The 66; The Lounge Warrington (11/10/07)
Descending the stairs into a compact, leery pit of expectation that is awaiting the first hometown gig from the rugged rock/garage/indie and psychedelic mixing Warrington troupe The 66, is reminiscent to that of The Roadhouse in Manchester several years back. Back then it was some rising southern misfits who went by the name of The Libertines causing the air of anticipation. Tonight, it is The 66 stirring things up even before their entrance. The fulcrum of the outfit builds around an intriguing front pairing, featuring The Ever Mercurial Mike Bee (ex The Bridge and Zen Cohen) and the raw strutting young early Bobby Gillespie mirroring vocalist, Daniel Rimmer.
Every sinew is strained early on by a mixture of excitable, intrigued and “too-cool-for-school”gatherers, attempting to see if both a new band and potential gig venue holds up to expectation. One song, “Rise” confirms all optimism on both counts, as the full potent impact of a raw and ripping sound akin to an early Stone Roses when they were under the influence of Slaughter And The Dogs, envelopes the surroundings. The rugged sound is well concealed in the tinned basement and a bolshie, high spirited atmosphere descends upon the venue. The indie kids who are slowly starting to wander back upstairs, do a U-turn to rival Blair and Brown put together, when a rough n’ ready The Cribs molded tune, “Instant Europe” finds its way into the set. Mike Bee’s guitar prowess is rarely doubted from anyone who witnessed one of his performances, but tonight he shows he has taken a step forward by providing a rugged backing vocal thrust, beefing up the lofty and slightly nasal push of Rimmer.
The 66 are far from a two person band, as percussionist Ian ‘Ghandi’ Wilson and bassist Craig Harman demonstrates through a Sound Garden intro and The Ramones strutting free bass rumble of “Bordello”. Uncovering sleazy life with 70′s rock sordidness and it is just what this Saturday night crowd needs. Harman continues his prominence throughout the rhythm bustling bass kicked and Nine Black Alps skirting, “Gypsy Queen”. Atmospheric instrumental implants give extra mystique to the songs that are kicked along by a light rock vocal style, turning material towards the catchy range that Free used to blistering impact. There has been some recent criticism of the people of Warrington for failing to support a mediocre football team. Surely the people of this town will be able to find the time and energy, needed to give a little shove in the right direction to a band with the potential to expand into a traditional, but forward gazing band to be proud of? Unless you’re an indie bore that is!
By Dave Adair
Idlewild
When I was twelve years old, I was in Woolworth’s and picked up Idlewild’s ‘Little Discourage.’ Why? Because I thought the picture on the front was nice. At the time, I wasn’t aware it would become one of the most influential musical purchases of my life! Idlewild swiftly became my first ever ‘Favourite Band’ (proper one, not like the Spice Girls)
They’ve been around for twelve years now, with a fifth album, ‘Make Another World’ about to be added to their discography. Unlike many, Idlewild have seen the 90’s through, and look set to form another new fan-base with a wonderful hybrid of new and old Idlewild style.
You have a lot of upcoming dates; do you still enjoy playing live? Do you prefer to showcase new material or the older records?
I still enjoy it; I mean it’s why we do it. I think obviously it’s good to play new songs as we haven’t been playing them for ten years! We like to rearrange things and make it more interesting, chopping and changing between our folkier side, and the rock. It keeps the attention of us and the listener. The crowds tend to get older, starting from about sixteen. You’ve got people who have been fans for twelve years and others who are just discovering the later records.
‘If it takes you home’ almost sounds like a return to form. How does the new album ‘Make another World’ compare style wise to you previous work?
It references all our records, it’s the first time Idlewild has influenced Idlewild. There was no master plan, which is the honest way to work. You change as a band because you as a person change and it reflects all of the personalities in the band. It was written very fast which is something we wanted to do, it’s a very lean kind of rock record. It’s a summing up of the past twelve years.
What are your personal Idlewild favourites?
Oh I’m not sure…I can tell you what my Mum’s is! Hers is ‘When I argue I see Shapes.’ It’s just you play them so many times and get used to them. At the moment my favourites are the new ones, you are most excited about them. I don’t like slagging off previous records; I don’t like bands who rubbish their old stuff to sell new ones. They are a good reflection of that time. But now we have taken stock of everything we have done and are referencing that. It’s ten to twelve years of living it, a life. We are heavily influenced by our previous records.
Who are, and have you met any of your idols?
I’m not sure about Idols, there are people I admire and who I’ve listened to their records who have been a big influence. I’m a big fan of REM and meeting them meant a lot. There are bands like REM, Wilco, Modest Mouse and Springsteen but I’m not sure…It’s not like even I’d rather admire them from a distance. But it’s just listening to the music and not knowing them as people. People have a strange conception they think they know you because you’ve listened to their music. When really you write and record something, and then spend two years figuring out what it’s all about.
Lyrics from songs such as Quiet Crown and Bronze Medal are quite dark and intriguing. Where did the inspiration come from for those early songs?
Melody was increasingly important and not just making a noise. We were learning a craft and weren’t particularly confident, it came from an awkwardness, but we learnt early on that melody was important in everything really. Those early songs are us learning our craft, we were influenced by the things going on around us. It was a very exciting and deeply cynical time for us. The songs are a reflection of that time.
With a lot of those songs you listen, and it sounds amazing, but aren’t really sure what’s going on in the lyrics
Yeah, they’re very ambiguous and I think ambiguity in lyrics is really good. It gives a different meaning to the music. It’s not poetry, but it is good lyrics, and each person can interpret it differently.
Idlewild seem like a band it’s fans really connect with, on a personal level. How does that make you feel, is it intimidating?
No, it’s good! We have developed as a band gradually, that’s why we have a loyal fan base, and people feel they’ve been along for the ride. It’s a very positive thing. Not many bands can do that now, they don’t have that time to develop.
What in your eyes has been Idlewild’s greatest moment?
There are lots of different things, both positive and negative. There are so many in different ways. Obviously we’ve done a lot of enjoyable gigs, playing in amazing places with amazing bands. There are so many it’s difficult to pick one…I mean, playing with REM, playing for the first time in New York City. And at the moment it’s exciting as it’s a new lease of life for the band, playing new places, new songs.
What new music have you been enjoying recently?
I don’t really search for new music, there are a lot of bands around what with the internet but it’s hard to sift through them and really find the good ones. There is so much competition; it’s like a fast food conveyor-belt of music. There are good ones – Wilco, Devandra Banhart – but there are so many around and I don’t like this whole New British Band competitiveness.
What does the near future hold for Idlewild?
I’ve no idea to be honest…play gigs, go on tour, see what happens. There is a lot to come from us yet, I’m not sure what, but we will wait and see…
Rod Jones answered all questions.
By Lucia Hodgson
Say Hi – The Witches and The Glitches
Say Hi was formally Say Hi To Your Mom but they decided to trim up the name a bit and it seems to work a little bit better. This is my first Say Hi record as this is the bands fifth record overall. The band which is basically just one guy named Eric who gets a lot of helped started off in Brooklyn but has since relocated to Seattle as of late. Once, the albums first chords struck I became a believer of the band. The song is “Northwestern Girls.” The song starts off with some simple keyboard bits and then a thick and floaty vocal comes in to command my attention. Then when the female background singer joins in it creates such an impressive atmosphere and then the song continues to build and get much louder and denser. “Shake Her Shoulders” has some incredible drumming and some contagious handicapping. Then tracks like “Toil and Trouble” and “Back Before We Were Brittle” which, both have very impressive intros with “Toil” sounding like some sort of interglacial weapon. “Magic Beans and the Truth Machine” is an amazing little track. At first, it seems to be a short instrumental, then when Eric’s vocal kicks in and then a piano follows him it turns into a strange pop tune.
A rich and accomplished album “The Wishes and The Glitches” turned out to be. Eric Elogen is an amazing talent for composing such an album basically solo. The instrumentation and the production are spot on and sound amazing at times. His vocal is familiar but not showing too much parody to other singers. When it comes down to it, the album is well made and extremely enjoyable collection.
By John Siwicki
Hammer No More The Fingers – Hammer No More The Fingers
Hammer No More The Fingers’ are a three piece from Durham, North Carolina. The band have a very unique sound. At times, they have flashes of a Queens of the Stone Age, but they also carry a indie influences right there with them. A post-punk-post-indie band perhaps? The first song “Orgy” gets off into a massive riff and you can tell when they hit the chorus this is an instant live favorite. “Mushrooms” is a bit silly but very notable, with the silly lyrics. The bands debut shows a lot of promise, the band knows how to put on a show and have a good time. They effective mixed it up nicely with a track like “Fall Down Play Dead.” There is a lot of good here and once it is planned out well, the band will be all set.
By John Siwicki