Anna NeonTake Your Pants Off
June 11th 2007 00:48
Damn Arms/ Teenager
The Instant
Spectrum
April 21 and 22
If The Instant are your only reason to turn up early to a gig this year, I suggest you do, because they proved once again that they are well worth it when they supported Teenager and Damn Arms over two big nights at Spectrum on the weekend. It’s minimalist, ambient, experimental rock, featuring four dynamite musicians, including a drummer that I am thoroughly convinced is some kind of machine. Think frantic guitars amidst controlled distortion and delicately designed time signature changes, then think something else because these guys are full of surprises. Fans of incorporating multimedia into their performances, I was delighted to see Bunuel’s Un Chien Andalou playing on a nearby TV at one stage. These guys are definitely worth a look.
Nick Littlemore chants: ‘…us and them, us against them, us for them…’ and yet I couldn’t help but feel it was more of an ‘us for us’ moment when it came to Teenager’s set. Experimental, with a new wave rub, Teenager were incredibly enthusiastic but there was the distinct scent of self-indulgence in the air. At first I thought it was just the incense, but Teenager feels like an idea that is still waiting to be fully realised. Unfortunately, the music just doesn’t translate as well in a live atmosphere as it does on their record. Having said that, at Thirteen, they are still very young, and if you can’t dance your pants off to Pony, then it ain’t the band, honey, it’s you, because that is one crunchy little pop song.
Damn Arms are good for a dance. They blend catchy little hooks with slamming synth melodies and although heavily influenced by 80’s new wave, they have a very ‘now’ sound. If you like New Order/ Gang of Four/ Klaxons/ a good time, then Damn Arms deliver. However, they are nothing new, and they seem to have jumped on the Indie-Chic band of the moment train without paying for a ticket. Basically, I’ve heard it all before and sadly, it just wasn’t enough to impress.
The Instant
Spectrum
April 21 and 22
www.myspace.com/teenagerband
If The Instant are your only reason to turn up early to a gig this year, I suggest you do, because they proved once again that they are well worth it when they supported Teenager and Damn Arms over two big nights at Spectrum on the weekend. It’s minimalist, ambient, experimental rock, featuring four dynamite musicians, including a drummer that I am thoroughly convinced is some kind of machine. Think frantic guitars amidst controlled distortion and delicately designed time signature changes, then think something else because these guys are full of surprises. Fans of incorporating multimedia into their performances, I was delighted to see Bunuel’s Un Chien Andalou playing on a nearby TV at one stage. These guys are definitely worth a look.
Nick Littlemore chants: ‘…us and them, us against them, us for them…’ and yet I couldn’t help but feel it was more of an ‘us for us’ moment when it came to Teenager’s set. Experimental, with a new wave rub, Teenager were incredibly enthusiastic but there was the distinct scent of self-indulgence in the air. At first I thought it was just the incense, but Teenager feels like an idea that is still waiting to be fully realised. Unfortunately, the music just doesn’t translate as well in a live atmosphere as it does on their record. Having said that, at Thirteen, they are still very young, and if you can’t dance your pants off to Pony, then it ain’t the band, honey, it’s you, because that is one crunchy little pop song.
Damn Arms are good for a dance. They blend catchy little hooks with slamming synth melodies and although heavily influenced by 80’s new wave, they have a very ‘now’ sound. If you like New Order/ Gang of Four/ Klaxons/ a good time, then Damn Arms deliver. However, they are nothing new, and they seem to have jumped on the Indie-Chic band of the moment train without paying for a ticket. Basically, I’ve heard it all before and sadly, it just wasn’t enough to impress.
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