Moving Units @ Brudenell Social Club
By Tom Goodhand
Comparing bands is a funny business. You can say that a band are like the Happy Mondays, and mean it to be a good thing, but find that you are actually putting someone else off. When this whole 'punk funk' thing started everyone was going "ooh, !!! they sound like the Happy Mondays". I thought, right, I'll steer well clear of that lot then. Those bloody drugged up Mancunians couldn't find a good song if Russell 'The Disaster' from The Research waved one in front of them. I was bemused to discover that !!! are actually very good and not at all like a bad acid trip. If this all seems utterly irrelevant, then it probably is. I'm drawing a link between !!! and Moving Units, and how this current rather ace crop of dancing-orientated rock bands are loads better than a bunch of E'd up chavs.
Before I start desecrating the graves of Madchester anymore, a warm round of applause should be sent in the directions of the two support bands. The Holy Terror sounded as marvellous as ever. The obvious influences, Hole, Sonic Youth, The Slits were all present and correct, but this bunch really have something about them. Is it the way that the bassist plays with the speed of ten men? Or the way that Helena looks fantastic with that wonderfully arrogant stage presence, that makes you like watching her, but terrified of speaking to her? Or Helena's voice, with that real harshness that makes you feel you should go up and apologise to her for whatever is pissing her off. Whatever it is, The Holy Terror may not be terrifying, but they sound mean, and if you can make meanness sound this good, then you are onto something.
Communism may be, in reality, a rather silly idea, but ˇForward, Russia! (or 'IForward, Russia!' for all you NME readers) are beyond such concerns. Their stuttering punk is beginning to sound colossal and Tom is looking like a potentially amazing frontman. While Whiskas and Rob spurt out their jagged riffs and Katie inflicts all kinds of pain on her kit, Tom is throwing himself around the stage, singing words so incomprehensible that they must be made-up, wrapping the mic lead around his head and wearing implausibly high boxers. When they play the stuff that was recorded last year, you can see how much they've improved already. 'Four' starts and stops, teases you a bit and sounds utterly ace, whereas 'Seven' (no names for these guys, just numbers) just sounds, erm, bigger and better (sorry, that just sounds like a bad DVD advert now). So, communists, not that great really, sorry, bands whose names infer communism, great. Glad that age old conundrum has been sorted.
Anyway, if you skim back through my ramblings you'll remember I was pouring scorn upon The Mondays all in the name of saying that Moving Units are good. Essentially, but bands are doing rock with dance elements but the difference is: Moving Units can do it without sounding shite. They start the set with just vocals and bass and a recorded backing track, and immediately a group of trilbies (with bodies underneath) head to the front of crowd to sway, shimmy and generally be merry. Then everyone else follows. Those who aren't throwing themselves around in a manner that must truly shock the Brudenell's regulars, are at the very least nodding their heads and tapping their feet.
The syncopated rhythms prove to be too much for this crowd and we're all taken in. We forgot that essentially the Moving Units and combining all the best bits of the eighties, Joy Division bass lines, Curish guitar riffs and vocals that hint at Morrissey. It's like Interpol speeded up, or Radio 4 without the bad political sloganeering. Essentially it's a forty-five minute dance fest where you can ignore all those familiar points of reference and just (as my dad would probably say) get lost in the groove, or something equally as naff. Rock and dance. Together. If done well, it is great, done badly and it should be left to rot in Manchester.
