NEW MUSIC SEMINAR - or, How to see way too many bands.
( Echobelly , Oasis , XC-NN )
- Bob Gajarsky
Echobelly is fronted by a woman of Indian descent who also happens to be a kick boxer. The band also consists of three young guitarists, dressed fashionably in conservative style suits and one drummer. Backdrop consisted of glittery tinsel, which seemed to contrast the loud feedback which resonated through some of the group's songs.
Most noticable was a track called "Give Her A Gun", which could easily have been sung by Suede's Brett Anderson, backed by a Nirvana ("Come As You Are") / Killing Joke sounding guitar. The sound and image harked back to the early days of punk, a la Talking Heads, Blondie and others. In summary, the performance was good, but with only six songs, it's too early to make a guess on the group's future.
The band being hyped as the new Suede (or new Smiths) out of England, Oasis, also played live. Despite being new to America, the band appeared to be lackluster and tired. Was it disgust at the primarily American audience not getting "into" the music? It's hard to say, although there were more than a few people wearing Oasis shirts, and a few people with English accents were present at the show. The show closed with a long version of the Beatles song, "I Am The Walrus".
They've been recently signed here in the States (I believe to Sony, although I'm not positive - in the U.K., they are on Creation Records), in the hopes that the Manchester-type sound can catapult them to the top of the modern rock charts, a la the Stone Roses or Charlatans, in a time that is much more receptive to this format. A couple singles have been released in the U.K., including one which seems to take a bit from the 1970's song, "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing", used for a Coca Cola jingle ("I'd like to buy the world a coke..."), "Shakermaker".
XCNN was one of the strongest surprises of the NMS. The London based band, which includes former Sisters of Mercy guitarist Tim Bricheno, played at Wetlands during the week long seminar.
Frontman Dave Tomlinson has a swagger not unlike INXS' Michael Hutchence and a voice which rocks. The group rolled through their 10 song set with a mix of two (or three) guitars and one drummer, in an almost metal sound.
Most of the songs sounded VERY similar to Faith No More or the Cult. One of the songs sampled from the Cult; it's weird to be in a club so small and KNOW that the sample is being fed into the soundsystem, almost from out of nowhere. There were other samples, too - one seemed to be from a 60's girl group, around the time of "Da Doo Ron Ron". The leadoff song of the concert seemed as if it adapted an identical, note for note, interpretation of techno stars 2 Unlimited's "No Limit" - on guitar! The band's attitude, sound and ability to entertain are what draws the comparison to Faith No More, who have been known to play New Kids and Technotronic in a backhanded tip of the cap while having FUN.
Their debut album, Young, Stupid and White should hit stores on the 550 Music/Epic label in late September - we'll be reviewing it here in Consumable. And if it sounds as good as their performance, rock and roll fans will have a lot to shout about.
