 A newish venue for rock
in Edinburgh and how appropriate that Schroeder should appear
here for their first gig. A Marvellous Mechanical Mouse Organ
offshoot, Ewan John's band are almost unplugged apart from slightly
amplified keyboards and guitar and we can tell that a wall of
noise isn't on the cards. Lilting gentle melodies are what this
band's about, and songs about love and strawberries are a lovely
start to the proceedings. |
 Aether Flux on the other hand have brought
their own wall of sound in the form of samples and loops plus
a conventional drumkit, and proceed to generate great swathes
of throbbing noise. On record this comes across as as quite a
regimented approach leading to a slightly ambient vibe but here
they're more free to experiment and sounds ebb and flow, samples
speed up and grind to a halt and there's a definite freeform
element as the band have room to experiment and create on the
fly. |
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Sputniks Down, also drummerless,
are recent signings to Human Condition, the label that started
Idlewild on the road to success. Not that the Spuds will necessarily
be on Top of the Pops, at least not yet. Again utilising samplers,and
drum machines, the band are quite different from their predecessors
onstage - "this one was written in the 80's" announces
David and indeed a very D.I.S.C.O rhythm propels the 'song' along.
Each piece is defined by the beat - their most upbeat track is
almost triphop with an Aphex Twin feel while the slower stuff
broods with a smoky almost film-noir feel as guitars chime and
keyboards swirl. Despite that they have a way with a tune and
while they might not be writing love songs they WILL find a way
to your hearts. Promise. |