Annie Christian @ Cabaret Voltaire

Some forward-thinking motherfuckers, as Julian Cope would say

Article by Dave Kerr | 08 Oct 2007

C'mon, raise the roof, pants down! Drummer Michael Brannagh's tongue-in-cheek Partridgeisms set Little Doses (4/5) up for another in a line of relaxed semi-acoustic Cab Vol gigs. Although they continue to shed rhythm guitarists at a rate of Spinal Tap drummers, the Doses don't let it stand in the way of progress. From the obvious sense of camaraderie they exude through to Kirsten Ross's feisty delivery – of new ditty Juniper Hill in particular - the black 'n' red brigade continues to build a strong head of steam. Somewhere an A&R man sleeps.

:cryoverbillionaires (4/5) are an entirely different kettle of piranha, pairing crunchy guitars and confrontational, booming vocals with tender, brittle psychedelic moments; their heady blend of loud-quiet-loud is dramatic at best. Evoking, for touchstone comparison's sake, McClusky, Stapleton and Deftones having some kind of a three-way arm wrestle, their firebrand works and is at its most challenging when singer and drummer peel paint off the walls by sparring over Of All Evil's roaring chorus.

"If the Spice Girls can do it, then so can we…they're some forward-thinking motherfuckers, as Julian Cope would say," nods Larry Lean. Arriving at the end of a summer choked full of unlikely comebacks, it's refreshing to see one purely motivated by something other than the lure of the green. Reverting back to their old Annie Christian (4/5) banner for the sake of reclaiming their back catalogue, the band now formerly known as Last Great Wilderness forge together the light and dark elements of both worlds; armed with cathartic howls, blazing riffs and unshakable thousand yard stares. As guitar heads and loose limbs flail and miraculously miss contact while Lean lunges around the stage like he's trekking uphill, the synchronicity is mesmerising and their understated anthems are greeted like old friends. With a few more gigs already on the horizon, it looks like they won't just be passing by in the night. (Dave Kerr)

Anniechristian play The Tunnels, Aberdeen on 27 Oct
:cryoverbillionaires play
King Tut's, Glasgow on 10 Oct
Doghouse, Dundee on 20 Oct
Henry's Cellar Bar, Edinburgh on 23 Oct
Greenside, Leslie on 27 Oct

http://www.myspace.com/anniechristian, http://www.myspace.com/littledoses, http://www.myspace.com/cryoverbillionaires