Mashtun Grace + Boom in the Diamond Industry + Borderline

Mashtun Grace

Club 85 , Hitchin. Friday 26th March 2004.

BORDERLINE played what has to be one of their best sets ever, I’ve followed these guys since their first set at club 85 and have been able to watch them improve dramatically into the emo popsters of today. Seriously though, tonight’s set showcased the heavy side of Borderline and proved to be a good example of their originality and having the best sound they’ve ever had (with their Producer Andy Davies behind the desk) helped a lot, I sometimes think punk is a lazy explanation of Borderline but

No Comments / Mar 26.04 / Reviews, Rock/Alternative / by simonthegeek

King Adora + Shard + Inertia

Club 85 , Hitchin. Friday 13th February 2004.

INERTIA had a funny old gig tonight because, although they had a massive audience who knew every twist and turn of their set and were loving it the whole way through, everyone agreed the result sounded shite. Neither of the singers could or even wanted to sing and were much more comfortable behind their respective instruments. In all honesty tonight saw Inertia completely out of their depth.

SHARD could do no wrong tonight, only at club 85 could a band invent a new holiday (Valentine’s Eve) and make it work. The 2 new songs displayed tonight seem to have headed off into an approach using thoughtful and catchy strong structures in order to appeal – which it does nicely. Charlie’s voice is always a stunning highlight of the set and works so well against the thin guitars, melodic bass, hook choruses and macerina dancing.

KING ADORA were a complete mystery to me, I had never heard there stuff in my life before tonight but i’m glad to say i loved it! ‘Supermuffdiver’ being the obvious highlight of the set, closely followed by the dedication of the song to anyone who was planning oral sex for the next evening. A vibrant band with an air of showmanship that was nice to see in such a rammed venue. King Adora gained a lot of new fans tonight and appeared to have a damn good time doing it.

Words // Matt Turner
Pictures // Simon Hill

No Comments / Feb 14.04 / Reviews, Rock/Alternative / by simonthegeek

Frog Stupid + Take56 + Colour Kinesis

Take56 The Square, Harlow. Thursday 13th November 2003.

Last night I witnessed something totally alien to me. Not only was it alien but also extremely refreshing and a pleasure to experience. What I saw were 3 bands all REALLY ENJOYING THEMSELVES onstage. I don’t know about you, but when I see a band in fits of giggles over their own performance I know something good is going down.

The evening was started by Colour Kinesis (Not pictured – sorry!). 30 minutes of above average, melodic pop beautifully put together by clearly talented musicians.Next up were Frog Stupid. A teen-angst-punk-rock-ska 7 piece from Stevenage. Apart from the excellent use of brass I particulary enjoyed the well written vocals, especially on the brilliant political statement that is ‘I don’t want to be like America’. Pure genius. When you add the fact that all 7 members of the band appeared to be having a great time it all adds up to a near perfect performance.

Top of the bill were Take56, (rock/ska) although as it was a showcase night this was only because they arrived at the venue last!!! Coping well in the face of adversity during the first part of their set was the bass player. A broken strap, a dead mic, a broken string and a sleepy amplifier made life rather more difficult than it could have been. Nevertheless a great thumping set was pumped out, and enjoyed by all.

Check out more pics from the night in our Gallery.

No Comments / Nov 13.03 / Reviews, Rock/Alternative / by simonthegeek