10,000 Things @ Brudenell Social Club
By Sean Langan
Time for the three kings to return to their kingdom, time for a superb local act to grab some of the glory and have some for themselves. The people in waiting are getting restless as I enter The Brudenell Social Club for the first time. They have made their pilgrimage, and they are hoping that these four bands can save them from the disease that eats away at them called 'Monday to Friday syndrome'.
They need saving, we all need saving, and the time is right, the planets are aligned... only to be knocked a few million miles outta of place as The Tennessee Traincrash impact into our lives with devastating consequences. Mark's vocals are the gruffest I have ever heard them (easy on the fags!), whilst Hayley's vocals are the sweetest I have heard from her.
Shockwaves are still left rippling from the first impact when the second song comes with its kick ass high pitch melody on guitar, I'm liking what I'm hearing guys. Alex is a super drummer but surely most people are confused by his style, because his drumming in no means is bad, it just sorta seems to slip easily in... and then out of time. This thus makes The Traincrash's sound quite unnerving. In a lot of cases people may think that this is a good, or a bad thing, yet this style is not mutually exclusive, and so it is neither good, nor bad. Yet it is good and bad at the same time. Don't worry about it too much. The highlight of The Traincrash's set was of course, 'Slut, Fuck, Fight', especially when Hayley looked like she was going to kill the guy at the front who was 'air drumming' i.e. TWAT, the only thing that she did wrong, was not decking the guy, however this left the front of the crowd happily amused until the end of their set. For a 'local' band they are very good, especially live (go and check them out), however a little bit more time in the practice rooms wouldn't hurt anybody, so it's gotta be 8/10 for their earth shaking impact.
We'd survived the first shockwaves, and tremors, however more was to come, and it was the first of the homecoming kings.
I had seen them before, but I wasn't that impressed first time round. That changed as soon as 'User Friendly' was the first song up! The peasants began to riot immediately as the world began to buckle on its axis. This is it fellas, we're going to die, though most people in the venue look like they are about to die in their element like they know where they are going. I'm still undecided where I'm going, I'm in limbo, I'll watch the band and hold on for dear life then!
The last time I saw The Blueskins, I thought they were a poor man's poor version of the blues/garage rock thingy (Jet, 22-20's). No. I was wrong. They are the missing link tonight between The Coral and Supergrass. On this night they sounded like The Blueskins, not the bandwagon band I had seen previously. The backing vocals from the bassist, and rhythm guitarist were spot on, and the band made all of the front row dance (or at least want to or try to). Hopefully they can carry on the standard they set tonight and make a name for themselves as being The Blueskins, rather than jumping on the bandwagon, and then finding themselves lost in 3 years time because garage rock/blues isn't fashionable any more. 8/10
The Cribs are at least a band interested in looking like the homecoming kings that they are. The drummer (Roos) in sparkly jacket, Ryan in Elton's outrageous glasses, and Gary... well Gary was just the way you want him to be: Gary.
The Cribs style is infectious garage pop, with sugar coated melodies and harmonies. The obvious comparison is inevitable here: Yes, they DO sound like The Strokes, however they don't have Julian's drunken Lou Reed wannabe style of singing, Gary and Ryan can both hold a tune. Apart from The Strokes comparison it's very hard to say who else they sound like, especially with one song almost a cover of 'Someday', yet I'm certain that in their punkier songs they have influence from Blondie. Their set anti-climaxes with a French mouse, and a fashion accessory doing possibly the worse stage dive (I mean fall) ever! French Mouse: 2/10, fashion accessory: 0/10.
And then The Cribs set finally does come to a climax, Ryan takes off his kit, and there, right in front of my very eyes are the worst coloured Y fronts in history (extremely cool, extremely loud though), AND my eyes were confronted by THE HALF-ON!!!!!!! No one can say it was neither up, nor down, and I have been told by American Intelligence this week that it is always this way... guys?! Anyway The Cribs were ace and the bar and been pushed up... 9/10
At this stage for myself, no band could have come on that would have been better than 10,000 Things! The just needed Sam and the boys to come and gatecrash this homecoming party, oh and how they did! With songs about 'Going Back to Mine', your boss at work being a dick, and moving up the Food Chain, The Things certainly know how to right a catchy tune, and Sam keeps us entertained throughout the show, coming of as a cross between Iggy, and (Sir) Mick. In fact 10'000things are one of the few bands who I think are actually really good at doing this kind of rock, without either being crap at it and thinking that they are good, or just ripping off past glories and riffs. For me the only problem was that their set seemed to be a bit short, even with a one-song encore. The Things are certainly moving up the food chain and hopefully they will stay there. 8/10
So the kings have returned, all I can add to this is what now for these bands? What now for the up and coming bands in Leeds just as good as anyone on the bill? What now for the rest of the world? Only time will answer these questions I'm afraid... I'm excited though, and you should be too...
