GDFAF #11 was back to Bar Academy where I feel like I’m spending rather a lot of time this fortnight even though this is only the third visit. Read into that what you will. It’s kinda interesting going to the same venue to see different acts. In some ways the room does have an effect on the experience but on the whole it’s the band and their audience which make the place their own. This time, however, the room was laid out slightly differently, with tables and stools scattered around the place evoking some sort of sparsely furnished late night lounge bar. Combined with the headliners being some kind of jazz-fusion thing this looked like being a kind of chilled evening. Not so.
Oh yeah, more adventures on the being-searched-at-Bar-Academy front. Last time I was there my camera was passed apparently because it was digital. This time the (very friendly, it must be said) bouncer wanted to know if it had a flash. Yes, but I don’t use it, I said in a manner that implied “like I’m the sort of foolish amateur that would use a flash.” I used to use flash at gigs until it was pointed out to me that bands find this sort of thing fucking irritating, so I stopped, relying on a steady hand, long exposure and loads of shots (about 150 per gig) which I think makes for better photos. But I digress.
The support were Breezer, a local band of some quality who blew away any preconceptions about the evening being laid back with some robust pop-rock. On the face of it this was pretty standard stuff – four guys, three guitars, melodic vocals to a solid 4/4 beat – but either through skill or perseverance they’ve managed to add something onto this formula, little flourishes that didn’t get in the way, raising them above the bar while still keeping them very accessible. Unlike some bands they know what their guitars are for and use them well with moments of subtle genius amongst the noise. They were very tight, rattling through their songs with no faffing even with a broken string and toppled mic stand. I should be finding this sort of thing rather tiresome by now but I came away impressed. Nice one.
Acoustic Ladyland were our headliners and like many of the higher priced shows I’ve been to they had a small but loyal following. As they were setting up people started staking out their pitches near the stage to the extent that I became worried about getting a good view for photos and wound up sitting right at the front leaning against a speaker. Just before they started I spotted the band drawing on the condensation in the window behind the stage, as bands often do, and was surprised to see the drummer writing the most delicate words with his drumstick. This artistry followed through to his playing, making him the best drummer I’ve seen at a gig. The complexity of his playing was stunning, dipping in and out of double and tripple time, and seemingly effortless as he gazed off to one side.
This extreme level of musicianship was born out across the group. It’s so rare to see a bass guitar being used for more that providing a steady rhythm and this guy produced sounds I didn’t think a bass could make. Meanwhile the keyboardist veered between virtuoso jazz piano and pounding noise terror with ease. And then up front was the saxophonist, the epitome of craggy rock cool with a gloriously dull sax that had obviously been with him for a long time. The sax screamed the role of vocalist with ease and added so much more.
After a couple of tunes the folk sitting at the front were motioned to stand, which they did, and it all kicked off with limbs flailing as people tried to keep up with the changing time signatures and gave up, just letting the music drive them. My plans for taking photos were ruined as I found myself enveloped in hyperactivity with a wall of people behind me, but it didn’t matter. This shit was good. The sax lends some obvious comparisons to Morphine but I found myself thinking this was what jazz was supposed to sound like – aggressive, experimental and above all exciting. It helps that Acoustic Ladyland pay homage to the New York punk scene, something which is further enhanced by this not being at all apparent in their music. A tune was announced as a tribute to a composer I didn’t know (and can’t remember) and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs but there was nothing blatantly “punk” about it – they just channeled something and made it their own.
Interesting to note that, unless I’m forgetting someone, this was the first band I’ve seen that had no singer. The whole set was instrumental, and yet they felt more intimate than many of the bands I’ve seen. The technical musicianship could so easily have made them aloof while the desire to tear it down and rock out could have resulted in a shambles, but they trod that delicate line with confidence and passion. Wonderful stuff.
I was expecting, as this fortnight drew to a close, to enter into some kind of entertaining psychotic meltdown in the spirit of Hunter S Thompson but it seems I’m just developing a mild flu. So like all the good rock journalists before me I’m turning to drugs to get me through it. Paracetamol, mainly, plus some vitamin supplements. And plenty of orange juice. I’ve also been having remarkably lucid fever-dreams about bands and gigs and photographs, though naturally I can’t remember any of the details.
Met a nice chap who was dancing so much he managed to lose his glasses twice. He asked me who I was taking photos for and I gave him the URL. If you’re reading this, hello chap!
Actually, I have a dilemma for Thursday. It’s New Band Night at both the Flapper and Bar Academy. The former is run by Zoot who’s night I enjoyed a lot last week. The latter is run by the Catapult Club who’s night on the first Saturday was awful. My instinct is to give Catapult a second chance, although I technically did this already on the first day. In fact including Jeffrey Lewis I’ve done three Catapult gigs so far. Maybe I should go for Zoot to balance thing out.
Unless there is a third, more obscure, option, my vote is for the Flapper and Firkin.
If I’d been in Birmingham last night, I would have gone to that gig – I was very impressed by them on ‘Later With Jools Holland’ earlier in the year. Glad you enjoyed them.
Cheers for the (Breezer) review, glad we floated your boat. We’re releasing a single early next year and we’ll be having a swanky launch party, which you are welcome to come to.
Greg (the drummer)