Yep, this is the stuff I used to write. I've included an old Ooberman and Skyride review for posterity, and a couple of other things as a reminder of the time when at least I got to go to two gigs a year, instead of the current None Whatsoever. (NB Unless otherwise stated all articles are by yours truly.)
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JJ72/Audiosyncracy/Desert Hearts- The Limelight, Belfast, 9 August 2000
Right, first of all this was a free gig, so 10 out of 10 already. Secondly, as venues go this is on the matchbox scale, so hurrah. Thirdly, if Audiosyncracy are reading this, for God's sake sort your bass out. Thankyou.
Small venues! They're warmer than the eighth circle of hell but they're so much more fun. Especially if you're in the front row. Not that anyone much cared for being down the front for Desert Hearts, which is utterly unfair as they're brilliant. Audiosyncracy... hmmm. Maybe I was just too itchy to see JJ72 to enjoy them, but I was itchy during DH as well and I thought they were ace, so I guess it's just not my cuppa tea. Still, nice to see folk dancing.
JJ72 took a bloody hour to get onstage, it was nearly midnight before they got actually *did*. But when they did, wow. Long Way South was on first and yes, of course it sounds like Joy Division, but there are worse things on the planet to sound like. They followed it up with the gorgeous Snow, then my personal favourite Surrender, and so on through an acoustic Desertion (bye Hilary & Fergal) and a fantastic reading of October Swimmer (hello again!). To be honest they were extremely good the whole way through, Hilary not making a very good job of being an ice maiden by smiling all night, and Mark going from looking horribly pissed off to looking chuffed that the crowd were so up for it- which they were, they were mental for JJ72, the lot of them. Cool.
A guitar-trashing later, they're gone, and we all want more. But we ain't getting any. I got Mark's setlist though, which is nice! And a towel! Hurrah! A fab gig from a band who are going to go far. See them in an ickle venue while you still can dears...
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Ooberman/Skyride, Highbury Garage, December 12 2000
I think I'm supposed to review this. Bloody hell.
Actually I don't know where to begin. Maybe by pointing out the fact that neither of these bands has a proper record deal is frankly, madness. The tale of Ooberman need hardly be recounted, but we'll talk about them later. Oh, and yes, there was another band at this but, er, I wasn't paying much attention...
So, bands and record deals. Or lack thereof. Yet there are thousands of people (well okay, the press) who constantly bemoan bands sounding uninspired and boring and dull, and THEY have their deals. Maybe they should look at Skyride, then. Because they're ace. Not just because I say so (as if that makes any difference) but because they are. Because in a six-song set at least three of them sound classic already (Superman, Something Else & Sugar in case you were wondering- hmm, lots of s's flying about here... If, by the way, you're going to get hold of something, then it really should be Something Else... since Sugar hasn't been recorded yet. Damn). Because they know what they're doing. Because they mean it, okay? You can tell they mean it just by watching them, and if that isn't an indicator of quality, what is? That means nothing without tunes, of course- but as I said, they bloody well have them. Especially Something Else. If it had been properly released, then it'd be all over those Singles of the Year charts, and guess what? It's top live. Then there's Sugar, which is *far* too good to remain in not-recorded land and involved a neat trick with a tape recorder. In short- go and see this band. I've heard Muse comparisons flying about, but they're less whiny than Muse, but more rock then Coldplay. Not that I wanted to compare Skyride to either, but that's what people want to know, who else do they sound like? Who CARES? All you need to know is that they're good. Seek them out, and if you're disappointed, it's your loss, pal...
Ooberman, then. By looking at some of the reactions to shiny new single Dolphin Blue, you'd be forgiven for thinking that even the biggest fans are losing faith in the band. Once again, their loss. This gig confirmed that Ooberman can do anything when they're on form, and have a lot more where that came from. Opening with newie Bluebell Morning then launching into- as usual- rapturously received Blossoms Falling, and FINALLY playing one of the best laments to unrequited love ever, Moth To A Flame, the crowd loves them. Already. Two favourites- Why Did My Igloo Collapse? and Danny Boy appear and sound as good as everyone expected them to, then more newbies- Ghosts of Saturday Night and the very jaunty It's Alright For You 'Cos You're Beautiful, the first outing for guitarist Andy Flett on lead vocals- methinks they might have written another theme song for the disaffected! Not that the Oobs are about being disaffected- whoever decided that the gorgeous, unspeakably lovely Roll Me In Cotton (confession- I cried) should be followed by Bees, its exact opposite, THEN Heavy Duty, THEN Serotonin Smile, all of which are faster than a speeding fast thing and more fun than a barrel of fun things is a genius. And if Here Come The Ice Wolves (er, I *think* that's what they called it) isn't up there with Cotton on the loveliness stakes, then I don't know. Stormtrooper sends the whole place mental, and then- they're gone. And you'd think that'd be the maddest moment of the night, but no. We get Kill The Rabbit as part of the encore. With Stevis on vocals. And it is in fact even more bloody mental than before, but not as mental as Stevis himself. A definite highlight of a set that seemed to consist of highlights, from all the new songs to Andy's impromptu jamming session to Soph playing guitar to... oh, all of it. Then ending on Sugarbum. Top gig, top band, bottom of chart. Maybe Ooberman will end up staying there, sadly, but they certainly don't deserve it. I mean, they have everything the music press would have far too many believe they want- a lead singer who has a big stage persona, they're certainly not untalented in the musicianship stakes, they have a truckload of tunes that seem destined to stay hidden classics... as for the twee thing, OH GET OVER YOURSELVES. So what if they like singing about dolphins and prettiness and springtime? They're bloody good at what they do. Life's not all doom & gloom, and it's not as if Ooberman have completely ignored that fact either. Keep the faith kids... they're still good.
It was an ace gig, basically. Both of these need YOUR attention now, so find them and give it to them. They won't come looking for you anytime soon, as well you know. You have to do the work yourself sometimes, but if you find something genuinely special, then it's all worth it. And this gig was proof of that.
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