DELTA + KIDD DYNAMO
London Camden Monarch 13th February 2002


Tonight is actually the London debut of Kidd Dynamo The Band, and the nerves I expected due to the potential record company presence don't materialise. Although Colin has done a couple of acoustic warm-up shows on the nights previous to this, tonight the full band is here for the entire set.
It's always difficult to review 'new' bands without comparing them to x, y and z, but I can honestly say that I could distinguish a Kidd Dynamo song straight away. There are bands that share similar influences - maybe Sparklehorse (though maybe that's just because of the 'vampire planet' line in the opening song tonight), Guided By Voices or Pavement would all feature if you were trying to describe how they sounded, but for me Kidd Dynamo already sound like themselves. And they're still unsigned!
'Like the Cars' is a really great song. I remember someone telling me that the first time they heard it they thought it was a cover, although they hoped that KD wrote it cos it was good. 'Tallest Things' and the limited edition debut single 'I am a Landslide' prove that the band are gelling really well and these get the best reaction from the audience. Bonus points also for keeping a fair amount of the crowd upstairs and paying attention, despite the fact that most of them are here to see the other bands. They play a slow one next, and finish off with the epic, slightly repetitive one that they played at Smog, which gives them a chance to indulge in a bit of dual lead guitar.
I couldn't say how many 'important industry people' got to see them tonight, but everyone came away impressed.
Apparently Delta have a bad day, their late arrival from Birmingham meaning that they couldn't soundcheck. They've been around for a good few years now, and I think they've had their fair share of music biz hassles along the way. They have a shaky start tonight so I go downstairs to the bar for a while, but when I return about ten minutes later they've got things sorted out.
They always seem to get compared to Spiritualized, and while they do seem to be coming from the same place musically, Delta don't get bloated and pompous. They also have a knack for writing decent pop melodies, actually reminding me more of the Las than anything else. I know very little about them really, but a lot of people in the crowd seemed to know all the words - and the response is good enough to suggest that Delta have plenty of life in them yet.

SMOG + KIDD DYNAMO
Belfast Empire Music Hall 11th November 2001
A very civilised atmosphere for this Sunday night show, the venue laid out with tables and chairs and polite notices to tell us to be quiet. That certainly works, as the Empire is almost deathly quiet at times and at one point we can hear the music from downstairs seeping up through the floor!
The last time I saw Kidd Dynamo it was a solo performance by main songwriter Colin, but tonight they are an ever-expanding band. They start with three people - two guitars and one bass - and end up as a five piece, with extra guitar and a real live drummer. I wasn't sure how I would take to the full band, but I have to say they were great. The bottom line is that they have really strong songs which stand up on their own, but sound just as good when fleshed out with more musicians. Apparently some of the band are borrowed from the ranks of Tracer AMC (another hotly tipped N. Ireland band) and they fit in really well - the second guitarist adds a lot of depth and texture to Colin's songs. It's all good stuff, with 'I Am A Landslide' standing out - but that's partly because it's the only title I can recall. The potentially sacreligious cover of 'Teenage Kicks' closes the set in fine style and, as I said in my previous review, they make it sound like one of their own.
Smog, or (Smog) as they seem to be billed these days, are one of those bands with an everchanging live line-up. Bill Callahan is the only constant figure and the name Smog is primarily a vehicle for his songwriting talents. Various luminaries of the underground scene have guested on his records - David Grubbs and Jim O'Rourke have guested in the past and even the bloke from the distinctly un-Smoglike US Maple features on the recent album 'Rain on Lens'. Tonight Bill is accompanied by a violinist, another guitarist and one of the greatest drummers around - Jim White (Dirty 3, Catpower, etc). Jim's rather laidback style contrasts with Bill's uptight stage presence and makes this Smog line-up into bizarre visual entertainment. Bill moves so awkwardly that it seems he's wearing a pair of new jeans which don't fit him too well, whereas Jim plays fantastic drums whilst looking like a scruffy pizza chef!
We get some new material (Take the Prisoners Swimming) mixed in with old favourites like 'Bathysphere' and uptempo tunes like 'Cold Blooded Old Times'. The atmospheric 'Blood Red Bird' is particularly haunting in this oddly quiet venue, while the poppy 'Ex-Con' benefits from some abrasive John Cale-style violin.
He may be too shy to be interviewed, but I'm quite taken with the way Bill Callahan treats the encores. Someone shouts for 'Hit the Ground Running' and he plays it straight away. The wonderful 'Teenage Spaceship' also originates the same way and puts a fitting end to a great gig. Smog are much live entertainment than I had dared hope for. Go and see them.

JACOB GOLDEN + KIDD DYNAMO
London 12 Bar Club 6th September 2001
Kidd Dynamo is basically one guy from Northern Ireland and this is his first time in London. Although KD has functioned as a band, tonight it is just Colin and his acoustic guitar. This is a suitably intimate venue for solo performers and he comes across very well. I've never heard anything other than the full band demo of 'I Am A Landslide' on the Belfest compilation CD last year, so I wasn't sure what to expect. One thing is for certain though, I didn't expect him to be this good! Although I haven't heard any of the material before, the important thing that it sounds strong enough when performed solo. If you're looking for references, I would lazily suggest the songs of people like Mark Eitzel, Mark Kozelek and Sparklehorse, though Kidd Dynamo sounds like himself. He proves this when he covers 'Teenage Kicks' as the last song, and it comes out sounding like one of his own. One of the tracks he played tonight will be on the next Cd with Comes With a Smile magazine, so you know what to do.
The guy playing afterwards does my head in, so I have to be coaxed out of the bar to see headliner Jacob Golden. Although I didn't know it at the time, this new Rough Trade signing has been playing this club every Thursday for the last six weeks, so he has built up a bit of a following. It's easy to see why. His extraordinary voice is just perfect in a small room like this, and he is a more powerful performer than his recent mini-album suggests. In fact the whole 'vibe' is what I imagine an early performance by Jeff Buckley (or maybe even his dad Tim) would be like. Clearly Jeff Buckley and Miracle Legion's Mark Mulcahy are the obvious comparisons, though the songs could fit happily beside Radiohead or REM. He's a fine songwriter too, as I assume most of the material is original, although he covers two Nina Simone songs quite brilliantly ('The Other Woman' and one other I can't recall). I think at heart, Jacob Golden is very much a singer and a performer, and despite his lack of released music he plays a really long set, happy to do a couple of encores. Jump at the chance to see him, especially in a small venue like this. I'm so glad I went out tonight.

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