So you know how it is, you head on out to your favourite bar for a few quiet drinks, somewhere you know will be chill, where you can enjoy some relative calm before stumbling into town for some proper messiness. So it goes then that we were a bit pissed off on stumbling into Big Hands last Saturday to find it well busier than normal. New plans being quickly formed as to where to go next we're told the reason for the crowds is that two new bands are doing a show, bands who are worth sticking about for. Decision made we decide to sack off any chance of downtime and see what the fuss is about.
First up is KULT CØUNTRY. A London based band but apparently with members who used to live in Manchester. Members who clearly used to be faces on the scene we imagine judging by the strong presence of local bands and hipsters crammed down the front. We’re told this is their first gig which isn’t instantly apparent from the swagger onstage as the loud shoegaze guitars fill the room. Gotta admit, we were initially wondering what all the fuss was about; the first few songs offering nothing more than the same old MBV guitars and Ian McCulloch vocals that we’ve heard far, far too much recently. But then as the set gets going and the music gets more powerful we can’t help but fall in love with it a little. Sure there’s no doubt KULT CØUNTRY have heard the latest Horrors album on at least one occasion but it doesn’t matter when the songs sound so big, so accomplished. We’ve been scouring the internet for some tracks to show you but all we can find presently is their bandcamp, of which the downbeat instrumentals don’t really do the band justice. Still, check it anyway and we suggest you catch them live sometime soon.
When a band walk on a fogged up stage dressed in black to a wail of noise and feedback you can kinda predict that you ain’t going to be bigging up the harmonies in post-show analyses. As LASER DREAM EYES start up their abrasive set its clear we aren’t going to be disappointed. Using just basic synth-bass, drums and effected vocals they give us a short (10 minutes!), sharp set of dirty, street-punk energy. Once again we’re told its early days for the band and their clear love of Suicide is maybe a little too rife tonight in the throbbing synths and yelped vocals. But then fuck it, its Suicide turned all the way up to 11, it’s Suicide if they had beefier machines and more swagger. And who doesn’t love a bit of Suicide on a Saturday night? The last song too is a little bit of a departure from the rest of the art-noise, with even a little melody coming through in the distorted vocals, making us think perhaps there’s much more to come from LDE if they put their minds to it and manage to transcend their influences a little more.
You can see them out this Friday at Gullivers, Manchester as part of the Trash O Rama night and check out this video now...
