The Red Well @ Henry's Cellar Bar
indie version of 'Knees Up Mother Brown' awaited, suicide pill at the ready
| 11 Jan 2007
Indiana exiles, Playerpiano, are the first of three 'Analogue Catalogue'
acts on in Henry's this evening. As murmurs of a connection with the fantastic Fence Collective were heard, it's fair to say expectations were pretty high for a night of thoughtful lo-fi indie. It all started out so promisingly too.
Playerpiano take the stage albeit without their bass player, apparently enlisted because he was German; the thinking being that Germans are known for their reliability and discipline. Despite the one Guitar and one Drummer combination it's neither Lightning Bolt nor White Stripes that spring to mind but more Granddaddy or Pavement. Jeremy, Playerpiano's front man, abstractly muses for the entirety of the set, and were it not for the music it would be hard to tell where the songs begin and the repartee ends. This is no bad thing though. A perfect, genuinely engaging performance and they leave the stage to warm, deserving applause.
Candythief are a different animal altogether. Although similar in style to
Playerpiano, everything in this performance seems too affected, the
vocalist being the main offender, sounding like Dick Van Dyke vomiting
into Pete Doherty's open veins. Although born far, far away from Albert
Square, her cockney drawl is unmistakable, her indie version of 'Knees Up Mother Brown' awaited, suicide pill at the ready. Although the crowd has now swelled somewhat since the first act had departed, the love has left the room.
This leaves The Red Well with a difficult task - the quintet employ more of a wall of sound approach than the previous two acts. Headliners by virtue of volume, they provide an interesting edge to the night. The fifth song, in particular, turns a few heads, containing a keyboard effect that sounds like something from Kill Bill. As a showcase of the eclectic nature of the Analogue artist, tonight didn't always agree with everyone, although it at least provoked a reaction, which is all you can really ask. [David Coyle]
acts on in Henry's this evening. As murmurs of a connection with the fantastic Fence Collective were heard, it's fair to say expectations were pretty high for a night of thoughtful lo-fi indie. It all started out so promisingly too.
Playerpiano take the stage albeit without their bass player, apparently enlisted because he was German; the thinking being that Germans are known for their reliability and discipline. Despite the one Guitar and one Drummer combination it's neither Lightning Bolt nor White Stripes that spring to mind but more Granddaddy or Pavement. Jeremy, Playerpiano's front man, abstractly muses for the entirety of the set, and were it not for the music it would be hard to tell where the songs begin and the repartee ends. This is no bad thing though. A perfect, genuinely engaging performance and they leave the stage to warm, deserving applause.
Candythief are a different animal altogether. Although similar in style to
Playerpiano, everything in this performance seems too affected, the
vocalist being the main offender, sounding like Dick Van Dyke vomiting
into Pete Doherty's open veins. Although born far, far away from Albert
Square, her cockney drawl is unmistakable, her indie version of 'Knees Up Mother Brown' awaited, suicide pill at the ready. Although the crowd has now swelled somewhat since the first act had departed, the love has left the room.
This leaves The Red Well with a difficult task - the quintet employ more of a wall of sound approach than the previous two acts. Headliners by virtue of volume, they provide an interesting edge to the night. The fifth song, in particular, turns a few heads, containing a keyboard effect that sounds like something from Kill Bill. As a showcase of the eclectic nature of the Analogue artist, tonight didn't always agree with everyone, although it at least provoked a reaction, which is all you can really ask. [David Coyle]