Cold Cave/Talons @ the Old Blue LastMaybe this wasn't the best choice of gig to introduce my flatmate, who plays violin and only listens to classical music and Michael Buble, to indie music, but believe it or not, it was free and that always works for me. When she spotted the two violins that make up one third of the line up of Talons, I think she even became a bit excited. Until they actually started to play. Instrumental lo-fi post-rock, especially at the volumes reached in the Old Blue Last, is not the kind of genre that should be used to gently make someone acquainted with the subtleties and melodies of indie music. But she made it through the entire set, and even managed to appreciate the skill of the lead guitarist. The two violinist were not that impressive according to my accomplice, and even I have to agree on that.
As Cold Cave are able to sell out Cargo, the Old Blue Last is just a bit too small for them, let alone the part where the entry was free tonight. Combine that with the absence of a working air conditioning system and the temperatures rise to levels where you could easily start a banana farm. Nevertheless, Wesley Eisold insists on appearing in his dark collared coat on stage and persist on wearing it throughout the entire, abruptly ending set. Fortunately for him, he is one of the very, very few men who miraculously look better when they sweat. And Eisold does a lot of that. Yup. Since the last time I saw them, female vocalist Caralee McElroy has been replaced and a live drummer has been added to the line up. The latter of these really adds to the live performance, and Jennifer Calvin fills the void left by Caralee perfectly: if I hadn't seen them before I probably wouldn't even has noticed this inconsistency.
Eisold is not a man of many words, directed to the audience at least. He just walks on stage, starts doing his thing and doesn't even glance at the people trying to catch his attention right in front of him. But for Cold Cave, this works excellently. Most of Love Come Closes, their debut album, is featured on the set list and almost causes a dancing frenzy on the first few rows. The dancing quietly dies down when songs of Cremations are included and the set then suddenly ends with a short "Thank you" from Eisold. After some initial confusion (the band have left the stage before the word "Thank you" even had time to sink in), it becomes clear that the performance really has ended. What my classically orientated flatmate thought of it? I don't know, she left after the first two songs as she couldn't take it any more.
Times New Viking/Cold Pumas/Prize Pets @ the Dome
I've been having a real noise/lo-fi music revival lately. If you can call it a revival, as I don't seem to remember having had a distinct 'noise' phase before. So seeing Times New Viking again was something to look forward to (and does anyone else now crave a font by this name too?).
Both support acts complied with the lo-fi/noise/garage band theme, but opposed to most bands in this genre, they were English. And yes, I know they are not the only fish in this endless grey sea of flannel wearing bands-that-don't-care (take Lovvers for example), but still, I am quite intrigued by the use of an English accent in this niche of the musical spectrum. And opposed to the two times I've seen Lovvers, no obvious signs of alcohol intoxication! The most distinctive feature of Prize Pets is their guitarist, who appears to suffer from restless leg syndrome. There is not a single moment in the entire set when he is able to stand still for longer than the time it takes to use an effect pedal. It certainly adds some comedy value as he frequently becomes entangled in the wires and has to figure out how to untie himself whilst keeping on playing and moving (which he is surprisingly good at).
Times New Viking, devoid of stage exercise routines, have a large back catalogue to rely on during this gig. Apparently, this is not enough for singer & drummer Adam Elliott who sneaks a full bottle of Jack Daniel's onto stage, only to leave with the bottle over half finished. Hmm, this sounds vaguely familiar, doesn't it? Well, opposed to that other band, Times New Viking are able to deliver an outstanding performance even while under the influence of alcohol. I guess that's the experience you get with years of touring.
Throughout the gig, Elliott becomes increasingly more talkative and energetic (I wonder why… - ed), but still manages to flawlessly supply the songs with an appropriately tight beat. Jared Phillips and Beth Murphy, who both seem surprisingly sober next to Elliott, leave their lead man to take the spotlight and provide him with the necessary background vocals and melodies. A simple nod is often enough to create an understanding among the three people on stage. They play their songs back to back, with Elliott screaming "Thank you”s and other encouragements during the very short intermissions. "It's Saturday night! Let's get pissed together!" are the uplifting words he uses to announce the end of the set. Thanks for the more than apt set kind sir, but no thanks, I believe you're already there.
DM Stith/Mechanical Bride @ the Slaughtered Lamb
I've been to the Farringdon/Clerkenwell area a few times now, and I still don't really know what to make of it. It's a very un-London-like area in that you never, no matter what time of day you are there, meet any other people. Unless you count the lorry drivers who are unloading the carcasses of dead pigs.
But no decaying animals today as DM Stith is the reason I'm here, and by now I know some detours to avoid having to look dead in the face. And may I start by saying: well done David Michael, his performance was of such excellence that it prompted me to quietly sneak my pint glass in my bag to keep as a souvenir. In hindsight this might not have been such a good idea as it prevented me from finally buying the album (I couldn't just take out my purse without displaying the stolen goods I had on me).
The support act, Mechanical Bride, is mostly missed by yours truly, due to certain detours undertaken to reach the venue without feeling physically uncomfortable. The moment I enter the venue (comfy couches everywhere and carpets on the floor), there is a silence as if someone just dropped dead. After wondering for just a second whether this is why I didn't ran into a dead pig man this time round, Mechanical Bride start to play their melodic but minimalistic folk and the mystery is solved: the audience is simply completely captivated by this duo.
The fact that DM Stith even made it to the Slaughtered Lamb tonight -- a name even more appropriate if you take a random stroll around the area I might add-- is quite impressive: only 30 hours ago he was at SXSW (and who wasn't?), and only managed to get half an hour of sleep whilst trying to get to London, which can be pretty tedious if you're flying from the USA and forget to take your paperwork with you. As opposed to the last time he performed on this side of the Atlantic, DM Stith is performing solo. But even without the strings and piano, his songs are as amazing as on his album Heavy Ghost. Besides his own work, Stith also decides to do a Mark Linkous cover, which might seem as an odd choice, but somehow it really works in the entire set.
There is also some new work featured in this show, though there are currently no plans of releasing them any time soon. That's what this tour is all about: just trying out some new material. The songs go neatly with his previous work: the same unusual chord progressions combined with his singing that almost sounds as a whisper. Certainly something to look forward to.
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