The Exits + Revolution74 + Dreaming New Animals + One Life Left - Messclean @ The Frog On The Front, Portsmouth. 10/03/06.

Tonight sees Messclean's new 2am licence kick in so it's a case of pacing yourself drink wise for both myself and the bands or it will all get very messy with an additional two hours to spend money at the bar! Kicking things off tonight are last minute additions One Life Left who replace Sallyforth who suffered some kind of drummer injury or such like. This is about the third time I've caught One Life Left and each time just gets better and better; it's true to say they are not an immediately appealing band in that their songs don't come directly at you, they tend to grow up and around you like some mutant ivy plant taking over. The songs come across as luxurious Muse type warblings with the power of alt. rockers like Smashing Pumpkins, being able to chuck out angular riffs that skew into beautiful melodies with power and grace. In Simon Paylor they have an engaging frontman with a Matt Bellamy knack for striking out to reach those high notes which he does with ease adding something extra to the mix of majestic tunes and makes them stand out in the memory just a little more. Looks like they will be back at Messclean soon with a higher billing and well deserved it is too as it's good to see a band with a little substance over style.


Drifting in on a psychedelic haze is Messclean main man Nikolai and his Dreaming New Animals, what's the point in putting on a night if you can't give your own band a gig eh? In the past DNA have been guilty of leaving the earth plane and going off on one but tonight they keep one foot grounded and take a slightly more direct approach though that doesn't mean they take the 3 minute pop formula. DNA are a bad who ignore the current 'scene' and do what comes naturally to them which is soulful, psychedelic tinged rock that sprawls out colourfully behind them.

The strong point of DNA is that they are very good musicians so can take the music where ever they want to go, be it a solo that freaks out or a deeply funky bass line while the dual vocals of Robbie and Joe combine with wonderfully melodic results, both having fine voices that compliment each other perfectly and add that extra dimension to these wandering epic tunes. This is music to get lost in, it creates it's own little universe and takes you on a journey to here and nowhere, makes you dream then dance before flying you somewhere else...you get the picture? Music for those that like being transported somewhere else and if the new tune played at the end is anything to go by then we can expect some more challenging tunes very soon.

Revolution74 are a dynamic 5 piece who do one of those rare things and manage to blend dance beats, keyboards, rock and good tunes without getting caught between genres and sounding watered down. They basically produce good indie rock music that you can dance to, big buzzsaw pop hooks battle against rock guitars that drip with energy and while being accessible in sound they should still appeal to those that like their music on the alternative side. Considering the heat in the Frog is unbearable tonight, Revolution74 manage to give an excellent account of themselves and impress a fair few people with their catchy material as the sweat drips down the wall and off the people who have ventured down to the front.

The Exits are probably one of the best live bands in the area at the moment but tonight the technical gods are against them and doing their best to piss them off. As frustration gets to boiling point and threatens to spill over they pull themselves back from the edge and battle on regardless for an appreciative audience who lap them up anyway. For a lesser band lacking in tunes it would have been a disaster but when you have ready made anthems such as 'Time Will Let You Know' and the quite fantastic synth heavy 'Neon City' then the quality will shine through regardless of the venue limitations. While this won't go down a classic Exits gig, I think it is safe to say that they won over a few people, not least with their determination to get to the end of the set when it would have been so easy to just say 'fuck it' and walk off, but also with their fine sounds. Anyone who has read my previous reviews of The Exits will already know that I rate this bunch very highly, their distinctive mix of big synth bleeps and squelches that ride in harmony with crisp guitars and a potent blend of rock and dance beats are highly infectious and few bands can deliver a set full of instant classics with no filler material what so ever, but The Exits manage it with ease.

What should have been a fantastic gig with the band well up for a good night, turned into a bit of a nightmare for them but out front it still sounded good and whilst they may want to forget tonight ever happened it reinforced my belief that they are a band who can go a long way as the range and quality of material is second to none. Onwards and upwards as they say, better days will reach these boys soon.

So, perhaps not the ideal way to kick off the new late licence at Messclean but all the bands did themselves proud seeing as most of them played with monitor problems that prevented them hearing what they were doing so all credit to them for producing stirling sets and the usual Messclean DJs who provided some fine tunes between the bands and kept us all going up until the very end along with the best bar staff you could wish for...where else could I have a pint of cider waiting for me within seconds of walking in the door? Cheers guys!