I nearly didn't go to this concert!!!
Earlier on in the day there'd been this huge article from Alan Wilson in The Courier's "Rocktalk" weekly section in the band, and before the gig I'd been in two minds when I listened to the tracks from the new album on their myspace site and found them sounding a lot more "polished" than I'd expected, with not a rough edge in site. But, in the end I thought "sod it - whay not" and sauntered down to The Doghouse.
When I got there, I thought the gig had been cancelled!! You see, normally on a band night, the huge door that separates bar from dancefloor, is opened to all. But tonight, I got there and it was firmly shut. Then I saw promoter Jonathan by the small entry door on the right doing the door and thought "odd" and "fair enough - obviously for some reason they must want to keep the two separate tonight". So, I went in.
Then I found out why. First, Broken Records were the only band playing. Secondly, to my complete surprise, there were only about 40 people there - after all the publicity, and the fact that the band are now a "signed" band (on the 4AD label, no less), I'd expected a least a small sardine job. So, I settled down at the back, as the band had just come on.
Now, there are few concerts in my life where, completely unexpectedly, within five minutes of the band starting, I've not only felt the emotions well up in my body, not only had my jaw dropped firmly on the ground in absolute awe of what I was hearing and been completely and totally mesmerised by what I was hearing and seeing, but tonight was one of those nights. The seven piece band - guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, violin, viola, trumpet - began slowly with just the barest of instrumentation, including guitar and floor-shaking bass thunder, and then, gradually and insistently, the rest of the band came in and this utterly astounding anthemic instrumental magic just rose out of nowehere as a massive orchestral-indie wave of music washed over the audience, drums mighty, strings soaring to unimaginable heights, guitar and keys rising and the most jaw-dropping introduction you've possibly witnessed to a band's set. It was spellbinding to hear, as this incredibly unique mulit-textured soundscape that was still contemporary for all that, lifted the roof off and took the entire audience captive, within the first few minutes of the set. From there, they had the audience in the palms of their hand.
The second track was a more uptempo number with this huge wall of music and superbly yearning vocals, to which the trumpet was now coming to the fore, as it all led to a decelerated section featuring strings, keys and vocals before the bass and trumpet took off with a high register vocal pouring out the lyrics, the track subsequently ending on a sedate fade. Third track began with a piano intro as light, flying vocals heralded mid-paced military drumming, strummed guitar and more of the impassioned vocals on a seriously sensitive opening. The, as four simple piano notes sounded, the band exploded into life and took the roof off - it was incredible to hear as the whole seven of them provided this beautiful roar of musical gorgeousness. The fourth track - not on the album - had a chunky guitar intro with dramatic drumming quickly following as solid bass shook the place, then a churning guitar riff began joined by briefly plucked violin and gentle viola, the beat now hammering along as you marvel at how they mix power and fragility at the same time and manage to make it sound spectacular. The vocal unwinds and the violin briefly emerges as piano breaks through. Then, as if by magic, it just suddenly erupts once more as the band take off into orbit, and take us with them. The fifth track is now introduced by the viola as what sounds like a kind of mandolin-guitar adds to the musical riches with another emotive vocal unleashed. Then, the violin soars, the trumpet soars higher, the bass and drums thunder and the vocals lift off in response. Guitars give added strength as the whole seven-piece craft takes to the skies. As the violin roams freely, it's underpinned by keys and a warm current of synth to provide even greater textural magic, the vocal flying from mid-range to high pitched and back with ease and seemingly effortless effect.
"The Promise" is a slower track with a piano intro that lesds towards the almost tear-jerking wonderment of violin and viola alone, the rest of the baqnd then gradually entering as the track intensifies, lifting higher and higher, with the vocals now flying along, only for it all to drop back down to earth and end.
After doing a, for them, relatively straight forward song that they announcede as "the single B-side", they went on to do the single itself, best described as an anthem with mid-paced thunder in its foundations courtesy of the rhythm section, complete with a memorable instrumental hook, more high-flying vocals and a soaring trumept line as the track becomes more sedate until the band gently run in, trumpet leading the march, as two guitars and viola add to the rich textural makeup of the piece. For the next track they added an accordeon to the riches, on what was essentially a kind of "torch song" with piano, deep rivers of bass and cymbal splashes that segeued into the next track as a sprightly intro featured the dying strains of the accordeon, viola welling up in place only for the band to go suddenly full pelt into a driving rocker of a track with inspirational vocals that led into a kind of cossack rhythm as high pitched vocals lead the rocking out. "Good Reason" started with a fast run on the viola before drums hamered down, the guitar riffs away wildly and the band come in at light speed to deliver an explosive slice of anthemic orchetral-rock urgency that's positively punk-oriented by anyone else's standards. The surge of the final track veered from anthem to ballad, then both at the same time, as the band cruised effortlessly towards a glorious finale.
Then it was over!! To a rapturous applause from the spellbound audience. But there was no encore - and that was so right - how could there be? What had just happened was a natural conclusion to something very special. How special it was, can be further emphasized by the fact that when the band played things down and the music went to a whisper, you could have heard a pin drop in that hall, the audience were that enraptured by what they were hearing and seeing.
The one thing I would say is that if someone with enough vision, puts this band on a Jools Holland Saturday night show on BBC, they will be IMMENSE!! It's that sort of audience. But this was one night where you feel that, just possibly, in five years time, when the band are world famous, you'll be able to say proudly "I saw them when they played to The Doghouse in front of 50 people". Incredible!!