Lest week i got one of those invitation people send you on facebook and i generally dont really pay any attention to them, same is for messages coming from people you dont know! Anyway…i randomly found my self reading one that my friend tommy send me! It was for an album release gig,and the band releasing it was 52 Commercial road,where he is one of the guitarists. I have been following them for some time…probably 3/4years,i got a friend of mine recording an E.P. for them, i assisted the recording by sleeping in the couch of the studio that night (very helpful!). Well,since seing them the first time i tought they had lot of potential and what i loved the most was how they can mix each other sounds without even having a skilled guy behind the desk…and you need lot of chemistry for that! That first gig i saw was good as tommy came with a very DIY pedal board…it was in fact a tesco basket(see pic)…old school!
Ok,long story short….I decided to go and support them with my friend andrea (the one recorded them long ago), so after stopping at the vietnamitico for a meal,we run down to get there in time enough to get in for free (we are cheap!) thinking it was a strict venue…thanks got it was a squat…nothing compares with the careless-cheap and friendly comunity vibe you can find in a squat…some might argue with that… i dont!
Just to show the spirit of it…the same morning the coppers went there to kick them out…but they got there the wrong day…i couldnt see them being kicked out on this big occasion…they fought and managed to stay…thats people power!
The night started smoothly, as the cans of stella started kicking in my attention was drawn to the second band on…fuck me i thought…the belgiandelta sleep (math/post-rock)
came on stage and their mathemathic rifs really left me astonished,i love countertempos and fast/slow changes, add to that singing/screaming similar to “system of a down” and i am listening full on! be shure to check them out…its worth!
Third on the bill was thought forms (shoegaze/post-rock), by that time i was sitting next the stage and what i could hear best was the drum…and there was something good about the drums that i was hearing…definitely…my mate agreed…so big up to them too…altough what we were waiting for was 52 commercial road…lets say it…and their entrance couldnt be any better when a lady very kindly offered me a spliff to roll…fuck yeah…thank you lady!!! Damn…i sat down and got taken into their journey (yes i was stoned but the music did the most). Again these guys did a great job and showed they deserved all the attention they received. It was probably the highest peak of people and every song received the deserved cheering! For some tunes theywere joined by arp and viola (Altough i am a musician i am shit at distingushing that family of instrument,it might have not been a viola,but it was well played,and the player was nice too).
What to say…they really deserve attention so make sure you check out their stuff and…buy their album here…that night they were selling them with hand made cover(all different) for only 5£, and i refgret not to buying one, anw on that link its only 8£ for a physical copy of 7 traks so go buy one!
The last band on was another belgian band SoundFilm (Psychadelic post rock/Jazz) as they started i was in the toilette pissing and when i got back everyone was sitting on the floor (advised by the band as i got told), and so did i,actually i laid on the floor….their phsichedelia mixed with too many cans of stella unfortunately got me sleeping…when i suddently was woken up by some dubstep…and i realised the gigs were over!
Later on i got told they were worth seing them so big up to them too…altough what the belgian give they take…in fact what the belgian band gave, the belgian beer took!
Well…it was a really good night…power to the squats and a big hug to anyone that made the night possible…52 commercial road mainly!
BTW: download some of their material for free HERE or HERE
and here is a mixset by aLLriGhT
ALLriGhT MaSh PoP-TaToeS by Allright on Mixcloud
Enjoy!
MiKe