Sebadoh @ The Classic Grand, 25 Apr

Those who have gathered early enough this evening to catch Copy Haho [**] appear to consider them nothing more than an unnecessary divergence from the main event, however pushing past the crowd’s indifference with some fired-up, Pavement-lauding quirk, there emerges a band in the making, who merit far more than the forced applause they receive.

True to Triptych’s ethos of diversity, Pram’s [***] multifarious blend of jazz, dub and avant-garde proves a polar opposite to Copy Ha Ho. With a surrealist black and white reel projected behind them, they brood through a set which touches upon the whisky-fug of Kruder & Dormeister, and looping etherialism of SeeFeel, but unlimitedly plays out without any discernable touchstones, proving at times, genuinely thrilling, at others, wildly self-indulgent; but ultimately, testament to their legacy as pioneers of music without peerage.

Sebadoh’s [*] lo-fi innovation in the early nineties cast them up as unwitting heroes of the d.i.y. ethic, and with well documented band tensions and break-ups, they have claimed pride of place in the pages of indie folklore. Tonight, with almost a decade gone since their demise, and with old scars healed, the Classic Grand welcomes not just any Sebadoh, but the original line-up. This evening, however, proves not to be one for greatness, nor even for the indulgence of past heroes. For what once held up as slacker-cool, as a reclined attitude, now plays out at best as contemptfully disinterested.

Gaffney’s opening gambit is slurring, lost, terminally tragic, and deflating. When Barlow takes front-stage, it’s with a far superior re-visit of classics such as Soul and Fire and Two Years Two Days, and there’s a fleeting moment of having stepped back to witness the band you once knew, but it’s all still too messy, and reeks of riding off past glories. Sadly, no amount of teary-eyed reminiscence can save this set from the resulting pile-up, and filing out, slightly bemused and sorely disappointed, the fact remains, it seems, that some things should remain in the past with good reason.