I'm a sweaty person this afternoon, took a quick bike ride to campus to settle some bills which went swimmingly thanks for asking. Just had a brutally long song writing session and belted out two new ones which I'm immensely happy with, I'm hoping to recruit some old friends back in Maidstone to play them with them and who knows where that will lead. Probably no where as these things so often do. I'm also in talks with some friends up in Norwich to get a female fronted No Idea style punky poppy rock n rolling band on the go. Now this is exciting it's with my good friend and favourite drinking buddy Ryan Jones, Lucy from the ball tingingly awesome Mustard City Rockers and Ellen who plays the organ in the equally delightful Slim Limbs so hopefully I'll be around in Norwich enough over the next few months to get it off the ground because it has the potential to be the greatest thing ever to happen to music or the world ever. I should really be in London tonight seeing Mischeif Brew, the aforementioned Mustard City Rockers and my favourite band in the UK Apologies I Have None but unfortunately I have no money or energy to get to London and get the night bus home so I'm all out of luck! Instead I'm going to go and meet my friend John Power Up for a few drinks in the Eaton Cottage which will no doubt be a delightful affair. Just one a quick side note even if you aren't into punk rock that much check out Apologies because if you like music you'll like them, they truly are absolutely fantastic and if there is any justice in the world they will keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger until they explode like a supernova of greatness. I heard a rumour they will be at the fest which would no doubt lead to a memorable night. Speaking of the fest tickets gone on sale on the 1st so I have to get a job or some money before that. My entire goal for the next few months is just to get to Gainesville with some of my best friends and see some of my favourite bands and have the time of my ruddy life all over again.
As for last night Project Multivitimin opened and they were probably one of the worst ska bands I've ever seen and I've seen some really fucking awful ska bands. I used to love the heavier side of ska I grew up on Capdown, Lightyear, No Comply and the like but these guys were the awful shitty side of the ska coin. The bassist had no rhythm and played some of the most basic two note riffs i've ever heard. Over the top of this was the completely unnecessary inclusion of uninspired trumpet riffs and a singer who, while not being completely without talent, was so passionless it sounded like he was reading his mothers eulogy. Still there were loads of kids there to see them so fair play if that's what they're into.
Next up was a guy called Peter who also calls himself Dry The River. This guy has some serious talent but unfortunately wasn't my cup of tea. He had a definite Thom Yorke kind of vibe going on and pulled it off very well. For me though I found his lyrics a little contrived and they relied too heavily on cliched or obvious metaphors such as 'you opened like a door' etc etc. On the plus side his voice was beautiful and the guitar playing was innovative not mention his nervous yet endearing persona which was charming yet quiet. I respect what he was playing despite not really being that into it.
Finally Matt Reynolds jumped on stage (read floor) almost directly after Dry The River. So fast in fact that I had to drop my cig and run indoors to catch the start. As I mentioned yesterday I've been seeing Matt Reynolds in various bands since I was about 16 and have never had the obsession over him that some people have. Tonight though he finally really really impressed me and I would now go as far as to call myself a fan. His strength lies in his ability to work the crowd into the performance, there is a muted sense of inclusion between him and the audience. It's far from a kind of grab the mic and sing a long affair it's more an atmosphere that he creates where you are completely focused upon every chord without even realizing. The only hindrance to this was two drunk guys who had stumbled in from bar upstairs and were having having a loud conversation about the pros and cons of buying a Ford Focus, they then started heckling for Matt to play dueling banjos, which much to their surprise and delight he did. After that they kind of simmered down, I think they may have even brought a CD. Which is kind of an example of how enjoyable Matt was, I certainly left with a satisfied smile on my face. Tonight though was singed with sadness as it was Ian Perry's last ever gig and therefore the last ever Power Up promotions gig. I lived with Ian in a shitty house on Dereham road a few years ago and I can honestly say if it wasn't for him I wouldn't have seen so many amazing bands, had some amazing times and not done the washing up for a year. So cheers to you Ian even though you are straight edge, good luck in Bournemouth!
After the gig Matt Reynolds and Dry The River came back to our place to bed down for the night, we had a few quiet whiskeys, talked about deal or no deal watch screenwipes and went to bed. All in all a grand evening. This morning though was sad as my friend Matt Foreman who had been staying with me left to go to Worchester to hang out with a friend for a few days. it was a sad goodbye and I'll miss my little Canadian friend as much as he'll miss Monday nights at the Wildman. Right that's all for today. peace.
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