DUNDEE LIVE - BANDS TO WATCH!!
MILLSYECK + THE BLACKLIGHTS + KINGS AND COWARDS + FOXBEEF + GOOM - Beat Generator, Dundee 17-09-11
Five unsigned bands - all rock bands - but five very different bands - and, whether by luck or judgement, the running order proved to absolutely spot on.
First up were Goom - now this band poses a conundrum, even for the unsigned scene. They produced a fantastic CD-EP a long time back, now, oddly enough breaking the mould on the Dundee scene opf bands that gave stratling live gigs yet produced CD's that didn't really reflect this. Goom somehow managed to do this in reverse and never quite lived up to the amazing quality of the EP. But that was then and this is now - they can cook up a storm and have a vocalist who, while not exactly possessing a wholly distinctive voice, nevertheless injects the songs with bucketfuls of passion and intensity, so much so that he often becomes too much of a pivot around which the songs revolve and you want the band to break loose a lot more. The songs themselves are good, nothing overly memorable when it's gone but seriously enjoyable while they're there. The rhythms are tight, the guitar work sometimes a bit too dense, when you'd prefer more leads as such, but having seen them about four times in the last year, what I'm not seeing is any real progression, and that's gotta be a concern. But they definitely have something in there that keeps you hooked and the whole affair is like having an itch you just can't scratch.
Second in were Foxbeef - now I'd not seen them before and I have to admit I did get a bit distracted during the set speaking with and introducing photographer extraordinaire Ruth to them - but what I did see and hear made me want to hear and see more. They really kicked in with an almost boogie-ish aproach to the songs as the rhythms rolled and forged ahead, lurcvhing and hammering to massive effect. That they then twist this into a whirlpool of molten metal is a testament to the strength that the band possesses, as the guitars take over and what amounts to a more shared sea of riffs and rhythms, scorches out of the PA system. The vocals are strong, a little more hollered than anything so far, but firmly in tune, as the band fire up and the songs twist and turn through a maze of paces and dynamics. There's a slight Metallica twist in there, and even some vintage Thin Lizzy in the dual guitar work. Some of the songs lurch and stride as searing leads flare out on occasion while the band have a suitable mix of anthemic and raw at the same time. On first hearing in this setting, none of the songs impinged on my consciousness this time, but the band was so good that I have to go and see what I missed next time!!
Up next were Kings And Cowards - with the tall Isabella on lead vocals, making a commanding presence centre stage, and a band that looks every bit the epitome of a Classic Rock band, they proceeded to give us a seriously well assembled set, for which the dynamic started high, took off even higher, dropped down then erupted to positively volcanic heights after that. They begin with a roar of a number that's got Classic Rock running through its veins as dual guitars spiral and burn, the drummer poweering out beats that crunch and drive, as bass throbs and poounds. Above all this the tousle-haired Izzy unleashes this richly powerful mid-range vocal that just soars like an eagle. They do a cover of an early Led Zep number that proves, in one fell swoop, that they can do blues, ballad, rock and metal all in one glorious amalgam as the guitars shine, the leads glow and the whole thing powers ahead. Mid-set, they go into this hugely expansive anthemic track that's quite long and goes through a number of changes from rock ballad to all-out rocker, showcasing every facet of the band and Izzy's powerful vocals alongthe way. That this holds your attention throughout is an example of just how well thay write and arrange. Form here it's into the swaggering bluesy rock of "American Beauty Bag" before ending with all out attack, and proving what a stunning band they are.
With Izzy from Kings and Cowards leaping up and down on occasion and shaking that mane of hair throughout, you might have through that this was going to be the height of movement that you'd get on that stage tonight, but you'd have reckoned wihtout The Black Lights. From the moment they started, the band and this hugely tall lead singer, raced and strode around that stagte as though they owned it, guitars scything the air, a constant blur of movement as they never missed a beat or a chord on a set taken from their debut album and managing to out-do the versions even on that red hot album. With a suitably roaring vocal, the band provide the evening's first really overtly commercial tracks, albeit in a metal setting, preferring to give us tracks that do what it says on the metal tin - forceful verses leading into heady choruses with plenty of guitar leads and breaks to leave you no doubt that you are in the presence of a hungry-for-success Classic Rock band.
Not to be outdone by anything that preceded them, headline band Millsyeck really fired up and just blew the place away with one of the best and sharpest sets I've heard from them since the amazing Doghouse gig many months ago. Their intro is jaw-dropping in itself as the rhythm section fire up while the two guitarists launch into what can only be described as a blitz of rock guitar sparring as this awesome firepower is unleashed - and this is only the set's introduction. From there, they surge into the first number and immediately lead singer and lead guitarist Alex Mills shows what a solid, distinctive, powerful and tuneful vocal he possesses as he gives the mighty blues-rock hammer a taset of passion and emotion. Immediately you're doing everything from hanging on the band's every word and note to leaping about the place like a metallic dervish, as the mix of strident rhythms, dense riffs and red hot guitar leads are heard on songs that you're singing along with - whether you know them or not. What you're left with is an absolute awe of the sheer quality that powers out of everything the band does - writing, playing, arranging, singing - and what puts the songs that they play head andshoulders above others in a similar Classic Rock field, is the way that they inject the metal with an almost contemporary indie sense of what constitutes a seriously strong and memorable song, so that at no time do you feel you're listening to something rooted in the past, while at the same time aware that what you're listening to is seriously hot Classic Rock. Alex is one astounding lead guitarist that would give many a more famous musician a run for their money, but the whole band plays a blinder and there's not one part of the set that you're not fully behind. That they end with an original - "on My Way" - which possesses a heady, mighty, memorable chorus, driving verses sung with strrngth and urgency, huge riffs and powerful rhythms - is a testament to the force of nature that this band really is, one that, like the best rock bands before them will never wane in enjoyment terms.
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