|
I love the idea of seedy bars with low ceilings and smoky air, cigarettes
and alcohol. It's my perfect habitat. The Dublin Castle is just like this. I'm here for a band I saw a little while ago. I caught the last two songs
which had them getting their air miles from the stage via strike-a-pose rock
guitarists and a leaping-from-speakers bassist. I went on about
them to everyone I knew in the hope they could tell me more about them. Which
is why I was immediately drawn to Antihero's press listing, playing
alongside the much whispered-about Miss Black America, whom I had not heard but
had read lots of thumbs-up reviews on.
Unfortunately, Miss Black America didnt really blow my horn. The lead singer,
Seymour Glass (FYI: a character from JD Salinger's 'Franny & Zooey'), is
definitely ahead of the fray in terms of raw energy exertion, but the rest of
the band don't seem to share his exuberance in showmanship. The resulting soggy
biscuit is fairly bland re-hashed rock'n'roll and from all the hoopla I was
expecting something pretty darn swellegant from these guys; perhaps that's
why I wasn't blown away. Their drummer's really cute though...
But the night was not lost to mediocrity! We were saved by the unlikely fresh young
things, Antihero. They are:
- Guitar/vocals: Marcus Ratcliff. Looks like a surfer, kinda like Bodhi from
the movie 'Point Break' if he moved to Nirvana-era Seattle and picked up a
guitar - and sulked a lot.
- Vocals/guitar: Pete Hurley. A punk-boy-band-member lookalike a la Billy Idol. Amazing rock'n'roll neck-conipition fits!
- Bassist: Davo McConville. Schizo Chilli Peppers' Flea type of excitability; a
little hysterical and a little self-absorbed.
- Drummer: Jack Hamson. Basically a seated moshpit animal.
So, there you go, a band that fits every criteria of fancy you may have.
They are fairly young but if you were listening to their CD you wouldn't
notice. They must be kings of whatever school they go to judging by the
abundance of 17-year-old girls dominating the front row, but the 25+ year
old peripheral are nodding their heads in appreciation too.
MTV is a great track with Pixies-ish hooks and Nirvana middle-finger
fuck-you lyrics. Rolling Stone T-shirt is an excellent punk hate-ballad
with great rock'n'roll licks and their new single, 'Who's Looking Out For
Number One' is a great punk track reminiscent of Smashing Pumpkins'
cherub rock.
Even though the ceiling was a little too low for a Davo tantrum (he did look
frantically around for something to throw himself off at the end of the gig,
grabbing hold of the speakers and searching the stage for a suitable podium.
Showman dedication!) they are, all in all, a thoroughly enjoyable band who
wouldn't look out of place if they played a larger venue like Brixton Academy or The
Forum. In fact, I think it would suit them extremely well. Fans: make it so.
 |
latest live reviews:
An Honest Jons Chop Up! @ Barbican, London
N*E*R*D @ KOKO, London
Franz Ferdinand @ Point, Cardiff
The Black Seeds @ Cargo, London
Sam Sparro @ Bloomsbury Ballroom, London
Radiohead @ Victoria Park, London
Massive Attack @ Royal Festival Hall, London
George Clinton @ Royal Festival Hall, London
Gang Of Four @ Royal Festival Hall, London
Elbow + Fleet Foxes @ Royal Festival Hall, London
Stiff Little Fingers @ Royal Festival Hall, London
The Shortwave Set + Martina Topley-Bird @ Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
Coldplay @ Brixton Academy, London
Sparks @ Islington Academy/Shepherd's Bush Empire, London
Joan As Police Woman @ Scala, London
 |
share with:
