- Artists:
- The Manhattan Love Suicides »
- Wet Paint »
- Crystal Stilts »
- The Manhattan Love Suicides »
- Wet Paint »
- Crystal Stilts »
It's fair to say the times really are changing. Where once this whole rock and roll shenanigans was strictly an all blokes affair not too dissimilar from the tribal atmosphere of a football match, there's an all-encompassing vibe now that sees the male:female ratio become more evenly negated, if not quite equal, particularly as all three bands this evening possess drummers of the fairer sex. Not only are the group dynamics distinctly asexual, but there's also a more knowing tendency to cherry pick from the most discreet archives of what's gone before to create something new and vibrant, sights firmly set on the present.
Leeds quartet The Manhattan Love Suicides are an obvious point in question, drawing influences from first generation punk such as the Buzzcocks coupled with Creation Records sonic nihilism and the attitude fixated angle of C86 jangle pop such as The Primitives or The Rosehips. Tearing through their twenty-minute set like there's literally no tomorrow, its little wonder singer Caroline McChrystal draws on her can of Carlsberg at the end of their set like she's sucking air from a respirator.
For capital based collective Wet Paint tonight's confined settings represent a vast change from their last supporting role as guests of Bloc Party, yet one suspects the adulation their Dinosaur Jr-meets-Urusei Yatsura fuzz racket receives from the capacity crowd (approximately 100) is far greater and more appreciative than they'd have gotten from Messrs Okereke and co.'s audience times tenfold and more. Frenetic, shambolic and decidedly messy they may be, but everything about Wet Paint from the way Melinda Bronstein's drums edge forward every time the kick-pedal is activated to the raucous and seemingly created-on-the-spot riffage screams "DIY" in bold capitals.
Last but not least its the turn of New York's Crystal Stilts, a band who've perhaps unknowingly found themselves elevated to the status as one of 2009's great expectations. That the room is full of band members from many of Nottingham's finest musical ensembles of recent times both past and present tells its own story; the hype bubble is floating ominously above Crystal Stilts collective heads.
Thankfully they manage to erode any doubts almost immediately, opening numbers 'Prismatic Room' and 'The SinKing' instantly recognisable from current long player Alight Of Night, and both sending the front four rows of this tiny venue into subservient raptures. Indeed, it would have been easy for Crystal Stilts to have just continued to play it safe and churn out track after track off said album knowing full well they've got this audience stuck in the palms of their hands, but instead no less than half of tonight's set is made up of entirely brand new, unreleased compositions that shake their shoegoth blueprint into Jonathan Richman territory ('Sycamore'), Johnny Cash style yarn ('Sugar Baby') and Jim Reid/John Cale white noise abating scree (forthcoming single 'Love Is A Wave'). The fact they choose to return for an encore by way of their own take on obscure Velvet Underground number 'Temptation Inside Your Heart' all but confirms that Crystal Stilts are anything but conforming to public perception of what they might or mightn't be about; tonight's performance simply exceeded expectation on all counts, and one can be pretty damn sure that their next visit to Nottingham for May's Dot-to-Dot Festival will be one of that weekend's hottest tickets in town.
All photos by Toby Price. More pictures from this show here.
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- Win: trip to La Route Du Rock to see MBV, Horrors, Deerhunter, Grizzly Bear & more
- Singles of the Year (So Far): January-June & A Proper Chart
- Spotifriday #7 - This Week on DiS as a Playlist
- Primavera 2009: DiS's highlights
- Dot To Dot: The DiS review
- This Week's Singles: 25/05/2009
- Dot To Dot preview: A DiS mixtape
Crystal Stilts
From the archive
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A Month In Records: September 2009
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DiScover: Cortney Tidwell
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In Photos: Sinner's Day @ Ethias Arena, Belgium
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are a terrible live band.
nice write up, wish I'd been there
Wet Paint's album 'It Rots' is really good. It's on emusic & on LastFM; on the latter as Wet Paint (UK).
You think?
I've seen them 3 times now and they've always impressed me.
Don't know live
but on records, Manhattan Love Suicides are ace !
saw them support Crystal Stilts
Thought they were great, bought a 7" from them. Its also great.
Wow, I'm in a gig photo on that website.
I've never been in one before. Awesome gig, I thought all three acts were worth the admission (although perhaps not Manhattan Love Suicides, but only for the shortness of the set - the actual music was lovely).
By the way, I thought the crowd was rubbish. Appreciative, yes, but very static. Only a half dozen of us at the front actually seemed to be moving about. I do like the Chameleon, but the crowd doesn't half spend its time pouting...
you
guys are too easy to impress.:-)
.
.
Manhattan Love Suicides in Liverpool This Wednesday!
The MLS are ace!
We are hosting a Pre-South By Southwest Party in Liverpool, on Wednesday 11th March, with two bands who are playing SXSW 2009 - the Manhattan Love Suicides and Dirtblonde, plus special guests Kissing Kalina.
It'll be great!
I justr don't get Crystal Stilts
some of it is musically intriguing but the guy's voice is terrible.
Night's In Nottingham
I was there, awesome gig, gonna go and see Crystal stilts tomorrow in Sheffield, we (I'm Not from London) are putting on a good gig on at Chameleon on the Wednesday 25th March.
PULLED APART BY HORSES [http://www.myspace.com/pulledapartbyhorses]
WE VS THE SHARK [http://www.myspace.com/weversusshark]
SWOUND [http://www.myspace.com/swound]
OCEAN BOTTOM NIGHTMARE [http://www.myspace.com/oceanbottomnightmare]
Another Leeds band, another blown amp. PULLED APART BY HORSES scream out an indie leaning style of art punk that's been whipping the critics up into a frenzy. Their high energy shows have justifiably been compared to likes of At The Drive In, during their all too early and short peak and a young Hundred Reasons (who used to be good I swear!). It's no doubt this that has helped wow them a place onto Huw Stevens Radio 1 Introducing tour and also helped secure them a whole host of other great support slots and gigs (Tubelord, Dannananakroyd, Blood Red Shoes and Leeds Festival to name but a few). Expect PULLED APART BY HORSES scuzzy vocals and dirty guitars to be whipping The Chameleon into a frenzy too! Check out their first single Meat Balloon out now on Big Scary Monsters.
Although Athens (USA) quartet WE VS THE SHARK are filled with a similar amount of noisy punk energy as PULLED APART BY HORSES, WE VS THE SHARK delve into a far more delicate and intricate sound which clearly draws from legendary acts like Fugazi and The Dismemberment Plan (who’s records they readily admit to being the foundations of the band). To understand the origins of WE VS THE SHARK’s melodic, arithmetic, spastic disco-punk and whirring art-damaged pop it's helpful to examine some other bands who have taken Ian McKaye's post-punk vision in a new direction such as; Q and Not U and Les Savy Fav, at their respective turning points. WE VS THE SHARK are the kind of band that will make you want to be in a band for more than just sex, drugs and rock n’ roll.
SWOUND formed at the end of 2005 and consists of four brothers who were all raised on the Isle of Man in a country house neighboured by comedian Norman Wisdom and also Gimli, the dwarf from Lord of the Rings. In the time they've been together, they have become radio 1 veterans and have even recorded a live session at Maida Vale ... All before releasing any music!They're debut album "We are a Danger" is released on March 2nd and they have been nominated for XFM new music award, will be very big!
Nottingham 3 piece OCEAN BOTTOM NIGHTMARE have been tearing the paint off the walls of venues for a couple of years now with their massively distorted bass, occasional screams and Bad Religion-esque group harmonies. Expect them to be playing raucous, overdriven songs in the vein of Mclusky, Refused and Biffy Clyro.
Check out the event page-
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=52071308475
£5 o.t.d. | £4 adv [http://www.wegottickets.com/event/44551] Tickets on sale NOW!
Doors 8pm.
Caroline (MLS) vox
If you like the MLS you should check out Caroline's vocals in Ailsa Craig, a new collaboration she is involved in (debut album out on Squirrel some time next year)...
http://www.myspace.com/ailsacraigmusic
Also features contributions from Darren (MLS), Paul (The Declining Winter) and loads of other poor sods who got roped in to play stuff!
I thought MLS were great
and I'm not really inot that kind of music particularly. The absolute simplicity was awesome. One of the most rubbish guitar players I've ever seen but it sounded fucking wicked. As for Wet Paint. Pavement anyone? Boring and cliched. And crystal stilts, jesus they're absolute dog mess. Sounds like all the crap bits of the doors with the worst singer I've ever heard. Bollwicks.
MLS were ace
Not too sure about Wet Paint. But had an amazing night. Would love to see MLS play with PoBPAH in Leicester or Leeds. And Crystal Stilts returning to Nottingham for Dot to Dot, its going to be an awesome next couple of months.
In Photos: Decemberists @ The Forum, London
In Photos: Dean & Britta @ St. Giles in the Fields, London
In Photos: Wolf Gang @ Hoxton Bar and Kitchen, London
In Photos: Gay For Johnny Depp @ The Engine Rooms, Brighton
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