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 guitarist Pat Samson, 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 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.
