"Battle Of The Bands": Saz/The Beard/The Kubas + 1 - THE TUNNELS, ABERDEEN 07-08-05
Saz were on first. A few changes immediately noticeable as Nikki was now stage right next to Marina on bass while Nichola was stage left next to riffing guitarist Kevin, although Nikki walked that stage tonight like she owned it - and she's looking even better!! Even Marina was flying around that stage - well, flying for Marina, that is - while Nichola swirled, swayed and danced, really putting her all into the performance. Tonight was a band seriously on the way up, knowing they're getting it apot on and having fun doing it. The set saw some song and running order changes, and was totally on fire, the mix allowing both vocalists and even a lot of the lyrics to come shining through, the latter never entirely in evidence in many a small concert hall. The tow vocalists shared a lot more of he songs tonight and while Niki's voice is still just stunning for such hard and fast songs, Nichola was much more in evidence and you really noticed how the two voices complement each other. The band played it tight and tore into the tracks with power and passion, Kevin unleashing the odd solo in among the riffing and driving while Marin's bass playing and Richie's drumming simply thundered. The only downside of the set now comes at the end where they do this song called "We Are Saz" whose lyrics relate to each member of the band, but at such a mentally metallic pace and unless it's a clear PA, you miss the humour and subtleties that this superbly tongue-in-cheek song possesses - let's hope they can find a way to correct this 'coz it's a great set closer, although I would bet it would actually be an even better set opener if they get it sorted. The audience were with them right from the start and I think they definitely gained some new converts tonight. Best set yet, only Nikki's 9th gig and things are improving in leaps and bounds.
Next up - and you couldn;t get more of a contrast if you'd tried (well, you could with the Kublas but that's in a min) - were a band named The Beard. Not only did thye play it quite slow - compared to Saz particularly - but their stage presence was seriously strange. A quinete, you had the rare treat of the bassist and one of the guitarists standing stage right, side-on, virtually with their backs to the audience, and looking like they wished they were doing something else like the weeding or the washing up. Meanwhile the female lead vocalist played it for all the world looking like Chrissie Hynde with a confidence problem - her idea of leaping around the stage consisted of the occasional saunter to the left of the mic and, at the end number, crouching down on stage, bowing her head in funereal fashion. All this while the other guitarist laid it down workmanlike while the drummer flailed away like Animal off The Muppet Show. Yet, for all this, they were superb. The more I've thought about this since I saw it, the more I realised that I really enjoyed it. Influences abounded - much of it came across as a collision of Siouxsie and the Banshees, Captain Beefheart, seventies Krautrock jamming and new millennium shoegazing, as the vocals mixed crooning with soaring, perfect in the context of the slowly building and intensifying tracks, choc full of choppy drumming and angular rhythms that were a treat to hear, while the guitarists blazed a trail somewhere between drone and red hot dual leads. How on earth you'd categorise this, I don't know, but this band has something - on record I bet it would sound great - but for now, I'd urge anyone to witness this - unique and rewarding.
I'm not in this to put any band down - if I don't like something, that's my problem as I'll bet many others love it. This was the case with the Kublas - a sort of sixties sounding band comeplete with organ and playing original material alongside covers of "Louie Louie (I think) and "Light My Fire" - not at all my sort of thing, I'm afraid, but they went down really well with the audience.
Final act on - and I'm sorry but I didn't get the name - were a solid rock act witha suitably charismatic, fiery frontman but who semed to shout rather than sing his way through the set. They went down a storm - so I guess it was just me - but this guy needs to inject a bit of range into his vocal as he certainly is the frontman to a tee. The band seemed a bit uninspired, and they postively murdered, diced and maulrd a cover of Led Zep's "Communication Breakdown" at the end of the set. Still, the audience enjoyed it, and that's what counts
Who won? Well, it wasn't Saz, and actually I have no idea - if not Saz, then I'd have given it to the Beard. Competitions? Who'd have 'em!!