Modest Mouse

After missing out on Modest Mouse's previous gig at The Garage I was determined to see them this time. I've always been interested how the American three-piece would sound live after their latest album, The Moon and The Antarctica is a mixture of raging guitars, samples and atmospheric keyboards.

There was a pleasant suprise when Six By Seven came on as first support. As one of Britain's most underrated bands, they played a whole set worth of new material that sounded a lot more punky-ier than usual that differed from their usual guitar building soundscapes. The songs played were a lot shorter than most off their previous two albums and the general thrust of the noise that was blown to the audience, not played, was impressive indeed. It was good to see them back.

Aereogramme are a band I've heard a lot of good things about and was interested to see what they would sound like. However what I saw and heard was a 2nd rate Flaming Lips. I know that's very lazy reviewing, but everything to the singer's voice which was a mixture of Wayne Coyne and Grandaddy's Jason Lyttle, to the song within song structures, showed me that the Americans do this type of music better. Case in point: Flaming Lips, Fiver, Grandaddy, Mercury Rev, Kingsbury Manx, shall I go on? I and the majority of the crowd were not impressed.

Modest Mouse however were and are in a different league. How this band get no recognition whatsoever is beyond me. From the opener of Paper Thin Walls which immediately got the majority of the crowd moving about (I wouldn't call it dancing) to the mad closer of Tiny Cities Made of Ashes, this was a near perfect performance by any guitar band. Doin' The Cockroach is remenisent of Blur's Entertain Me with its disco beat throughout, but its far more viscious. All the songs which relied on keyboards on record was compensated with more guitars live and the overall sound was awesome. 3rd Planet is a beautiful plantive ballad that broke up the set nicely and the response overall was tremendous.

People built up The Strokes' gig at the Heaven as the must see gig of the year. I for one was glad to have gone to this gig and Modest Mouse are a hidden gem. Would give this gig full marks if not for Aereogramme.