Original bands, original music from Lincoln & Beyond

Starter + Ernest + iodo + Kill Surf City + The So and So's

Thursday, 02 September 2010

Starter + Ernest + iodo + Kill Surf City + The So and So's

Lincoln Bands/ThisisUll "Bridging The Gap"

Christopher's, Lincoln

27 July 2006

Review by Dan45

Another review of this gig, written by Michelle Dee, can be found on ThisisUll

As I walk in through the out door of Christophers I am immediately drawn into a confab with the lead singer of the opening band on tonight's bill, 'The So And So's'. It turns out that his band got thrown into the gig at short notice, and with his band being from Grimsby, tonight's bill is not so much a co-op between 'Lincoln Bands' and 'thisisull', but includes another town/city to savour the musical delights of. With this unexpected surprise, I head on upstairs and settle myself down amongst the tables and candles and look forward to the music.

'The So and So's' perhaps represent more the sound of Whitechapel and Sheffield than they do Grimsby showing musical elements of both The Libertines and The Arctic Monkeys but unfortunately none of their lyrical verve. The lead singer informs us all that they were hoping to be signed after this gig given the build up, and then blusters some crude insults in between breaking a guitar string. One wonders if the evening can get any more Rock N' Roll.

'Kill Surf City' are next up and their front man seems to be wearing the tightest trousers in the world but he doesn't let it unduly trouble him showing eye catching stage presence, along with his band. The rhythm section are beautifully simple, if rather lacking in dynamism and the band present an image that is wholly believable. Sounding like a cross between The Jesus and Mary Chain and Placebo they regress into the eighties perhaps too much at times but overall are captivating.

'iodo' continue to show much promise but suffer tonight from a not so generous mix. However, they're both lyrically outstanding and musically irresistible so all concerns about the mix are soon forgotten. Kip Brown the laptop operator and vocalist must surely claim the coolest person of the evening award outdoing the proliferation of 'thisisull' T-Shirts in one fell swoop with his own Lincoln District Scout Band Tour '94 T-Shirt. Both the Pocknees' are musically beyond comparison this evening with the guitarist playing some superbly brutal solos and the bass player showing excellence in both time and feel and moreover concentration when the audience decide to excitedly clap along to a number, typically out of time. Without a doubt the band of the evening, the audience show tremendous enthusiasm for 'iodo' and you can be sure that iodo did the right thing in not playing an encore.

'Ernest' attempt to move the audience further with their own brand of Radiohead style guitar experimentation and Muse breakdowns but their arrangements are ultimately too bitty to ever really grab your attention for anything longer than a handful of bars. When they do hit form though, the instrumentation is epic, the harmonies beautiful and the riffing breathtaking.

After an excellent evenings entertainment, 'Starter' have the least enviable position of closing the night. With the audience diminished considerably it's testament to their dedication showing drive and energy. The new drummer shows more consideration to the overall sound of the band and Starter have improved for it. Their tune 'Silver Spoon' is sounding as good as it ever has and a new tune introduced gives an indication to where they are headed.

And bearing that in mind, it's interesting that this was a night co-sponsored by both 'Lincoln Bands' and 'thisisull', but to be fair all I saw around me was evidence of our counterparts. The banner at the front of the stage read 'thisisull.com', the badges being given away throughout the night read the same (for reasons of neutrality I declined not to wear one), and the T-Shirts similar. I rather got the feeling that this was a night organised by 'ull rather than Lincoln. That said, the noises being made from the Lincoln side of the fence said rather more about where one is going rather than where one is from.

Pix by Pete. For more pix of the night visit www.shine.clara.co.uk/gigs

Read the ThisisUll.com review, written by Michelle Dee, here

Starter website
Ernest website
iodo website
Kill Surf City website
The So And So's website

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