US Maple @ Brudenell Social Club
By James Brown
Monday nights. It's the start of the working week (Christ) or it's still the weekend for the proverbial student. And what better a way to start it with some "American" beefheart guitar rock and homing missile death disco.
That Fucking Tank seem to play more gigs in Leeds than see their mothers. Fact. So why do the crowds never tire of them? The Brudenell could easily be crowned as their home back here and tonight we have a large amount of onlookers with the usual beaming eyes, waiting in anticipation for there serving of high voltage riffery. The set races thru (problem free) with classic tunes such as "Pumpin Iron" and "Making a meal for Beethoven" but with a little bit of a twist. Tank's armoury has been upgraded with a keyboard, a wah-wah and a loop pedal. It's the usual incredible "adrenalin shock" performance but a lot more interesting. Could this be why boredom hasn't set in yet? Whatever will they do next ... prog-rock? Tank rule the waves of creativity and two pieces in Leeds by far. Awesome.
US Maple (all the way from Chicago) finish the night off with a large bout of Zeppelin / Beefheart style blues rock. Each tune is steadily broken down (mid song) with de-tuned twanging and inept scratching of guitars until it's left for dead and then slowly revived and given a pulse with wailing rock. It was baffling at first but it worked very well. The songs were performed with guts and skill drawing a night of loin warming guitarage to an end.
