With the
Olympic torch passing close by the streets are heavy with police
motorbikes and riot vans.
The
pavements are less busy with spectators.
It's
getting late, and for many people all they are thinking about is
getting home from work.
It's very
obvious that the auspicious honour of bearing the torch doesn't have
the same attraction when it slips down streets that aren't media hot
spots.
There's
no kids chasing the torch bearer, no pavements full of cheering
supporters gurning and waving at the cameras, and instead there's
just small pockets of what I presume are family and friends looking
on.
No one
seems to care that much about it at all.
Meanwhile
mere yards away Roscoe Vacant, with three of his four Gantin'
Scriechs, took to the stage in The Bay.
The
setting isn't strange, but I'm feeling a bit discombobulated as the
band are playing in front of windows where the days fading light is
their backdrop.
This
throws me a little as I'm used to seeing them perform in bars late at
nights and in subterranean clubs that have never seen natural light.
Yet in
some way it felt that the setting was adding a little frisson to
proceedings.
Maybe a
bit of Dylan Thomas as Roscoe and his band were unwittingly standing
up to 'Rage, rage against the dying of the light'.
A modern
day poet in his lyrical stance, Roscoe Vacant, is the sharp edge to
social commentary, a folk punk with a a fistful of passionate songs
to sing in a take no prisoners manner.
He's a
mix of Robert Burns, the two Woody's, Strummer and Guthrie, and the
product of a straight talking mining community that has shaped his
views on everything that you could care to mention.
If you
want a rant about the sectarian divide that blights the west coast of
Scotland then he's the man to give you it.
Similarly
if you want to address the failings of the unions over the last
twenty odd years then he will also happily ring a song out about that
to.
Some have
claimed him to be an acquired taste, but with a bit of effort the
rewards to listening to him are untold.
With his
last album it could comfortably sit between the Pixies and the Pogues
and you can't say that about many people.
Within
the confines of the Bay it was refreshing to see the crowd watch the
band with an open mind, and to go on and willingly show their
appreciation of what they are doing.
After the
set I was speaking to Roscoe who said that he felt happy with the
performance, and from an artist is hyper self critical that was
saying something.
I
sincerely hope that this is the beginning of a run of gigs where he
finds an audience who can tune into what he is doing.
The
majority of people there were however attending the show to see Jon
Snodgrass, and if I was to hazard a guess as to why then I'd lay
money on it being down to the split 10”/Download that he did with
Frank Turner.
The
amount of Turner t-shirts and the regularity that his name trips from
peoples lips make it a tad obvious.
Regardless
of their reasons for making the effort to show up for the gig they
were keen to be entertained as when both Jon and Cory wandered
through the crowd to take their places behind the microphones the
buzz was palpable.
I'd
previously heard both while trawling the internet, and kicking about
somewhere is a few Drag the River albums, but until now I had seen
neither live.
My
ignorance to what they do on stage actually extended to the point
that I was under the impression that they were going to play separate
sets, and maybe at some point of the night perform some songs
together from their split release from 2009.
Instead
they simply hung about on stage shoulder to shoulder and comfortably
eased into songs as the mood took them.
It's a
communal performance with each of them accompanying the other as
required.
Jon would
add some vocals and guitar to one of Cory's songs and likewise Cory
would do the same for Jon.
It's an
approach that could lend itself to being disjointed and problematic,
but in this case it flowed rather naturally, and I presume that ease
is rooted in the artistic relationship that the two men have.
For
myself I was more impressed when Cory Branan took the lead, but
that's not to say that Jon Snodgrass is a lesser talent, but more so
an expression of my own personal tastes.
Both are
of course exceptionally talented individuals.
It's just
that the gruff tones of Cory's voice ticks more of the boxes for me.
Musically
Jon is an extension of Drag the River minus the vocals of Chad Price.
There's
no great leap in a different direction, and instead he's still
meandering down the path without any distractions from forks in the
road that are there.
Fans of
the band would not be disappointed with the performance, and anyone
being introduced to what Jon does should have been suitably
impressed.
However
for me it was Cory who stole the show.
He's the
raconteur of the two and comes across like an amalgamation of every
blue collar troubadour you could care to name.
It's
entirely possible that I'm holding the minority view in my preference
for Cory over Jon because as said the crowd was in the main there to
see Jon play, but in all honestly there's a small voice whispering
away in my ear that this was only down to the 'Turner' influence, and
if Jon hadn't released that split with him then there would have been
far fewer people willing to dip their toe in and sample what was on
offer.
Regardless
of that I sincerely hope that they liked what they seen in its
totality, and will now use the experience as a catalyst for action
and begin to keep an ear out for artists of a similar ilk.
Full
kudos has to go to promoter 'Punk Rock Rammy' for making this gig a
reality.
Well
played.
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