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COG Review - 22/3/08 (Late Greats/Special Relationship/Fez)

Club Night Review

Saturday 22nd March at the Metro, Oxford Street

Bands: The Late Greats, The Special Relationship, The Fez

Had your fill of chocolate? For an entire week, my breakfast and lunch consisted only of the yellow sweet goo from the middle of Cadburys crème eggs. I opened more than 2000 eggs to sustain me during the week, all gulped down with Lucozade. For dinner I’d have a chicken and mushroom soup (because I’m not animal). Yesterday I was diagnosed with learning difficulties.

After receiving bad news, I like to enjoy original live music played by the most promising new bands in the country, preferably on the first and third Saturdays of every month (and every third Thursday), in a central London location. Does such an event exist, I hear you ask? Why of course! One took place just this Saturday at the Metro. Allow me to regale you with the story of the evening:

The Fez. A great name. Shame they didn’t wear any. The skinny hometown 5-piece started their set in energetic style. Their live sound differed greatly from their recorded stuff, starting a theme for the evening echoed in the subsequent bands. Online, their songs sound like Fall Out Boy with intelligence (with the sophistication mainly being provided by lashings of piano that make you go ‘hmmm, pretentious yet interesting’). Live, they’re punchy, kicky and bitey, playing high-tempo direct rock with passion that makes your head bob in forced agreement.

A problem with this kind of delivery is that the songs lack any perceived complexity; all their songs sounded like ‘generic indie rock song’ from X FM, mainly due to the fact that stripped from the effects and good sound quality in their recordings, the simplicity of the obvious chords being played and the mediocrity of the song-craft are painfully clear. They didn’t use the lead guitar effectively, and when they did try to slow the pace in the middle of the set, they sounded a little amateurish.

All this isn’t helped by having a lead singer who sounds like your brother singing in the bath. The lack of character in his vocals and charisma in his stage presence left an otherwise competent band of talented musicians without a discernable voice.

Indeed, like men who’ve been told they’re talented and don’t know exactly how, the Fez give the impression they’re still looking for their own sound. They’re definitely headed in the right direction though, especially with their last track ‘Jazz Hands’, a storming show of catchy power-pop sure to garner them attention by NME and the like. They sound promising whenever they pick up speed, and are far less ‘quasi clever emo-pop’ and far more ‘indie rock with straight-laced power’ when heard live. A very listenable band on the whole.

But the difference between them and the next band was vast. As the crowd got busier and louder, on came the Special Relationship. There’s a certain skill in gaining people’s attention without fancy effects or sheer loudness. Choosing to start quietly rather than with a bang, they played a tuneful, pleasant instrumental reminiscent of the long stretches of music in Placebo’s first album. It was arresting and captivated the crowd; a sign of things to come.

The next song started quietly, lulling you into a false sense of security before unleashing a thrashing, visceral chorus with Richard Netley declaring that they weren’t a ‘flash in the pan’. The rest of the set proved he was right.

On the night, The Special Relationship represented the essence of Club COG; an amazing band in its infancy, still in the underground but surely on the cusp of breaking into massive mainstream success, playing an amazing set of songs with passion and skill. Along with unorthodox stops-and-starts and excellent vocals, the Special Relationship proffered truly interesting and meaningful lyrics touching on a wide range of subjects and influences rather than just the ‘life at the weekend’ crap that’s saturating the market today. And these are just three of the many reasons why this band is a must-see.

The loud parts of their songs seemed so much more aggressive than the Fez, and yet they were a three-piece, proof positive that with skill one guitar can make more noise than two at the hands of lesser musicians. The guitarist and bass player used about five times as many chords as the last band, with well defined lead notes mixed simultaneously with a thrashing, distorted roughness, giving them both power and clarity.

In the future, obvious comparisons may be made between them and Biffy Clyro, particularly with the quiet-loud-quiet structure of some of their songs. But this would do the Special Relationship an injustice, as they are more interesting, accessible, and less up their own arse than their northern counterparts.

They cannot be recommended highly enough. On top of the fact that even on the first listen each song sounded different from the others, every song they played was of such quality that it sounded like other bands’ big hit-single finale. The musicianship, particularly the thunderous drumming by Nicolas Vigoya, was of an exceptional quality throughout, especially on the beautifully chaotic beginning of their last song. It contained a real hooky, Foo Fighters style riff, but was more original and inventive than Dave Grohl’s more recent efforts.

And of all the reasons that make them a must-see band, the next reason is the most compelling: their recorded tracks sound nothing like this. Although excellent, (especially ‘Tearing Yr Heart Out’, and the always funny ‘Paris’), the songs on their Myspace page don’t contain the variety and sheer energy of their live performances, instead sounding a lot more restrained, and even a tad conventional, albeit with some really cool ideas and high quality musicianship. None of the rough distortion, none of the drums hammered so loud your ribcage feels like exploding.

The Special Relationship. Remember that name if you want to listen to a band with real substance.

And all this before the main event! The Late Greats came on to a much fuller, more expectant crowd. Big things are predicted for them, and justifiably so. The byword for this band? Catchy. Incredibly catchy. They play songs that transform you into a head-bobbing freak. They probably use their live act to pick-pocket hypnotised audiences up and down the country.

It’s difficult to pinpoint what makes The Late Greats’ simple songs that much better than those of lesser bands. It could be the good structure, the great lead riffs, or the fantastic two lead vocals, one more emotive and pleasant, the other half-singing, half-stating the lyrics in a style reminiscent of Talking Heads. The likelihood is that it’s all three, plus that indefinable factor called ‘talent’. You know where their songs are going but you love them anyway. They somehow leave you feeling pleasantly satisfied rather than disappointed that your predictions were right.

The permanently crouched bass player in centre stage added a novel element to proceedings, plodding along like an injured wildebeest in the savannah whilst the two singers/guitarists played the straight roles on either side.

Another point of note with the Late Greats is that they have one stand-out song: ‘Destroy My Brain’, an instant classic so infectious you’ll have the quirky tune on repeat in your head for hours, and people will stare out you uncomfortably on trains while you mumble ‘these hands will cover ears, will cover ears’ like a loon. The Late Greats sound like Bloc Party injected with the Spinto Band’s zaniness. ‘Destroy My Brain’ in particular sounds like a really good Bloc Party song; direct, clever and technical yet melodic and – there’s that word again – catchy. It was a stonkingly good set by the emerging foursome, who’ll no doubt be collecting Mercury prizes and gold records in a couple of years’ time if they mean to go on as they’ve started.

Yet another spectacular evening’s entertainment brought to you by Check Out Gigs. Will we never stop? Are there more amazing bands just round the corner? Will I overcome my newly-diagnosed retardation? Until next time.

Muhammad Odeh