Bilge Pump @ Brudenell Social Club
By Harry AllenThe Brudenell Social club played host to three bands, all helping to raise funds for the Asian Earthquake Disaster appeal.
First on stage were the experimental agit-rockers Cowtown. Their line-up ranged during the set from a duo to a quartet, with various permutations in-between. Constant, however, were the drummer and lead guitarist, who form the creative spine of the band.
Unfortunately, the slightly forced way in which they performed off-beat, staccato and discordant arrangements ultimately worked against them. The less involved female portion of the band, on keyboards and guitar respectively, couldn't participate on the same level as the central members, and had to busy themselves simply following the chord movements of the lead guitarist, without offering much in the way of development. Cowtown's lead man has a lot of innovative material at his disposal, and the noises and riffs he produced could form the basis of a good modern rock EP. Unfortunately, this group lacks a singer as badly as Morrissey lacks a sense of humour. Almost mournfully, a redundant mic stand graced centre stage, while the shadowy guitarist only made one attempt to sing during the entire set; the rest of the tunes were instrumental. Whether he is incapable of bringing himself to the mic through bashfulness, or is at a loss when attempting to fit lyrics to his disorganised choppy rock songs, the recruitment of someone proficient in either of these disciplines would improve Cowtown's general effectiveness incredibly.
Although at this stage in their development, Cowtown appear shabby and muddled in terms of their direction, they have a great deal more potential than most bands, as the creative spark of the group is most certainly prepared to challenge preconceptions and create a sound unique to himself.
In contrast, Downdime offered the swelling student crowd a blistering lesson in self-belief and showmanship. Unlike their predecessors, this band were not daunted by the subdued nature of the audience, and took the gig by the scruff of the neck. The front-man's mid-Atlantic twang brought comparisons with Idlewild to mind, and the structure that Downdime provided was welcome relief from the intellectual efforts of Cowtime. Once again, two members of the band appeared to have a creative understanding that did not diffuse across the stage to the other musicians, with both bassist and lead singer subconsciously demanding the attention of their audience.
Sadly, the self-confidence of the front-man was not entirely well-founded. Inter-song banter about how his lyrics were about "being bored at work", "death" and "sex," was shamelessly cringe-worthy, and his vocals were invariably lost in a cacophony of feedback. This was pretty uninspired indie-rock, and the most memorable moments of the gig centred mainly around the bassist's sterling impression of being electrocuted mid-song.
Regrettably, headliners Bilge Pump had less to offer in terms of entertainment, be it comedic or musical, than either of their supports. A solid heavy-rock trio, with an understandable reputation for putting on a professional performance, they appeared onstage looking like a group of Tombraider-playing thirty-somethings. This was geek-rock being performed to a fairly non-plussed crowd of arty students. It was very neatly packaged, and even quite ambitious at times, with the talented drummer attempting some unpredictable rhythms. However, there was just no heart to the music being served up at the Brudenell. When the vocalist blurted out the words "mother-fucker," he sounded about as convincing as Dale Winton. The subsequent lyric "I'm busy, and I'll tidy the kitchen later," just about summed up the set. Repeatedly, the drummer caught the attention with some stonking solos and strong beats, but there was simply nothing happening at the front of the stage, where the front man failed to inspire, even offering to turn the volume down for the gaggle of fans near the stage. Bilge Pump are understandably popular, but there is a definite upper ceiling to their potential on tonight's evidence.
