The Breech @ Joseph's Well
By Holden DeForge
The crowd gather nervously near the back of the room as The Pigeon Detectives open up the evening's musical jamboree. With an indie rock swagger vocalist Matt Bowman claps his hands unfazed by the gulf between him and the audience. As it turns out this is only TPD's second gig so it's impressive how tight they are, the rhythm section keeps it all locked down nice and tight throughout the set. The third song in has a great guitar hook but it just needs the gain turning up and to be really hammered out. The closing two numbers offer a slight change of style, punk and dance respectively. Both are upbeat numbers with choruses that begin to seep into your memory. The band are fairly static on stage however, the vocalist has a bit of energy about him and hangs off the mic stand well but could sometimes carry on some of his on stage shimmying. The lead guitarist has plenty in his locker yet remains nailed to the floor, the band need to watch some Guns n Roses videos, lower their guitar straps and steal a few moves. Hopefully a little more on stage experience will bring the best out of a promising young band.
Snipereyes are a three-piece who manage to create a big enough sound to justify lacking a fourth member. Not veering too far from the theme of the evening the band play some nice indie tunes and they play them well. Again though a lack of movement on stage doesn't really pave the way for an exciting spectacle. The songs are good, but not enough on their own to really grab the audience and make them take notice. There's certainly nothing bad about Snipereyes but there's nothing that marks them out to me above many of the other bands who play some decent and pleasant music on this stage each night.
I recognise this singer from somewhere; it takes me most of he night to try and figure it out but Silvertin's main man has definitely been involved in a drunken conversation with me in this pub at some point. Who knows what was said, but next time I'll probably say something like this...
Silvertin play moody, swooning tunes with vocals that evoke the sound of what Ian Brown would sound like if he could actually hold a note. There's a distinct Stone Roses sound coming at me, but whether that's just the vocals, or the vocals and the music I'm not quite sure. No matter, I like it, the tunes are good and the band have a presence on stage; head tilted, eyes closed, stepping away from the mic and giving that guitar some loving rather than simply strumming out chords. A band I'd like to hear on record and definitely worth catching live if you see them around.
Having received The Breech's mini-album 'We Are New Mexico' some months ago I was more than impressed with its content. Tonight that CD makes up the main body of the band's set and it is delivered without dropping the high standards of the recording. The cascading drum beat of 'Digging Holes' reverberates around the room and keyboards sweep and the main vocals weave beautifully with the distorted backing. The Breech produce a full, soaring sound; it's a musical glider riding the thermals of the band's energy. Davoc Bradley switches at will between guitar and keyboards, all the time grinning like a mad man who's covered your gran in custard and hidden her in your bed. 'My Missile' is full of life, the band have some wonderfully constructed tunes and they play them extremely well. This is really catchy stuff and the band sound like an A&R man's dream, this is the kind of stuff that should sell really well to hardcore music fans and to the non-gig going music consumer. I remember a Viz cartoon where Roger Mellie was running a "shit off the top of the ladder into a bucket competition". Well musically The Breech climb that ladder with Coldplay as their bucket. For anyone who likes Chris Martin and his gang, and for those who don't, The Breech offer a much more lively and interesting alternative with a whole body of strong, memorable tunes, rather than just a couple. One of Leeds' hidden gems of a band but not for much longer I would imagine.
