Days In December + Fivemiledrive + Psyattica + Set In Tears - Messclean @ The Frog On The Front, Portsmouth. 18/11/05.

Tonight is a bit of an emo cum post hardcore night at The Frog so I'm surrounded by plenty of 'scene' types, pretty boys and girls with too much time to spend on their hair and Phil Oakey gone wrong fringes whilst I seem to be the only one who understands the function of a belt and prefer not to show off my underwear to whomever may have the misfortune of standing behind me; but hey, I'm an oldie and they probably think I'm the father of someone lurking around in the background!

Set In Tears have already taken to the stage by the time I arrive and I'm met by some molten slabs of intensity that combine delicate melodies offset by crushing grooves and blastbeats while vocals are half growled, half screeched. They are an energetic bunch and whilst all this emo/post/melodic hardcore isn't my exact cup of tea I can appreciate that Set In Tears are a fine band within this particular genre and they get the evening off to a flying start.

Next up are Psyattica whom I witnessed playing at the slightly larger Wedgewood Rooms a few weeks back and while they played well left me a bit cold but tonight, up close and personal I quite enjoyed them. It has to be said that they look far too young to have crafted such a fine set of rock tunes and age should see them turn into heavyweight contenders. Of all the bands tonight one can see this fresh faced band having the biggest impact as they write modern classic rock tunes with big hooks and are unafraid to stick in a few soaring guitar solos. As the set progresses they loosen up and really hit their stride coming over as confident but down to earth types and they certainly win the crowd over.

Fivemiledrive sound better on a small stage when the sound is dirty, raw and in your face. Once again we are in emo/melodic hardcore territory but they do it very well and have developed quite a following around these parts. Musically it's jarring riffs fighting it out with huge waves of melodic guitar work over fast beats; the voice still irritates me as do most vocalists within this type of music as they always sound whiney...I suppose I'm just more of a fan of your Lemmy type guttural growl but that is just personal taste as Fivemiledrive are very popular and despite a few sound problems deliver a confident and well received set.

Looking over on Days In December website it would appear that they have been picking up some decent support slots so perhaps gigs like these will become a thing of the past for them soon and their stage craft certainly reflects their experience of bigger shows. They work it like professionals engaging the energetic crowd from the start who all seem to know the songs and words and remain mobile throughout the set. Their particular flavour of emo/hardcore has a harder edge which makes the sound a little more direct and could see them appeal to a more metal crowd as well as the emo kids. This is a band who know where they want to be and who they want to be as they deliver a spot on set of blistering tunes that has The Frog rocking to it's very foundations.

Techno Notice + Narco + The Skies + Shadowcast - Messclean @ The Frog On The Front, Portsmouth. 11/11/05

Some gigs, for whatever reason, just don't work and tonight is one of those nights where you feel that staying at home may have been a better choice. Shadowcast have at least dropped the bland cover versions and beefed up their indie guitar sound so they hit a bit harder, unfortunately the vocalist seems to have got stuck in shouting mode which is a shame as I seem to remember him having a decent voice last time but at least they are moving in the right direction and it is still early days.

The Skies have been on the Pompey scene for a while but they just don't do anything for me, they seem to be stuck on that well worn path between The Beatles and Oasis doing jangly indie but adding nothing new to the mix; add into this some sloppy playing tonight and an out of tune bass and you have a band that come across as less than appealing and a feeling that you've seen it all before.

Oxford based Narco are a brief ray of light in that they at least look like they may be interesting and have the look of a band who want to go places. They play catchy groove laden indie pop with a big slightly cheesy organ sound dominating proceedings but at least it is fun and gets the old foot tapping at times. You kind of feel that they are not at 100% tonight, who can blame them and the sound isn't top notch; if they are playing round your way in a big venue then they are probably worth checking out as are the tunes on their website.

Techno Notice are as bad as the name suggests, fronted by a chap in a purple fluffy jacket and hat who looks like he has just emerged from a rave club circa the late 80s they attempt to play dub infused dance with added guitars. Unfortunately each member sounds like they are playing a different song and they never really get it together, when it vaguely sounds like a complete band it is weak crusty dub dance (done much better by other Pompey dub types Wiservice).Mind you they have plenty of mates who have come down who seem to find it enjoyable but one can't help but wonder if they are on something other than just beer as they do not seem to notice just how bad Techno Notice are tonight!

Cardiacs + Johnny4 - Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth. 07/11/05.

Quite why Johnny4 are supporting Cardiacs is beyond me, four pretty boys playing middle of the road indie rock is not what you would expect but here they are and after only one song in my mate, Johnny Spankmaster, has gone off to find people to talk to outside. It's pleasant enough MTV music that has a few heads and feet tapping but it just washes over me and nothing has lodged itself in my memory apart from dullness.

When it comes to Cardiacs, VP mainman Skif is the loyal fan and I'm sure a much more informed review of the London gig will be up on the main site soon; I'm more of the looking in at the window thinking that looks interesting type of fan with only one Cardiacs album in my collection. But this was just one of those gigs you have to go to, the Cardiacs family were out in force from youngsters to oldies, even whole families kitted out in t-shirts that gives the gig an air of being at a family event...It may be a slightly odd event, some kind of weird nightmare family funeral complete with creepy uncles dressed in black who call us wankers, but a family event nonetheless. They take to the stage in a theatrical way, surrounded by smoke and head straight in to a set that would last for near on two hours; they manage to squeeze on all nine members at one point while the straight faced female backing singers/percussionists come and go as needed or sit expressionless on stools behind the band. It's hard to describe the music, you either love it or hate it, nightmare disintegrating fairground music with punk n roll guitars while Jim Smith on bass looks like he has wandered on to the wrong stage in search of some big band type thing. Meanwhile Tim Smith veers between charming and just plain strange as he babbles away between songs constantly wearing a very large overcoat as if he's just left work at the bank. It's all part of their charm and it's easy to see why after nearly thirty years they still have a fanatical following, I spend the gig entranced down the front, others know the words to every song and go mad in the middle but not one person left this gig without a big smile on their face. Two hours of pure genius and top tunes in the company of the strangest family I have ever met but already I feel enormous love for these odd fellows.

Tinnitus + Crydebris + Olmec Diagram + To Every End - Messclean @ The Frog On The Front, Portsmouth. 04/11/05.

It's a busy night as those attending a Bloodhound Gig upstairs at The Pyramids pop in for a pre- gig cheap beer and once again when their expensive PA packs up and the gig is cancelled they come crawling back to see some decent bands play great music through a cheap PA; some of them look a bit gobsmacked that anything so good could be happening on such a small scale. On first are To Every End making their debut; they weave their way through three impressive numbers that stretch out and bend back on themselves with melodies dripping through blastbeats as guitars grind away for all they are worth. It's progressive but in the best possible way, retaining a hardcore metallic edge while still being experimental; it's an impressive debut and bodes well for their future.

Olmec Diagram have ventured up from Poole and there are a fair few people here to see them with much interest having been whipped up via MySpace. The music is technical brutality, a burst of what I shall call 'lunge-core', music that makes you want to bend over double and headbutt the floor as you lunge back and forth to the ever building layers of noise. There is no riffing as such, fingers work up and down the guitars in a blur of activity as the drums pummel away like there is no tomorrow and with a strong frontman on board they are a formidable group. They produce a tight, well drilled set that is impressive to watch and I for one look forward to their next visit and seeing what unfolds for this noise machine.

It would take a special band to follow OD and London based Crydebris are just the chaps to do it. The first thing I have written down in my little notebook is "Fucking amazing" which is all I need to say really, one of the best bands I have seen grace the stage at Messclean. Crydebris are a quite excellent five piece that play what can only be described as My Bloody Valentine play Jazzcore via thrash; I'm sure there is some technical name for it, experimental post hardcore or such like but some bands go beyond such labels and as their intense wall of sound develops into mutating forms you realise that they are a special band. The music is intricate but joins together to create MBV type noise waves only with less of a dreamy feel as hardcore rage and metal noise take a hold and the members whirl and flail as if possessed by demons as they crank out this awsesome noise jazz freak out. Quite what the Bloodhound Gang fans thought of this I don't know but I hope it opened up their eyes as to what heavy music should be about and made them realise just how lightweight their metal heroes are.

All of this kind of leaves Tinnitus in an awkward spot as they would have to be fantastic to overshadow the previous two bands; they do a grand job but frankly their chugging metal sounds flat and one dimensional after the lively textures that have gone before. There is nothing particularly wrong with them, on any other bill they would hold their own and any metal head would find themselves nodding along but they just lack that extra something that really grabs your attention tonight.

My Chemical Romance + Every Time I Die + Drive By - Guildhall, Portsmouth. 02/11/05.

The beauty of doing local crew work at gigs is that you can use your pass to get into a gig that you wouldn't want to pay £15 or whatever to attend and that is exactly what I do tonight after spending five hours unloading far too many lights and lifting heavy PA stuff. I wanted to check out Every Time I Die so headed back early and using the handy pass avoided the snake like mass of teenagers waiting to get in and was able to catch the opening act Drive By, a pleasant bunch of chaps who do prime pop punk ripe for MTV. Unfortunately much of the what should be a crunching guitar attack is lost beneath a mighty bass rumble that I find irritating as the sound echoes around the Guildhall, one of the many reason why I hate attending large concerts. However, they manage to get quite a pit going amongst the early birds and if they get the luck of the draw the largely teenage crowd will be able to see them all over MTV in the coming months.

Every Time I Die have been gaining a fair bit of attention recently and it's easy to see why as they sound excellent tonight. Here is a band who know how to work a large stage and audience as they run around non-stop and deliver a pile driving mash up of a set. ETID look like they have been put together from a sophisticated indie band with the singer wearing a brown velvet jacket, nice jeans and brown shoes & standard indie guitar player while the others look like they've been dragged from a beer drinking, meat head metal band. But combined they make an amazing blast of energy, stoner grooves give way to classic metal riffing before firing off into epileptic blast beats and spasmodic rhythms with a pure hardcore heart. It's adrenalin pumping fists in the air modern metal and they manage to create an enormous pit in the middle and any one walking in at this moment would think that ETID were the headlining band such is their swagger and power. Expect to hear a whole lot more about this fine band as they look like they could be the new heroes on the block; an awesome display of power and control and skullcrushing tunes.

I feel like I'm at some kind of teen pop concert when My Chemical Romance take to the stage, the screams are ear splitting and it's at this point you notice that most of the crowd are probably under 18 bar a few mums and dads waiting at the back and you realise that MCR have cornered the market in dark teenage angst and merchandise marketing. They come on stage to a tune by The Smiths clad in black, the lead singer with a priest outfit on, two big gothic arches looming in the background with white backgrounds so various images can be projected on to them and a drum riser centre stage looking like a massive pulpit to preach from which is exactly what MCR do. Musically they play accessible dark metal with titles like Sorrows, Cemetery Drive, Deathwish and Ghost; they play it well and know their audience who worship them. The sound is once again poor, bass heavy so that guitars are lost and the drums are just not powerful enough which is a shame because to non-fans like myself it is difficult to pick out anything to grab hold of and enjoy, any moments of subtlety found in their recordings are completely lost but the seething mass of bodies down the front don't seem to notice as they prey at the feet of their dark heroes and spend a fortune on merchandise. No doubt the best gig in the world to their fans, as for me, I'm not a big fan of their live sound though they do put on a good show it has to be said. I'll settle for listening to the couple of tracks I've got at home, turn the lights down and pretend I'm a teenager covered in eyeliner again.

Josie Watts - Arts Centre, Havant. 28/10/05

Now this makes a refreshing change from my normal Friday night out down at Messclean with beer and rock music as a couple of friends and I take a trip up the road to Havant Arts Centre to watch Josie Watts. I was invited up to this by the guitarist and vocalist with DNA (see previous blog post) who was set to join Josie for the second half of her set and seeing as I love to experience new sounds and new venues I jumped at the chance to attend this night that was listed under Folk & Roots. The actual venue has a gallery where one can look at a fine selection of paintings and enjoy a pint or coffee before heading into the theatre area; tonight is not quite sold out but there is a decent turn out of people and I'm actually quite looking forward to finding out what Josie Watts sounds like.

Appearing from behind a black curtain with just an acoustic guitar for company she looks a little nervous but jumps straight into the first tune revealing a powerful voice and a beautiful guitar sound. It has to be said that the Arts Centre have an in-house sound engineer who does a fine job in this intimate venue and the sound is warm and crisp and lends itself well to the material being played. My friends mention Tracy Chapman and Bob Dylan whilst listening and I quite agree in that Josie has a big voice and a nice direct style that has folk roots but has been transformed into a modern style singer songwriter approach that works very well with hints of Rickie Lee Jones and Joni Mitchell. As the set progresses, Josie relaxes and comes across as a charming confident character and all too quickly the first set ends, a sure sign that you are enjoying a gig as it felt like we had only been their five minutes.

The second set sees Josie joined by Joe on guitar, this leaves her free on the first couple of tunes to play sax inbetween singing. I've never been a lover of the sax to be honest and felt it added little to the tunes, although well played it just didn't seem to fit with the mood and I'm pleased to say that once she picked up the guitar again things started to flow; the music in this set is much more open and lively as opposed to the first sets inner searching and downbeat vibe. The guitar work is sublime as they play off and compliment each other creating some wonderful textures whilst Josie delivers her strong distinctive vocals. It's an impressive set and I have to say that I really enjoyed it; I would be happy to see Josie play again and would strongly recommend checking her out if you like that female singer songwriter type material as she is a fine performer and with a few decent support slots I could see her gaining a formidable reputation. I believe that she has an album out but I am not aware of a website or email address at present but when I find one I shall post it up just in case anyone is interested.

The Aviators + Bluesky Research + Flesh + DNA - Messclean @ The Frog On The Front, Portsmouth. 21/10/05.

How time flies! Tonight is the 1st birthday of Messclean and to celebrate they have invited old friends back to party. First up are DNA who feature Messclean mainman Nikolai on bass and if it's your party you can do what you want so tonight they strip away their prog tendencies and concentrate on more direct funky rock numbers and have a blast. DNA are a band who love music, they don't pander to what is trendy, they just let the sounds spill out naturally and have a damn good time doing it; all are excellent muscians and they craft well written tunes that come alive with their energetic performance. It's a fine way to start the party and now they can relax and let the beer flow.

Flesh have appeared at Messclean several times and whilst I've always enjoyed their mix of classic glam tinged rock I always had the feeling that they were not considered a proper band but tonight sees them transformed, with the addition of a new bass player, into a band that may start to attract a crowd. It's still the same raucous Stones inspired rock n roll but it comes over as less centered around mainman Charlie and you begin to see them as a whole band which is a good thing and not before time. Tonight is the best I've ever seen Flesh and it will be interesting to see what develops from this foundation building performance.

Business as usual for the Bluesky Research boys and their epic floaty indie songs. With their heavenly soaring vocal melodies and mesmerizing tunes it's hard to dislike BSR; they are just a little different to your normal run of the mill indie band, perhaps a harder Keane or Elbow but definitely with their own sound and they always sound impressive. One wonders how long it will be before they get really noticed as they certainly have that crossover appeal that could lead them to be chart botherers in the future. Another fine, if a little short, set of quality tunes.

The Avaitors are similar to BSR in that one can easily see them taking off big time if they get that lucky break; they are more direct in musical terms, a little harder around the edges but they still have that floaty quality and a couple of real classic tunes that just stick in your brain. At times they can just wash over you but if they get the same quality throughout their set then they will be unstoppable; tonight they are on top form and are shown to be at their best when they slow things down and go for that real epic building of sound that then swamps you with layers of guitar. Again, a fine set and a pleasing way to close the first chapter in the history of Messclean.