Having thrown myself upon the pecuniary emoluments behoven to a mere message carrier and having thus, by dint of overwork and unpreparedness in said profession rendered myself quite obsolete in that form of congress known to all and sundry as ‘social’, I took it upon myself to arrange, partake, imbibe and propel said self to a most venerable house of musical entertainment for a night of revelry. A overland journey was undertaken to that effect; coats were worn and sturdy boots were, at the behest of the weather brought into intimate contact with the frosty ground until at last, having withdrawn a portion of said pecuniary emoluments from the place known to all as the ‘hole in the wall’ we embarked into the warmth and comfort of the musical establishment previously alluded to which, operating under name ‘Esquires’ has garnered a reputation for auditory excellence both far and wide. In short, we had arrived.
Well that’s enough of that, we’re here to see Dois Padres launch their album. Let’s go.
I instantly categorise openers Son of Glenn as a band maybe two years or so into their ‘careers’, in part due to their youth but mainly because of the songwriting on display, which is ambitious, dynamic and imaginative but which lacks impact, finesse and weight i.e. the sort of thing you’d expect from an evolving band relatively early on. Singer Josh Oakley is a confident frontman with a good, clear voice and the rest of the band can clearly play although the second guitarist is a somewhat anonymous figure in the overall sound. They’re the sort of band you’d see on early at a smallish festival, good without being great but worth a watch. My confident assessment of their vintage is rather undermined by the revelation that the band has been together eight years and any recommendations I might provide you, the reader, have to be tempered by the further revelation that this is their last gig for the foreseeable future. They gave away stickers though.
I have seen Black Atlas before and gave them a luke warm review at the time, finding them disappointing and frankly pretty boring to watch. Thankfully, tonight, they are much better and I really enjoy their set. Tight and purposeful, they are much sharper this time around and I get everything I want from a stoner/fuzz rock band. You can tell they’ve recently recorded as it’s given them a coherency they lacked before and whether it’s the sound, my mood or that they simply are a better band now, their powerful performance really draws me in and whets the audience’s appetite for the headline act
