The Banana Sessions Revisited - Kilmarnock (25/02/12)

As promised here's yet another review of the Banana Sessions gig from Kilmarnock.
Similarities and differences abound. Enjoy.
Many thanks to Alana Anthoney for supplying it. Mucho gracios.

Dirty Martini's review - 25-02-12 (spelling and grammer might be ridiculous, I am a hopeless dyslexic)

What a weekend to be in Ayrshire, or anywhere near the Ayrshire music scene for that matter.
Matt Scott playing Tuts, a frankly majestic line-up at Su Casa in Ayr featuring Mark & The Mystics, Little Fire, Julie Doogan & my personal favourites of the Shire, Melisa Kelly & The Harmless Thieves.
But even those were not enough to keep me away from Dirty Martini’s for The Banana Sessions, the band I have been slightly obsessed with over the past 3 months. But we’ll get to them shortly.

It was a very different night in Dirty’s from any other I’ve seen in Killie in a very long time; probably from the days of The Sanctuary, if anyone remembers those good old days? Tonight is very varied in style from what Killie and indeed Dirty’s is used to.

Fife’s Homesick Aldo oozes cool from the second he walks into the building. Looking like a cross between 80’s Bon Jovi and 90’s Alexis Arquette (What about a young John Cooper Clarke Alana?) he turns Kilmarnock into New Orleans for an all too short yet gripping set, harmonica in hand and, presuming by his gruffly blues vocals, cigarettes in pocket. Nothing around sounds quite like this.
If we’re going to call it blues, then it’s vibrant blues, bursting with energy and colour.

It got very Hip Hop for a while and the downstairs bar was a-flutter with talk about Hector Bizerk. Popular amongst their peers in Glasgow where the duo hail from, many people are excited about this male rapper and female drummer combo. It’s an interesting concept for a local band and an idea that could go one of 2 ways; luckily for this pair, Killie are digging their style and it’s not long before the majority of the crowd are getting really into the set. “Man Up” is a big crowd pleaser which spits lyrics about local and worldwide political let downs, which is almost unexpectedly observed by this seemingly “non-educated delinquent” looking word-gun.

Loki, another Glaswegian rapper, unfortunately doesn’t kick and punch quite as effectively as Hector. I notice that a few of the crowd seem to have lost interest in the Hip Hop and have either floated off for a fag or are enjoying casual conversation amongst themselves whilst Loki spits derogatory lyrics about prostitutes with fag burns on their skin… lovely. It’s not that Loki is bad; I’ve seen him wow crowds in Pivo Pivo many times, however tonight I get the feeling that Kilmarnock are just not used to this. There is a fantastic and frankly fascinating underground Hip Hop scene in Glasgow with plenty of dedicated followers, a few of which can be heard in the crowd tonight, but mainly the crowd seem a little under appreciative of the bad boy political poet before them.

Next up are the glorious Girobabies who bounce on with as much enthusiasm as always. Mingling styles of indie,
Brit pop & sometimes hip hop, Giros are at their best in front of a crowd like this, glowing with energy that we have come to expect. They are tight tonight, maybe it’s because, as lead singer Mark points out before they start, all of the people in tonight’s line up have actually met and played together before!
Mark is the quintessential local front man, giving a good bit of banter and some audience interaction. He is joined on stage for a short time by Nicolette who I’ve seen perform on the same bill as the Giro’s, doing cute parodies of modern pop song, but singing them about jobbies. But tonight, the shit is off the table & her sweet vocals are a great juxtaposition with Mark’s gruff Glaswegian slur. It’s defiantly stuff to get the feet tapping, but not even this could have possibly prepared Kilmarnock for was about to hit them; The Banana Sessions!

I became aware of The Banana Sessions only around 4/5 months ago when a friend Facebooked me a YouTube link to The Drunken Dormouse. Since then I’ve been strangely addicted to the Edinburgh 5 piece, who have been popular on the UK festival scene (including Wickerman & Glastonbury) for the past 3 years or so.
When I told my 8 year old brother I was going to see The Banana’s tonight he was actually crying to come to the pub with me. Literally EVERYONE loves these guys.

When lead singer, Roberta Pia kindly, before the band have played a note, asks the crowd to move over a tad to create a dance space anyone not familiar with the band’s sound might find it a bit arrogant, but whenever the band start with the sweet yet infectious “Pot Noodle” it’s clear that we’re all in for an unpredictable treat and that Roberta’s request was probably for the best… The Banana’s don’t waste any time at all getting into the mood & effortlessly take the crowd with them.

It’s not often you see a happy band any more. From my recent experiences in the local music scene there are a lot of boys and girls on acoustic guitars, churning out lyrics they wrote whilst crying into their pint in the Union. But not these guys! They are much more mature than that, but at the same time, listening to a song like “My Favorite Song”, if you close your eyes you might imagine it’s the cast of Sesame Street on stage when you open up again.
It’s THAT much fun!

There are so many styles of music within the one distinctive sound that the Banana Sessions emit. There’s a clear jazz feel, some skiffle, a bit of a reggae beat every now and again and maybe the sound of a nursery rhymes album about them as well. All of this is bound together with charm and charisma and a delightful non-attempt at hiding that Edinburgh twang, everyone is the room is falling a little bit in love with them it would seem.

I’ve been to plenty of gigs in Dirty’s over the years and I’ve felt the floor and the foundations shake, and I’ve seen things fall off of the walls and the ceiling caused by excessive dancing/moshing, but I’m told that tonight is worse (or maybe better) than ever before.
I was almost surprised when Roberta comments on the bouncy floor as I hadn’t noticed at all. Then I realized it was because my feet had barely been on the floor long enough to feel it!

A couple of covers never go a miss & The Banana’s have some classics. Their Prodigy Medley has become a favorite on their YouTube channel with almost 225,000 views, mixing together a number of 90’s Prodigy classics including Breathe, Smack My Bitch Up & Out Of Space with their signature, fruity sound. It goes down a storm, but no-one was expecting 2Unlimited’s No Limits to slip into the set list. But who knows what to expect any more from these guys? It’s awe inducing.

Finishing off (or so they think) is Jukebox, a song which has recently been complimented with a Jazzy & stylish music video & it’s clear to see why The Banana Sessions are causing such a buzz everywhere they go. The band look to be having as good a time as the crowd as Miss Pia smiles cheekily, armed with just her tambourine & makes everyone in the room fall in love with her.
Although there is a flute, a melodic and even a tuba player on stage, it’s hard to take your eyes off of her.

I look to the heavens & pray that the lights done come back on just yet. And my prayers are answered as the crowd chant for one more tune. And we receive it in the form of the aforementioned The Drunken Dormouse. G-ing the crowd up firstly by teaching them the “rum-bum-bum-bum” part of the song in some sort of call & response style, Roberta gets everyone bouncing and singing along, in a shameless frenzy. It’s the perfect way to end a marvellous gig.

Trust me; if you get a chance to see these guys perform do anything in your power to be there!

A wee rundown of the set list too in case you’re interested:
Pot Noodle
Picture Yourself
Caterpillar
Roundabout
My Favourite Song
Mexican Standoff
Bucky
Pesky Rabbit
The Prodigy Medley
No Limit
Bally Dancer
2 Seasons
Jukebox
The Drunken Dormouse

The official website: www.thebananasessions.co.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebananasessions 
The YouTube channel:http://www.youtube.com/user/thebananasessions?feature=BF 

Alana Anthoney

Apologies extended to 'A Band Called Cadence' as in one review they get a partial mention and in this none as the reviewer missed their set.
On the upside if anyone wants to submit a review and photographs of their set then there's no problem in putting it up.
It doesn't even have to be a review from the Killie show.

The Banana Sessions plus supports @ Jollys - Kilmarnock (25/2/12)

We had been talking about this for weeks, months possibly, and were so looking forward to something very different to the norm going down that night, but we still managed to be late
My fault entirely and we missed Homesick Aldo completely and the majority of A Band Called Cadence.
Fools that we are, well I am mostly.

That being the case I cannot comment on Aldo that night, other than to say I have seen him in the past, enjoyed him greatly and fully intend seeing him again.

As I also said we missed on most of A Band Called Cadence, but that which we did catch we thoroughly enjoyed.
I am predominately a fan of beats, dance, hip hop, Northern Soul, anything that gets you moving and nodding your head…not the only genres I enjoy but a groove, a nice beat, a catchy melody and I am hooked…with no shame incurred, I likes what I likes ye ken? :)

And that is what we heard from A Band Called Cadence. I have been ill recently and I don't go out much any longer, I don't operate well in crowds so when we initially walked in I felt a tad overwhelmed,perhaps we had to many "hits from the bong" beforehand but I felt no urge to " jump around." ( sorry for the terrible hip hop quotes) That changed upon hearing these guys. We went in and made our way towards
the bar, thankfully where our friends were located. We exchanged greetings, had a few minutes chat, got some drinks and it was then that I noticed everyone I knew round about me, myself included, were shuffling around to the music, clearly relaxed and having a good time..a good sign.

The next thing I knew they were almost over and I was getting down with some dodgy dance moves to a cover of Michael Jacksons 'BAD.' I actually could not believe I was hearing a cover version of the song nor that I was dancing to it.
But it WAS good, and my that boy could sing, not Michael of course, he was not there. I am going to make a point of seeing these guys in the very near future.

Next we had Hector Bizerk.
Like I said I am a hip-hop fan.
The one band I have stuck by since I was 16 being the Beastie Boys. I have listened to , and seen live, many, many other acts of course but Scottish Hip -Hop?? F**k off, the. accent has just never fitted for me. I have over the years listened to london accents giving it large and working, GunShot for instance, but the Scottish thing just never really sat well for me, god I even cringe when I hear someone talking
slang on the television.

That changed for me there and then.

Hector Bizerk were bloody fantastic. The delivery of the rhymes, the flow and the subject matters chosen were all beyond fault. Clearly a very intelligent and talented wordsmith! (Is that even word??) And the drumming???? My god we were BLOWN away! The girl on the drums was really something else. She changed tempo, texture and volume
seamlessly, a beat was never missed.
It was so good I honestly at
times thought there must have been some sort of sampled/recorded backing being played. Nope. It was just the two of them. And they complemented each other well, the rhymes and beats were so locked down together, so perfectly entwined that what came across was a polished and impressive performance. If I had any criticism, which I don't, I would say that I was hanging out for a bass line to be laid in-between
vocals and drums just to satisfy me. They seemed fine without it, as did the crowd, but to me it would have added up to almost perfection.
I am serious, that is how much I rated these guys, my attitude towards the Scots doing rap has been changed forever.

If i wanted Hector to bring in some bass then Loki did not let me down.His backing tracks had guitar riffs, funky ass beats and bass a plenty. And his rhymes were none to shabby. Many a subject was covered in an intelligent and lyrically creative fashion, ecstasy, Glasgow and politics were all touched upon, it was a lesson.

People talk about hip hop, rap artists, spitting out rhymes. This was certainly heard tonight, these guys both had conviction in what they were saying and we listened. Man I enjoyed that.


On second to last were the Girobables, an act whom I have seen live now around 4/5 times, each time in the same venue and each time I have enjoyed the performance. How can I describe them?
Well talented nutters sits with me.
Not the kind of nutters you would find outside a pub at closing time looking for bother, the kind that would be in the field opposite wearing day glow tutu's in complete darkness, jamming on an acoustic guitar, 2 zylophones and screaming into a broken loudhailer, the good interesting sort of nutter.
The only person who may not enjoy their live act is Jeremy Kyle as he has had sexual relations where he should not have, or so the song goes.

A great precursor to the main meal. and delicious it was to be!!

The Banana sessions blew me and everyone I spoke to that night, and since, completely away.
They were tight musically, had a good sense of humour about the performance and an infectious groove that had the whole place bouncing along. Including the buildings foundations.
It felt like an earthquake had singled out that pub alone and was determined to shake it to bits, yet have fun doing so.

I don't know how they managed an entire brass band in there, or that they actually did, but it sure as heck sounded like one. In my head I heard tuba, flute, trumpets, drums, a celestial choir singing about what I am convinced was buckfast, a melodica (yup I never really knew what one was either) about 43 penny whistles and I was consumed with an overwhelming urge to clomp around like a wild eyed ring leader at a
circus leading band of gypsy pirates as opposed to circus animals.

I have listened to a lot of their stuff and watched previous performances and videos curtesy of YouTube so I thought I knew what to expect.
Song wise I did, they played everything I had hoped for. What I wasn't prepared for was the sheer joy and 'bounce along' factor that
hearing and seeing them live created. Everywhere I looked people were dancing along, smiling , doing a crazy form of the pogo and loving every second.

They captivated the place, it was hard to take your eyes off them and your ears? They were hooked. It was like a musical narcotic was being lovingly stuffed into your mind via your ear canals.
My head felt like it was filled with a funky feel good candyfloss and I was grinning
from ear to ear as though someone had just whispered in my ear that I had won the lottery while a dusky maiden gave me come to bed eyes over her drink and slipped her mobile number into my hand.

That is how good their performance made me feel.
All this in my local pub in little old Kilmarnock?
I could scarcely believe it was happening.
Not only must a HUGE thankyou go out to all the acts who performed, but to David Hanvey for pulling off this amazing feat and to Jollys/Kelly's management and staff, past and present,for a truly enjoyable evening and one that will leave me going cold turkey until, hopefully, something as brilliant happens again and every fibre of my
body can once more feel fed the drug of music, fun and friendship.
A GREAT night, a great friendly crowd and a great atmosphere. I doff my cap to all those involved.

Mucho gracios to Alan Thomas for filling in as guest reviewer. Yer a star mate.
Don't hold your breath just in case it doesn't happen, but there may be another review of this same show from another perspective.

The Banana Sessions playing Kilmarnock.

I recently had a conversation where I took the stance that quite a few people don't make much effort in life.
It was a general observation on something that I see daily.
People find themselves faced with an issue and the first thing they do is turn to someone else and expect them to solve the problem for them.
In doing this they are stagnating and losing the problem solving skills that we all need to have to get us from one day to the next.
When I was asked to elaborate I used myself as an example.
I'm not a journalist by any stretch of the imagination, but I do write.
I'm not a graphic artist but I mess about with images.
I'm not a promoter, but I put on gigs.
No one shows me how to do these things.
I just decide that this is what I want to do and then suss out how to do it.
Of course it's all pretty much amateur crap, but who cares.
Here's the sort of thing that I'm talking about.

Today a mate asked me if I could make him a small poster for a gig he is putting on and I said yes.
Then from that I thought I would try my hand at some simple animation.
I mean, why not?
It took me about half an hour.
The reason that I'm upping this as a blog entry is twofold.
One is that I want to help spread the word about the gig, and the other is that I hope someone somewhere decides I can do better than that........and does.
So go for it.
Create something.