Post by Admin on Jul 19, 2011 10:21:24 GMT -5
Cornerstone, Reluctant To Speak, Let Airplanes Circle Overhead
By Ben Maxwell
The Brickyard, Carlisle. Friday 11th October 2003
I was looking forward to this gig more than most. I hadn't heard I Win I Drive before, but the prospect of a new band is always enticing, whereas I have had of My Last Act of Bravado, and think they're amazing. This coupled with Let Airplanes Circle Overhead's debut as a three piece, had me convinced that this was going to be one of the best gigs I had seen in Carlisle.
hats that, I Win I Drive have pulled out? No matter, I don't know anything about them anyway, the rest of the bands will be great.
Oh, My Last Act of Bravado too?
Fuck.
And so it was with quite a weight of disappointment that I turned up to the gig, only really looking forward to LACO, but that was soon put to rest as the night turned out to be actually quite good...
So, it was Let Airplanes Circle Overhead up first. I was pretty confident that the set was going to be amazing, and I was proven very right. The opening track was played out with violin, and was instantly arresting. Pretty mellow, and slow burning, but with an obvious intent, never losing its way. The violin seemed to lead this song, and so it was a shame that sometimes it became buried under the building guitars, but when it was audible, it sounded wonderful. It seemed a slightly wasted opportunity to only have include violin on the first song, but its absence was in no way detrimental to the remainder of the set.
Each song was seemingly better than the last, and confidence seemed to be building in the band members with each succesful rendition and attached applause. “Two Spent Swimmers“ was the third song (and also the only title I know...from any of tonights sets...), and in my opinion is LACO's best song, and a perfect distillation of everything that is good about them.
Built around an incredible riff, the song has so much momentum, an explosive energy that seems to struggle to escape. Of course, it does escape, a riotous attack on the listeners ears, like a call to arms from the sweetest army.
This energy was exceeded as the band brought their set to a close, a huge wall of noise, perfectly controlled, rising and dipping, morphing into short lived cycles, like a hundred generations of screaming moths in fifteen minutes.
Fucking fantastic.
They sound like Silver Mt Zion crashing head on into Slint on a steam powered railway, and are now one of three bands in Cumbria who's songs make me wish I had written them...
Reluctant to Speak are a band that I have enjoyed in parts before, but never really found a great appreciation for. So it is with slight embarrasment that I admit being out in the entranceway, talking when their set started. Greg found me and “berrated my ignorance“, so I went back in, and up to the front on my own. Tonight I finally “got“ Reluctant to Speak.
The band started their set in the same way they did last time I saw them, a slow building melody, not befitting of the rumours/descriptions that pass round. That soon passes though, as the stage gives way under their metal attack. These guys have a really distinctive sound, and not one that i can draw comparisons with (although, that may just be my ignorance of the genre...). The dual vocals mid set impress, if only for the spectacle. These guys put on a great show.
Sometimes it feels like there could be too many ingredients as so many styles seem to incorporate themselves, but this never proves true as the band always seem to successfully adhere their sound. I think it was the last song that
really impressed me, the final quarter creaking and buckling under the strain of so many riffs, each one unpredictable and brilliant. A solid impenetrable wall of noise gives way to a jazzyska-ish bounce before punching you hard with slow
moving, powerful end. When the band demonstrate these kind of dynamics they are at their best.
Now I was looking forward to hearing Cornerstone, as I had been told many good things about them. They did a great job of headlining, especially under the weight of who they were replacing, but in truth it may have been better if
Reluctant to Speak had headlined. Cornerstone were brilliantly tight, and put on a good show, more than satisfying the large attending audience. Some of the songs were excellent, but I couldn't help thinking that I wouldn't enjoy the music on CD as much. Now thats just my personal taste, and these guys have already proven themselves very popular, and are a talented bunch of musicians, so perhaps thats a moot point.
Overall the night was brilliant, and although overshadowed by disappointment, more than managed to salvage itself. If I didn't know the cancelled bands should of been playing I would have no reservations at all, so perhaps its simply
hindsight fueled bias that leaves that slight taste of what could have been.
Three great bands, a fantastic attendance, and all the right people seemed to be there. You can't ask for much more than that...
By Ben Maxwell
The Brickyard, Carlisle. Friday 11th October 2003
I was looking forward to this gig more than most. I hadn't heard I Win I Drive before, but the prospect of a new band is always enticing, whereas I have had of My Last Act of Bravado, and think they're amazing. This coupled with Let Airplanes Circle Overhead's debut as a three piece, had me convinced that this was going to be one of the best gigs I had seen in Carlisle.
hats that, I Win I Drive have pulled out? No matter, I don't know anything about them anyway, the rest of the bands will be great.
Oh, My Last Act of Bravado too?
Fuck.
And so it was with quite a weight of disappointment that I turned up to the gig, only really looking forward to LACO, but that was soon put to rest as the night turned out to be actually quite good...
So, it was Let Airplanes Circle Overhead up first. I was pretty confident that the set was going to be amazing, and I was proven very right. The opening track was played out with violin, and was instantly arresting. Pretty mellow, and slow burning, but with an obvious intent, never losing its way. The violin seemed to lead this song, and so it was a shame that sometimes it became buried under the building guitars, but when it was audible, it sounded wonderful. It seemed a slightly wasted opportunity to only have include violin on the first song, but its absence was in no way detrimental to the remainder of the set.
Each song was seemingly better than the last, and confidence seemed to be building in the band members with each succesful rendition and attached applause. “Two Spent Swimmers“ was the third song (and also the only title I know...from any of tonights sets...), and in my opinion is LACO's best song, and a perfect distillation of everything that is good about them.
Built around an incredible riff, the song has so much momentum, an explosive energy that seems to struggle to escape. Of course, it does escape, a riotous attack on the listeners ears, like a call to arms from the sweetest army.
This energy was exceeded as the band brought their set to a close, a huge wall of noise, perfectly controlled, rising and dipping, morphing into short lived cycles, like a hundred generations of screaming moths in fifteen minutes.
Fucking fantastic.
They sound like Silver Mt Zion crashing head on into Slint on a steam powered railway, and are now one of three bands in Cumbria who's songs make me wish I had written them...
Reluctant to Speak are a band that I have enjoyed in parts before, but never really found a great appreciation for. So it is with slight embarrasment that I admit being out in the entranceway, talking when their set started. Greg found me and “berrated my ignorance“, so I went back in, and up to the front on my own. Tonight I finally “got“ Reluctant to Speak.
The band started their set in the same way they did last time I saw them, a slow building melody, not befitting of the rumours/descriptions that pass round. That soon passes though, as the stage gives way under their metal attack. These guys have a really distinctive sound, and not one that i can draw comparisons with (although, that may just be my ignorance of the genre...). The dual vocals mid set impress, if only for the spectacle. These guys put on a great show.
Sometimes it feels like there could be too many ingredients as so many styles seem to incorporate themselves, but this never proves true as the band always seem to successfully adhere their sound. I think it was the last song that
really impressed me, the final quarter creaking and buckling under the strain of so many riffs, each one unpredictable and brilliant. A solid impenetrable wall of noise gives way to a jazzyska-ish bounce before punching you hard with slow
moving, powerful end. When the band demonstrate these kind of dynamics they are at their best.
Now I was looking forward to hearing Cornerstone, as I had been told many good things about them. They did a great job of headlining, especially under the weight of who they were replacing, but in truth it may have been better if
Reluctant to Speak had headlined. Cornerstone were brilliantly tight, and put on a good show, more than satisfying the large attending audience. Some of the songs were excellent, but I couldn't help thinking that I wouldn't enjoy the music on CD as much. Now thats just my personal taste, and these guys have already proven themselves very popular, and are a talented bunch of musicians, so perhaps thats a moot point.
Overall the night was brilliant, and although overshadowed by disappointment, more than managed to salvage itself. If I didn't know the cancelled bands should of been playing I would have no reservations at all, so perhaps its simply
hindsight fueled bias that leaves that slight taste of what could have been.
Three great bands, a fantastic attendance, and all the right people seemed to be there. You can't ask for much more than that...