New Found Sound @ Cabaret Voltaire
An evening equally as thick with distortion as it is with some isolated despair
| 12 Dec 2006
Resurfacing in Edinburgh after his Bongo Club triumph at the New Found Sound final in July, tonight Glasgow's laptop-beats driven singer songwriter Sixpeopleaway pumps up his volume by incorporating a bass player into the mix. With this extra component to back his velvety voice, the results are generally more impressive than his Bongo show. Though, of course, such displays of tender balladry do usually require a certain frame of mind to be appreciated. Mood music then, but expanding his band further might open up Sixpeopleaway's aesthetic to a wider audience.
Next in line and providing something of a pick me up, guitar squall
is the order of the day as indie rock Edinburgers Callel trundle through a slightly prolonged (given Amplifico's absence) but fairly determined performance. Although they don't flaunt too many properties to set them apart from the pack, they have a blast while they kick out the jams and go down well as a result. At one point they threaten an intriguing collision between At The Drive-In and The Knack with a crunching beat that alludes a little too dependably towards 'One Armed Scissor' meets 'My Sharona' - alas, this urgency sinks into something a lot less exciting. Not quite packing the same punch as the original son of Krypton, but it's a gallant attempt at filling 'the 'fico's' shoes nevertheless.
Callel pave the way for a performance that plays out like an exorcism for recent One Little Indian signing, Rose Kemp. No, not Grant Mitchell, and that's probably not a new gag either, wise ass. Conjuring up a sound that is equally as thick with distortion as it is with some isolated despair, Kemp and her able drummer steamroller through a set of goth rock with the odd acoustic lament. The density of a particularly angst-laden set unevenly veers between impenetrable and intoxicating, although Kemp's vocals are strong and an abundance of promise suggests that this talent should reach audiences far beyond Cockburn Street. [Dave Kerr]
Next in line and providing something of a pick me up, guitar squall
is the order of the day as indie rock Edinburgers Callel trundle through a slightly prolonged (given Amplifico's absence) but fairly determined performance. Although they don't flaunt too many properties to set them apart from the pack, they have a blast while they kick out the jams and go down well as a result. At one point they threaten an intriguing collision between At The Drive-In and The Knack with a crunching beat that alludes a little too dependably towards 'One Armed Scissor' meets 'My Sharona' - alas, this urgency sinks into something a lot less exciting. Not quite packing the same punch as the original son of Krypton, but it's a gallant attempt at filling 'the 'fico's' shoes nevertheless.
Callel pave the way for a performance that plays out like an exorcism for recent One Little Indian signing, Rose Kemp. No, not Grant Mitchell, and that's probably not a new gag either, wise ass. Conjuring up a sound that is equally as thick with distortion as it is with some isolated despair, Kemp and her able drummer steamroller through a set of goth rock with the odd acoustic lament. The density of a particularly angst-laden set unevenly veers between impenetrable and intoxicating, although Kemp's vocals are strong and an abundance of promise suggests that this talent should reach audiences far beyond Cockburn Street. [Dave Kerr]