummer leaning over his child size drum kit and the singer bending over like he's Liam Gallagher giving the impression that some invisible ceiling had formed just three foot above the stage.
Motions general sound is dense sixties pop, mixed with nineties indie. It's the kind of music that makes you want to listen even when you haven't got a clue what the singer's going on about.
This is a truly talented band, which could go far if they didn't sound a bit like every other group of talented indie musicians. The saddest part of the evening is that whilst listening to Motion, I'm not moved to any higher state, or nudged into any great memory. I'm left standing by myself in the back room at the MET. 5/10
