I don't
think many people would disagree that with every solo gig that Cal
Murray tucks under his belt that he just gets better and better.
He's
certainly blossoming as a solo artist.
It's not
that the material he is playing has gotten stronger as it was
topically powerful from day one. Instead it seems to be that he is
just becoming increasingly comfortable playing front and centre on
his own, and that confidence allows his set to flow far more evenly
resulting in a firmer connection with an audience.
Previously
pretty much everything on the technical side has been in place, a
good voice, solid songs and the ability to play them well, but along
with that a certain amount of personal charisma needs to be promoted
as well, and that has been increasingly revealing itself to the
betterment of the set.
For the
style of music that he is playing I could argue strongly that he's a
technically better singer than Billy Bragg, and far more honestly
belligerent in promoting what he believes in than Frank Turner.
From the
amount of people who made the effort to arrive early, or disengage
themselves from the bar area to take his set in, it looks like others
are starting to pick up on how talented he is.
Things
are only going to get better.
The
Kimberly Steaks who were next are a band that I've been told that I
must have seen before. Yet I drew a complete blank on them.
There was
absolutely nothing jogging my memory at all.
That's
not to say I didn't enjoy them. In fact I did. I just don't ever
remember seeing them before and I doubt I have as you could file them
away as once seen never forgotten.
From the
first song I was immediately transported into the past and instead of
the gig taking place in Pivo Pivo in the present I could have been
standing in the basement of the 13thNote or Nice and Sleazy from
nights long past.
It's
classic pop punk. Gilman street seen through beer bottle glasses from
Sauchiehall Street.
Not that
this is a bad thing.
It's not
a style of music that is riding the crest of a wave any more, but who
cares.
If you
want a nostalgia trip as this was your thing then these guys will
deliver.
You also
wont be disappointed if you care not a jot for what is being pushed
as the current trend to follow and are just looking to be thoroughly
entertained.
Hell. I'm
giving them a big seal of approval.
All the
way from Carlisle 'Car Crash Radio' sound like they aren't going to
take any prisoners.
They're
the next evolutionary stage from what The Kimberley Steaks are doing.
They've still got the pop punk skeleton, but it's padded out with a
more modern take on the sound.
Specifically
impressive is the attitude of the front man who plays the set as if
he's performing to a stadium full of ecstatic fans.
It's that
sort of attitude that can sometimes separate the wheat from the
chaff.
By
wearing that self confidence like armour the band are far removed
from those who are playing in clubs and will never escape them.
There
motto could be 'treat the club like a stadium and one day it will
be'.
Apart
from the front man the band are all tight with the bass and drums
providing a solid frame work for some impressive guitar work to be
layered over.
I liked
them so much that I'm going to try and catch them playing again this
weekend before they head back home.
They're
another band whose names getting tucked away in the mental file
labelled 'one to keep an eye on'.
It's been
literally years since I last seen the Hostiles and sound wise it's a
whole new ball game.
Maybe
others who have seen them regularly would disagree as they have
participated in the gradual change, but for me it sounds like they
have dropped the pop overtones on their ska sound overnight and and
are now encroaching on Operations Ivy's more aggressive style.
Or in
short this is a muscular beast of a band, and all the more impressive
for it.
Watching
them it's very obvious that they are well deserving of securing the
support slot on the forthcoming Reel Big Fish tour.
In fact
they are so good that the tour shouldn't be viewed as a headliner
with a support, but instead a double headlining tour.
Everyone
should make sure they get there early and grab a prime spot to watch
the guys from.
I fully
expect them to pick up plenty of new fans on every leg of the tour
and by the end of the year this could be they can look back on it as
a one of the best they have had as a band.
There's
two more nights lined up to celebrate the release of their new ep.
One in
Prestwick and another in Edinburgh.
If ska
punk is your thing then do yourself a favour and make sure you make
it to one, or both.
Smiley face!!!! XXX
ReplyDelete