It was a welcome surprise yesterday evening for me and my friend to find out that the Supergrass show, which was advertised to be at Kool Haus originally, had been moved next door to the more intimate The Guvernment. (I always thought that Kool Haus was a strange venue choice for Supergrass; I didn't think they were that popular. Perhaps it got moved because Kool Haus didn't sell out? Hmmm.) Whatever the reason, it was good news. It was my first time being in The Guvernment. Back in the day, I believe this used to be the dance club RPM which I'd gone to during university but hadn't been back to since. For what it's worth, The Guvernment as a live music venue was surprisingly decent. The stage was a good height, and the sightlines were fairly decent from most places in the club. The beer, like at Kool Haus, is still damn expensive. And in cans, no less. Starting promptly at 8 pm, an hour after doors had opened, were Texarkana TX, five-member outfit Pilotdrift. Given their name, and seeing their instrument setup on stage before they came on, I would have suspected their music to have a degree of atmospherics. The best(although somewhat lazy) description of their music I can come up with is Coldplay-meets-'Kid A'[think "The National Anthem"]-era-Radiohead. There was an epic-ness to Pilotdrift's music, often tinkering with quiet intros then gradually building onto itself layers of shuffling drum rhythms, delicate guitar arrangements and an arsenal of synth and keyboard sounds. The vocals of lead singer Kelly Carr were somewhat curious, often seeming off-key but it was hard to tell if he meant to sing like that. There was an element of Coldplay-esque atmospherics, but Pilotdrift were far less pop-song oriented. Not to say that melodies were non-existent, but they were more bubbling under than in your face. The band members were quite versatile musically, often switching instruments from song to song or within songs. At one point in the set, the bassist took some time to say a few words and mention that the band were from Texas. Funny enough, the next song they played was the only song of the set to have a discernible country influence. Nice segway. Their last song ended on a somewhat tribal beat as all band members gravitated towards a variety of percussive instruments laying around the stage, then tapping beats in unison before stopping on a final beat. I was fairly impressed overall, as were most of the audience as I could ascertain from their reaction as the set went on. I'll definitiely keep an ear out for them.
With Supergrass now a good ten years in the making since their 1995 debut "I Should Coco", it's funny seeing them now at this stage of their career. I have all of their albums except the new one "Road To Rouen", but honestly I'm more familiar with their singles than their albums. The fact, is that they're a damn good band. Gaz and Mick initiated the set with a couple of acoustic takes, including a fantastic rendition of "Caught By The Fuzz". Soon after, Gaz's brother Coombes on keyboards and drummer Danny came on to the stage. Presenting their smartly-written and efficient pop craftmanship, it was great to hear the guys plough through song after song of three or four minute pop gems. Gaz was a joy to watch sing but even moreso enjoyable was it to watch bass guitarist Mick play bass and sing dynamite backup vocals, especially on the buzzing "Richard III" which is quite possibly my favourite song of theirs. The swaying "Moving" and the glammy "Pumping On Your Stereo" were included in the set to the delight of many fans. If I recall, they also performed the rollicking "Grace" as well the funky "Kiss of Life".
Yes, there were alot of songs I didn't recognize, possibly from their newest album. Anyone have a setlist? I don't have much else to say. The guys had fantastic light effects throughout the set, but the strobe light was particularly awesome. There was an encore after a bout of fervent audience applause, and 'no' they didn't play "Alright". That disappointment aside, I still enjoyed Supergrass immensely. I knew the band was enjoying the show as well, what with Mick slyly sticking his lit cigarette in his bass guitar neck while he played and Baz' sweat reducing his pouffed punky hairstyle to a stringy, wet, mess. [photos from the show]
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In other news, there are 'signs of life' at Neko Case's website. Stay tuned.
Thanks to Are You Familiar? for pointing out that The Diableros have a new website!
And via Stille Post, the Canadian Music Week schedule is now up.
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