Kids Near Water

“Isn’t it ironic. Don’t ya think”, crooned that woman, whose voice resembles the sounds of a cat being strangled by a gaggle of dolphins. A chilling thought, but her musings strike a particularly pertinent chord tonight where three bands of insanely talented proportions have come together only to be faced with a half empty Underworld. The music press have championed the post-hardcore genre (lumped under the broad umbrella of ‘emo’) in the recent past, hailing the likes of At The Drive In and Rival Schools *as all-round geniuses and the future of rock, before changing their mind when the *Von Bondies and The Datsuns *came to town. (Oh, but you just *had to be seen at **Fugazi, darling!)

The irony however, lies in that fact that you don’t have to look to the creative breeding ground of DC or New York, or the dusty plains of El Paso for amazing, gob-smacking talent. It’s here. On your doorstep. In that small venue you’ve just passed on your way to see The Datsuns. Walk on past by all means but the people in that venue know they’re witnessing something very special indeed.

They know it’s special because they can’t keep their eyes off Jerry-Built’s hyperactive keyboardist Tall Dave harassing the crowd and generally acting like a madman; because Garrison *are making their hearts swell and their bodies warm with a tuneful glow; because *Kids Near Water’s frantically angular riffwork and chucklesome jibe throwing at Garrison is ensuring they leave with a permanent smile. They know it’s special because they leave yearning for more. That when they get home they can’t decide which of the band’s CDs to play first. That for the next two months they will listen to nothing else but Jerry Built’s uplifting and gloriously tuneful punk, Garrison’s hook-wielding progressive hardcore and Kids Near Water’s emotional discordance.

A bill like this is dangerous. Dangerous because a low turnout can make people frustrated. And frustrated people wanna do things; they wanna spread the word; wanna start up fanzines and labels just so the bands get the recognition they deserve. Just bear that in mind when you next walk past.