Boards
Tom Vek, Falmouth Princess Pavillions 7.10.05
Tom Vek – Princess Pavillions, Falmouth 7.10.05
Whether you should go and see your favourite band live is always a
topic open for discussion – will they live up to everything you like
about them? Give you an amazing set full of b-sides and rarities? Or
let you down? Luckily for part of the Cornish indie contingent, Tom Vek
was most definitely the former.
Acoustic act Sonny opened the show with his one-man band set of
simultaneous guitar and percussion, playing his multi-tasking
instrument in an innovative way – microphones positioned around the
guitar made it an astoundingly effective percussive contraption, the
sounds of which were well matched with his unconventional playing. The
overall combination was a heartfelt mix of laid-back beauty, unlike the
usual “chill out” of Jack Johnson and the like.
Bridging the gap between Sonny and Mr Vek was local group The New
Thoughts, who were picked by Tom himself to open the gig. Like Brian
Molko stealing Ian Curtis’ dance moves, fronting an Interpol-like group
covering songs by The Walkmen, The New Thoughts were an impressive
addition to the realm of post-punk in which we live. Aged between 17
and 19, they seemed self-assured and enthusiastic (practically ignoring
their minor stage invasion), and played a whole set of original
material, with the frantic ‘Tokyo’ (‘Munich’, ‘Warsaw’ anyone?) acting
as standout track.
Following the addition of synthesiser, drum kit complete with cowbell
and several bass guitars to the stage, Vek’s astounding band took to
the stage, opening with b-side ‘Blessing’, with Tom himself appearing
as the song morphed into ‘The Lower the Sun.’ A room full of rapturous
indie girls and boys was met with an equally joyous Vek, who beamed
through a set comprising the whole of his debut, ‘We Have Sound’.
New song ‘Music Television’, complete with fantastically robot-alien
dancing, was repetition at its best, unsurprisingly complete with the
words “music television” and “I can’t live without you” being chanted
in the way that beaming is used to describe smiling. It’s possible to
think, “Hey, I’ll think up a phrase and recite it over a funky backing
track”, but it’d be hard to do it with the ingenuity and euphoria with
which Mr Vek did.
‘One Horse Race’, what will be the b-side to forthcoming single
‘Nothing but Green Lights’ (introduced as “a very happy song”, with a
luscious reverberating synth sample backing vocals that circled around
the indescribably affirming lyrics “you and I, gonna drive ourselves
out of this town, in a 1989, black, Mercedes Benz”) preceded album
closer ‘That Can Be Arranged’, with equally awesome (in the true sense
of the word) lyrics, “you bashed your head and I had nothing to do, I
made up memories about me and you, it’s like playing with your food”.
Demonstrating extreme versatility (he plays all the instruments on ‘We
Have Sound’), Tom switched from bass to guitar and back again, at one
point playing his PVK labelled guitar with a watch to impressive
effect.
The gig was one of those rare but special occasions where it seems
that the performer is having as much, if not more fun than you on stage
- no rockstar pretensions were held, and a sincere and charming
performance was given – Vek’s constant wide smile rubbed off on the
audience; on looking around, euphoria was present in almost physical
form. Closing track ‘I Ain’t Saying My Goodbyes’ gave way to explosive
dancing and the self-assurance that yes; you should definitely see your
favourite band live.
Whether you should go and see your favourite band live is always a
topic open for discussion – will they live up to everything you like
about them? Give you an amazing set full of b-sides and rarities? Or
let you down? Luckily for part of the Cornish indie contingent, Tom Vek
was most definitely the former.
Acoustic act Sonny opened the show with his one-man band set of
simultaneous guitar and percussion, playing his multi-tasking
instrument in an innovative way – microphones positioned around the
guitar made it an astoundingly effective percussive contraption, the
sounds of which were well matched with his unconventional playing. The
overall combination was a heartfelt mix of laid-back beauty, unlike the
usual “chill out” of Jack Johnson and the like.
Bridging the gap between Sonny and Mr Vek was local group The New
Thoughts, who were picked by Tom himself to open the gig. Like Brian
Molko stealing Ian Curtis’ dance moves, fronting an Interpol-like group
covering songs by The Walkmen, The New Thoughts were an impressive
addition to the realm of post-punk in which we live. Aged between 17
and 19, they seemed self-assured and enthusiastic (practically ignoring
their minor stage invasion), and played a whole set of original
material, with the frantic ‘Tokyo’ (‘Munich’, ‘Warsaw’ anyone?) acting
as standout track.
Following the addition of synthesiser, drum kit complete with cowbell
and several bass guitars to the stage, Vek’s astounding band took to
the stage, opening with b-side ‘Blessing’, with Tom himself appearing
as the song morphed into ‘The Lower the Sun.’ A room full of rapturous
indie girls and boys was met with an equally joyous Vek, who beamed
through a set comprising the whole of his debut, ‘We Have Sound’.
New song ‘Music Television’, complete with fantastically robot-alien
dancing, was repetition at its best, unsurprisingly complete with the
words “music television” and “I can’t live without you” being chanted
in the way that beaming is used to describe smiling. It’s possible to
think, “Hey, I’ll think up a phrase and recite it over a funky backing
track”, but it’d be hard to do it with the ingenuity and euphoria with
which Mr Vek did.
‘One Horse Race’, what will be the b-side to forthcoming single
‘Nothing but Green Lights’ (introduced as “a very happy song”, with a
luscious reverberating synth sample backing vocals that circled around
the indescribably affirming lyrics “you and I, gonna drive ourselves
out of this town, in a 1989, black, Mercedes Benz”) preceded album
closer ‘That Can Be Arranged’, with equally awesome (in the true sense
of the word) lyrics, “you bashed your head and I had nothing to do, I
made up memories about me and you, it’s like playing with your food”.
Demonstrating extreme versatility (he plays all the instruments on ‘We
Have Sound’), Tom switched from bass to guitar and back again, at one
point playing his PVK labelled guitar with a watch to impressive
effect.
The gig was one of those rare but special occasions where it seems
that the performer is having as much, if not more fun than you on stage
- no rockstar pretensions were held, and a sincere and charming
performance was given – Vek’s constant wide smile rubbed off on the
audience; on looking around, euphoria was present in almost physical
form. Closing track ‘I Ain’t Saying My Goodbyes’ gave way to explosive
dancing and the self-assurance that yes; you should definitely see your
favourite band live.