On 9th December 2003 at 23:44 Anonymous 1200 wrote...
what a great review, funny and informative: well done Ron.
Your comments about crappy stage lighting are duly noted (in fact I've mentioned it to the propietors before).
Catylyst
Live at Dr Wu's on Saturday, 29th November 2003
If on a Saturday afternoon you're in Leeds, and near the Corn Exchange, there's a chance you'll be one of two things. A: a bizarre teenage boy or girl or lady/boy stood around dressed in eighteen layers of leather and PVC surrounded by dozens of look-a-likes and acting all alternative and Goth and cool whilst really sweating buckets and desperately wishing you'd not worn your mothers eyeliner, especially as she's just seen you whilst out shopping with gran from across the street and is trying to explain to the confused oldie that you're just going through a tricky patch at the moment or ... B: you could be on your way to Dr Wu's which in my opinion is Leeds' best chilled out venue at the moment. It's perfectly located just round the corner from everything and across the road from Leeds best guitar shop, Music Ground. At first appearance it has a slightly seedy look to it, large leather walls and sticky pebble dashed floors, mixed with worn looking sofas and mirror covered bar area. But all of that kind of fades away as you step through the door. Because the first thing that hits you is how laidback everything is, everyone's sat around talking and laughing there's people of all ages from the older post rockers sat at the bar casting their all knowledgeable eye over the band setting up, or the kids who upon leaving the as mentioned Music Ground drag their parents over to the sound of the first band sound checking. I can guarantee no matter what week you go in there'll always be someone there you know, it's that kind of a friendly atmosphere.
The two bands that were playing this week were both contrasting in styles yet perfectly suited to each other.
Up first were Manchester's own Love Panda (Paul O'Mara on guitar and vocals and Mike Sutherland on bass) a duo I've seen on a number of occasions but I don't think I've seen them play this well before, maybe it was the amount of Guinness I was drinking or the large appreciative crowd that had built up but each song seemed to ebb and flow seamlessly through out their performance, the sound in Dr Wu's again was up to its great standard, controlled by the threesome of Jon Gomm and Tash and Bon, they really take a lot of effort and care in making sure the guitars and vocal sound just right. And the crowd was of a good size for what was a cold afternoon. My one grumble with the venue if there is one is the lighting, as it's getting dark by the time the first band get on (3:30) the small window lights and single flickering almost disco light don't really illuminate the stage enough for me. But back to the Panda, a mixture of funky groove laden bass lines and some very tongue in cheek deep almost Frank Black/Louisiana vocals make up the beef of the songs, noticeable stand outs for me being "Fat Girls" and the amazing "Wilma's Legs". Paul's lyrics can sometimes be a little hard to make out, especially when the songs hit the crescendo but I'd say to anyone go to their website (www.lovepanda.co.uk) and have a listen to their MP3s and you'll see how beautiful the words are... before one song Paul mentioned that the end of the next song reminded him a lot of something which he thought he'd ripped off, and that if anyone knew it to let him know, so I pricked up my ears and thought "right I'll suss it out for him using my amazing super brain" only to find the song ended with a medley of Radiohead's "My Iron Lung" and "Lucky". But I'm ever so smart tho... a great duo in all and definitely worth seeing, a shame they're from the wrong side of the Pennines but they can bring there magic pixie dust and fabtastic songs with them when ever they like...
Next up we have Catylyst. I've seen the band in all their forms, I've seen them rocking out as a full on metal distortion band, I've seen Chris C on his own but this was the first time I've seen them play a full acoustic gig, taking up all of the stage most of which being Wally's industrial size scaffold made drum kit, they just about fit in. That was until they started playing. With songs that filled not only this pub but the rest of the bloody street, Catylyst showed why they've done so well for themselves. I've said it before and I'll say it again Chris has a rare set of lungs on him and could easily have turned this into one of his solo gigs but the rest of the band (Dave, Jamie and Wally) were up there with him, Dave and Jamie supporting on backing vocals and Wally keeping everyone going at a great pace with some loose rock beats... I'm sorry that sounded like something my dad would write... songs like "Aurora" and "Today" stand out as highlights in what was a great but maybe it was just me but short set? Catylyst have built up a good fanbase so far in their life (going by the kids at the front in the Catylyst t-shirts it's one that's gonna be around for some time too) and this Saturday they've certainly added to it. A great gig by all, and to be honest its becoming the norm for Dr Wu's on a Saturday... so be there or go stand outside the Corn Exchange with your mates... losers...
PS if you don't fancy reading all that here's the summary:
Love Panda = Great
Catylyst = 'Triffic...