Dead band beats live
Now that Morrissey is back, what does this mean to me? It means that I am more in tune with irony. Tonight, Flawed have a little irony. Echoboy, probably from supporting 'margin walkers' Six By Seven have way too much. And Puressence, possibly by virtue of their tautologous name, have none. In reverse order then, the Manc miserabilists end up in their darker moments sounding like po-faced Depeche Mode imitators, when even La Mode knew they were hamming it up. In their rockier moments they dare to bare, and end up like a punkier Oasis. Every song (count them, there are lots) is a rousing verse-chorus-verse construction. I liked it, it's hard not to. But buy it? Nooo.
Tom, lead from Flawed, mentions his band's agenda, to sound like 'noise'. Artfully coiffed, first on, they do a good job, helped by raw, un-sound-checked bass mayhem. Echoboy rock out, delivering an artfully minimalist and utterly professional set. Puressence go one further, with video backdrops! And an utterly cocky twat singer who ends up flicking the V at the audience, superciliously bowing and saying "Thank you, Oxford people". Sarcasm, not irony. Fuck off, then. True arrogance is born only of talent, and, a singer alone, it is difficult to tell his voice from the layers and layers of echo. Even Keith Chegwin can sound good with echo. Liam you ain't. Echoboy win the day.
The Young Knives are dead, and this is a wake in their memory. It is also the launch for their first album eerily called, The Young Knives... Are Dead. Walking into the upstairs bar at the Wheatsheaf, I was greeted by a priest who handed me an order of service, a black armband and a glass of sherry. The room was packed with people paying their last respects and writing messages in the book of condolence. The night started with an address by a close friend of the band's, and was swiftly followed by musical tributes, a poetry reading of one of their songs, "Night of the Trees", and a jilted presentation of the only surviving footage of The Young Knives, the video for "Walking on the Autobahn".
Then, a miracle: the crowd parts and in walk ... The Young Knives. They take to the stage, pale-faced and resplendent in suits, tailcoats and white trainers, to begin a great set. They play most of the songs from the album and finish up with an encore of perhaps their fans' favourite song, "Rollerskater", which was for some unknown reason left off the album. They are a wonderful live band, full of energy and humour and the crowd obviously love them. The album, then, compared to their live performance, is a little disappointing. It is, however, a piece of classic, original, punk rock tinged with the funk that they used to prefer. There are only seven songs but each one has its own distinct character, from the unsettling "Night of the Trees" to the slower "Diamonds in the West" and my personal favourite, the story of a naughty schoolboy, "John". The album is great but they really shine live. This is a band who will go far, so go see them soon. The Young Knives are dead, long live The Young Knives.
31st Oct 2002