T Break Heat 4 @ The Liquid Room
A definite victory for the beards over the ""bands""!
| 15 Jun 2006
Tonight's heat is a fine example of T-Break showcasing a broad diversity of musical styles, belying the competition's widespread perception as a variation on the well-worn "battle of the young, male guitar bands" format. And it's the two more conventional "bands" in the pack that perhaps fail to break the mould this evening: the meat sandwiched between more experimental outfits.
Opening proceedings are Fair Witness (4/5), who have already wowed Celtic Connections' crowds with poignant folk-pop songs tackling love and loss. Straightforward words are elevated by wistful melodies, Suzanne Adam's pure, caressing vocals and sympathetic musical interplay.
Next are Employee of the Month (4/5), marrying jazz trio influences – hanging piano chords, busy, precise drumming, chunky bass licks – to the fizzing, delay guitar textures deployed by Sigur Ros and Mogwai. A fine, inventive mix it is too, cleverly paced to allow thoughts to drift dreamily one moment, then to provoke air drumming the next.
Beth Foreacre's (2/5) pleasant female-fronted pop – think Texas without the production polish – is competently executed, and the frontwoman looks and sounds the part. Despite the bassist's on-the-knees-writhing attempts to convey a sense of being caught up in a mindblowing experience, this group could do with some killer tunes, and the willingness to take a few sonic risks.
Emergency Red (3/5) are a tight power trio, strong on musical dynamics and song structures but needing to outstrip an obvious Muse/Feeder/Placebo template. The focus is firmly on lead singer Jake Bailey, who impresses with energetic moves, and a voice reminiscent of Brian Molko, but the lyrics could be sharpened up to avoid hackneyed phrases.
Free of Them (4/5) borrow the skilled jazz drummer from EOTM, add a bearded, middle-aged jazz bassist in tracky bottoms and a rapid-fire rapper girl who can sing sweetly, stir once and stand well back. The result is spontaneous, impassioned and a triumph of content over self-conscious posing.
A suitable curtain-raiser then for the superb Dumb Instrument (4/5), who, by the luck of the draw, deservedly close proceedings. Doing what any showcasers should do with only 20 minutes to communicate to an audience, these ragtag, folky Ayrshire balladeers leave me wanting to hear a lot more. Their grey bearded singer's soft Scottish burr conjures novelistic impressions of modern west-coast Scotland, alternately hilarious and genuinely poignant.
A definite victory for the beards over the "bands". [Iain Radcliffe]
Opening proceedings are Fair Witness (4/5), who have already wowed Celtic Connections' crowds with poignant folk-pop songs tackling love and loss. Straightforward words are elevated by wistful melodies, Suzanne Adam's pure, caressing vocals and sympathetic musical interplay.
Next are Employee of the Month (4/5), marrying jazz trio influences – hanging piano chords, busy, precise drumming, chunky bass licks – to the fizzing, delay guitar textures deployed by Sigur Ros and Mogwai. A fine, inventive mix it is too, cleverly paced to allow thoughts to drift dreamily one moment, then to provoke air drumming the next.
Beth Foreacre's (2/5) pleasant female-fronted pop – think Texas without the production polish – is competently executed, and the frontwoman looks and sounds the part. Despite the bassist's on-the-knees-writhing attempts to convey a sense of being caught up in a mindblowing experience, this group could do with some killer tunes, and the willingness to take a few sonic risks.
Emergency Red (3/5) are a tight power trio, strong on musical dynamics and song structures but needing to outstrip an obvious Muse/Feeder/Placebo template. The focus is firmly on lead singer Jake Bailey, who impresses with energetic moves, and a voice reminiscent of Brian Molko, but the lyrics could be sharpened up to avoid hackneyed phrases.
Free of Them (4/5) borrow the skilled jazz drummer from EOTM, add a bearded, middle-aged jazz bassist in tracky bottoms and a rapid-fire rapper girl who can sing sweetly, stir once and stand well back. The result is spontaneous, impassioned and a triumph of content over self-conscious posing.
A suitable curtain-raiser then for the superb Dumb Instrument (4/5), who, by the luck of the draw, deservedly close proceedings. Doing what any showcasers should do with only 20 minutes to communicate to an audience, these ragtag, folky Ayrshire balladeers leave me wanting to hear a lot more. Their grey bearded singer's soft Scottish burr conjures novelistic impressions of modern west-coast Scotland, alternately hilarious and genuinely poignant.
A definite victory for the beards over the "bands". [Iain Radcliffe]