Vukovi/Selective Service/Girobabies/Sound Over Silence/Little Fire - Troon (11/9/11)

Over the course of the weekend Troon pulled out all the stops and had something like eighty bands playing in multiple venues under the banner of 'Live@Troon'.
Unfortunately I couldn't manage to attend anything until the last night, and that was a showcase of unsigned talent in the town hall.
On arriving Little Fire was finishing a set that was a last minute addition to the bill.
I've been keen to catch him and until now failed miserably in managing to be in the same place at the same time.
Even on this night I was skirting close to snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. If I'd arrived ten minutes later I wouldn't even have known that he had played.
However from the basis of the single solitary song I did hear it was obvious that the superlative praise that is often cast in his direction is well deserved.
He's a man that can certainly carry a passionate and heartfelt performance.
In the local pool of talented singer and songwriters he's another of the big fishes looking to make the leap into the wider consciousness of the public and it's an achievable dream.
So watch this space and hopefully an interview can be sorted out and we can maybe in some small way spread the word.
First of the announced bands to play were the rock act 'Sound Over Silence' who didn't initially impress, but then bludgeoned me into reconsidering my opinion until I had to accept that on planet RAWK these guys are very obviously more than ready to take on the big boys.
By avoiding the worst of the cartoonish excesses of the genre they have made themselves an attractive proposition for those who like it heavy, but insist on a side order of melody with that heaviness.
I personally wouldn't rush out to buy anything by then, but I wouldn't knock anyone else for doing so.
The ever magical drunken and exuberant Girobabies followed them and equally confused and entertained the crowd.
Acerbic, challenging and just bloody wonderful.
For me they are one of the few real punk bands playing in Scotland.
They would probably argue that they aren't a punk band, but what else are a group of individuals who do what the damn well please musically and refuse to be pigeon holed by defined genre names?
They aren't the public perception of what a punk band would be, but that's because in general the public haven't a clue what the real ethos of punk is.
If they could wrap their heads around it being about the freedom of expression then they would surely agree that the Girobabies define the true meaning of it.
After a short break Selective Service took to the stage and played a set of sixties inspired songs that just failed to grab me.
Similar to The Coral they know what they are doing and I can't fault the songs, but the delivery of them left me cold and I found my attention wandering as there wasn't a great deal of stage presence.
The cover of Gimme Shelter went some way to salvaging what could well have been a forgettable performance, but it was maybe just a little bit too little too late.
Headliners of the night 'Vukovi' managed to finish the evening off in style.
Don't even try to get to grips with what they are doing though. Just go with it if you get the chance.
It's like a fusion of indie rock, punk and pop that slices through the air and refuses to be pinned down.
This is a band who are firing on all cylinders and rushing headlong towards wherever they want to go.
The breaks are off and there's a little bit of something for everyone in their sound.
When anyone says that you can't please all the people all of the time then you can say that Vukovi are the exception to the rule.
A really exciting band, and one worth keeping an eye out for.