Les Savy Fav @ Joseph's Well
By Dave SugdenLes Savy Fav record like a fucked-up Pixies and play live like complete mad bastards in an art-punk, post-hardcore vein, which is no surprise when they feature a front man like the bearded Tim Harrington. Now several months since they played a heaving Packhorse, the US four-piece return to the UK to promote their new record "Go Forth" and to showcase their own chaos theory - helped in a major way by Tim's on and off stage antics (including pulling himself along the floor, capturing the crowd in the mic lead, and wandering off to the bar, mic in hand). There's a structure in there that just starts to make sense before Les Savy Fav end what was an exceptional set.
Earlier on the night had opened with JR, who played a tight line of emo rock, some chunky bass lines with neat riffs (nice start), followed by Bilge Pump, who attempted, and succeeded, to make a hell of a lot of noise in a dysfunctional sense.
New York's Enon provided the main support, and were clearly the diversely approachable band of the night, ranging from electronica in rock form to melodic pop encapsulated within a ragged exterior, to the occasional angelic moment - yes, really - to a completely nonsensical screaming match. The gaps were filled in by variations on guitar rock. Something there for everyone, apparently these guys are ex-Brainiac. Ahhh.
