Starting a Saturday evenings entertainment by popping into
the New Hellfire Club for a free starter before the main course of a gig
elsewhere is always a good idea.
I could of course be accused of being a bit biased in saying
that as I am one of the NHC, but I wasn't there working, and instead I had just
dropped in to see Elvira Stitt and Static Rock perform acoustically before
heading to Broadcast to catch Nashville Pussy in Broadcast.
Having seen Elvira perform once before I fully expected a
quality performance, but I didn't expect that the bar would be raised far
beyond my already high expectations.
As an artist she has a firm grounding as an eclectic music
fan, and it’s obvious on seeing a performance that her broad knowledge forms a
solid backbone to what she plays.
In one song you can hear the cadence of a hip hop delivery
in the vocals and then she can slip effortlessly into covering a Disney classic
in a torch song style.
On paper the two certainly shouldn't work, but it does, and
at no point is there a moment that it sounds forced.
Each song simply flows into the next and it is more akin to
aural alchemy at play as seemingly disparate sounds are melded together to make
a new sound that resonates confidently around the room.
It’s very easy to watch Elvira and consider that this is the
start of a journey for her as an artist.
There’s something there that it is hard to pin down and
point at as to where the magic lies, but it is most defiantly there.
Four piece rock band Static Rock are a whole different beast
again, but what they share with Elvira is that they can also deliver a set that
highlights that they can be considered as contenders in the music business.
Playing stripped down - and in that I mean without even
having the vocals amped - they could have put themselves in the position of drawing
attention to any weak spots that the band are carrying, but instead they showed
that they have none.
Strong material, great vocal harmonies and all carried on
the back of strong musicianship.
Even with requests of covers from the audience they casually
approached them and didn't drop the ball regardless of how wide and varied the
material was.
Coolios, ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ had some fresh life breathed
into it and in my head I was thinking that with Elvira providing some vocals it
would have jumped from being well received to leaving people gape jawed in
amazement.
Similarly the stalwart of decades of parties in Glasgow that is Kenny
Rogers ‘The Gambler’ was dragged from the mouths of many a drunkard and given an
impressive reboot.
Now just think about that for a second.
From original material to covers of hip hop songs and
finishing on a country classic.
There are not many that can do that, and yet Static Rock
eased through it all unfazed.
Throw them a curve ball and they will knock it out the park.
With a support slot secured to open for Brit-Pop legends
CAST in December it looks like Static Rock are on the cusp of getting a firm
grip on the next rung on the ladder of success.
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