Fluid Lines - the Cobden Club
Posted by jamie on Apr 20, 2009
Fluid Lines
Cobden Club, West London
15th April, 2009
The Cobden Club is carefully hidden away in a quiet patch of west London, near Westbourne Park tube. It’s a strange place for such an opulent private member’s club, but then the Cobden Club is a surprise in itself: smart, yes, but not stuffy and full of old men smoking pipes. A three piece, dressed as the Blues Brothers, rattle out some raspy, pop n’ roll rhythm and blues under the watchful gaze of a 60s print of Jimi Hendrix. The place is cool in the same way as an art gallery that’s just been done up, all polished hardwood floors and squishy square things for us all to sit on and watch – there’s no jumping up and down going on here, thank you very much. All the same, it’s a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere, and there’s a buzz of anticipation in the air.
Fluid Lines, being from Berkhamsted, have been there and done it when it comes to playing in places like this – the town is famous for its little cafes.
Tonight the lads are on form, and a refreshing change despite the undoubted quality of the bands who have already played. A mesh of sugary sweet guitar riffs rolls across the room like a wave, embellished by gorgeous, shiny little melodies picked out by Calum and Jimmy on guitars.
Fluid Lines, these days, are a polished, confident outfit, holding the stage with ease and, it appears, really enjoying their music. From a more standard emo sound, they’ve become a poppier band, almost reminiscent of some of the catchier indie records doing the rounds at the moment, but with melodies and pop hooks that make the best pop punk bands stand out from the rest. In essence, they are playing the “perfect pop” that pushes the buttons of all sorts of music fans everywhere – songwriting that ignores boundaries between fiddly and unnecessary genre-definitions and jumps straight after the hearts and souls of record lovers. Sleepless and Right Place at the Night Time, in particular, are gems, and, delivered with the swagger that Fluid Lines have brought with them tonight, slap the Cobden Club square in the soul.
Oh, and they’re eagerly gobbled up by a delighted room. The energy in their performance, Calum and Jimmy a pointy, angular blur on guitars and Ben ducking and diving around on drums, only Bruce is relatively unflustered on bass, is a perfect complement to their songs, sincere, yet all too aware of emotional sensibilities and frailties, they’re surprisingly personal given the unblinking, almost cheery way they’re presented on stage. The Bananatown posse have a little chuckle as Calum quips “we’ve got a new EP out, it came out on Monday, called Confetti. So here’s one from the old EP..”
It’s a short, snappy set tonight. Squashed in to half an hour, the boys stomp through five songs, of giddily catchy, sugary sweet pop gems. It’s a balmily warm early summer evening outside, and the circle line is mainly above ground on the way back to Euston Square. One of those nights where everything goes just right. If you haven’t, see Fluid Lines – you’re waiting to fall in love with them.
Acoustic Salute
Posted by jamie on Apr 20, 2009
Middle Finger Salute have made a new myspace for their acoustic work. Start listening. Oh, dear..
Free song!
Posted by jamie on Apr 20, 2009
As they set off on tour with Catch 22, The JB Conspiracy have made the song “Start Listening” a free download from their myspace. Ideas for “start listening” puns are arriving thick and fast. Better stop posting..
Fame, Fortune and Fornication: now out on vinyl
Posted by jamie on Apr 18, 2009
Reel Big Fish have released their covers record, Fame, Fortune and Fornication on vinyl.
Chase Long Beach - car smash
Posted by jamie on Apr 18, 2009
So-Cal ska-punkers Chase Long Beach are asking for prayers and myspace comments after their van flipped over in the moutains in Utah, USA last night. Freakishly all of the band are apparently totally fine. But please pray and comment.
Too Late Lucy *rumours*
Posted by jamie on Apr 18, 2009
Rumour has it that Berko pop-punkers Too Late Lucy have split from their drummer, Tucks, and singer/guitarist Ben. The band would still have Will on guitar and Dan as a vocalist, but be looking for a new drummer and, possibly a guitar or bass player.
“new” Bakesys live album
Posted by jamie on Apr 18, 2009
1990s ska legends the Bakesys will release a live album on Do The Dog Music “very soon”. Pama International frontman Finny was in The Bakesys, as was Do The Dog head honch Kevin Flowerdew, who played keys.
Listen to tracks from the new record here.
“Some news that sucks”
Posted by jamie on Apr 17, 2009
A “major manufacturing error” has led to the release date for Sonic Boom Six’s new record, “City of Thieves”, being postponed until 4th May.
Instore shows have also been postponed, but pre-orders will receive the album by download this coming Monday (20th April) and will still be the first.
New tour dates are as follows:
WEDNESDAY 29/04/09 (Get your Copy of the new album before the tour!!!)
AFFLECKS (3rd Floor Cafe)
52 Church St,
Manchester
TEL: 0161 834 2039
http://www.afflecks-palace.co.uk
Time 5:00
_________________________
SUNDAY 03/05/09
ALL AGES RECORDS
27A Prat Street
Camden Town
London
NW1 0BG
UK
TEL: 0207 267 0303
Time 12:30
_________________________
THURSDAY 07/05/09
BANQUET RECORDS
52 Eden Street
Kingston Upon Thames
KT1 1EE
TEL: 020 8549 5871
www.banquetrecords.com
Time 18:00
_________________________
SOUTHAMPTON RESKUE ROOMS
TBC
Advantage: S/T (EP)
Posted by jamie on Apr 11, 2009
Advantage: S/T
As a first offering from a new band, this three-track EP, self-titled and packed simply in a cardboard sleeve, albeit a very well designed one, a gritty, urban/industrial black and white backdrop, is rather a discreet way for ADVANTAGE to announce themselves in your life. Let alone that it arrived in a brown envelope, in the middle of a pile of bank statements and phone bills.
At first glance, the only clue as to the significance of this disc is the biro handwriting in the corner of the sleeve: Number 0329/1000. Advantage have only played three live shows and issued a handful of myspace bulletins. That after each set 100 sweaty, exhausted punkers queued up to buy this on the strength of thirty minutes’ performance speaks volumes. Let’s try and forget that, though, and, keeping the palpable sense of anticipation to one side, look just at the EP and it’s three songs.
Never Say Never opens the CD with a quick drum beat and a bouncy, catchy guitar riff and Cookie’s vocal. The first verse delivered in short, snappy lines around the guitar, before taking off into the chorus, where, for the first time, Advantage’s horn section appear on the record. Never Say Never is anthemic: the perfect choice to open your first CD, should your band be lucky enough to have such tunes. The song drops out from it’s short, tidy, peppy poppy punk energy to a soft, a lost whispered vocal harmony over guitar and drums before building slowly up to a crescendo and roaring the very back to full speed, all power and now a soaring, melodic yet incredibly powerful, and destined to be an anthem: beginning as a catchy pop-punk song and growing in to the most powerful of powerpop tunes.
Phoenix, perhaps predictably, begins slightly more softly, though with a similar feel. A laid back, almost reggae jam, soulful before it kicks in and becomes a giddy mess of quickfire vocals and guitar upstrokes. Almost how the masters of the peppy ska/punk pop song, [spunge] would’ve had it, but with the addition of a massive chorus, and, of chorus, a horn section: Willis and Sam take it up a notch. The brass riff is great, and its sound impressively beefy for two instruments. Again, the song wraps up with all guns blazing: a mass of soaring vocal harmonies, horns and guitar licks.
Here We Are is the disc’s first track to open at full pace. The verse has echoes of Less Than Jake’s Ghosts of Me and You for a moment, and its lyrics, though the subject is different, are similarly melancholic. Group harmonies appear, higher than anywhere else on the CD, and spoke word tells of the angst of growing up, before a dark, ominous instrumental that threatens to explode for a long time before it does, building tension before dropping out entirely, just for a moment, to vocal only before a vicious, spitting, snotty vocal and the return, again, at full speed, of the full band to bring the song and the disc to a brilliant climax.
The two seconds of silence and the deep intake of breath that you’ll have after the end of the song will, if you’re like me, be the first time you appreciate the scale of what you’ve just witnessed. Don’t be fooled, Advantage haven’t all of a sudden given up on ska, or pop-punk or punk. It’s just that now this sound is broader, more diverse and much more powerful. It’s the sound of creative shackles being thrown off and a very good band coming of age, and taking on greatness. What’s ominous is that it leaves you feeling there’s still more to come. Given that these three songs continue to surprise and impress, that’s probably correct. Keep watching these guys: I suspect they’re just getting started.
Track listing:
1. Never Say Never
2. Phoenix
3. Here We Are
SB6 “micro” tour
Posted by jamie on Apr 9, 2009
The Sonic Boom Six have announced the dates for their in-store acoustic shows. More will apparently follow, but the first dates are up here.
