Reviewed on 12th September 2011.

Apollo's Basement

Live at The Library on Friday, 9th September 2011

A bluesy start to tonight's proceedings from the brave Martin Plock. Brave for several reasons: Firstly, it's a tough ask to start off a night with nothing but a guitar and microphone for company. Secondly, the openly political nature of tunes such as 'The Workhouse' (and, indeed, openly political song introductions) is always a tough call - luckily I agree with Plock's views so he got away with that one. Lastly, he's Scottish - land of Braveheart, Del Amitri and Whisky, so there's that. In any case, his set was self-assured with simple blues guitar and a Johnny Cash streak about the vocals let down by a lukewarm audience. Plenty to enjoy however.

One of 360's strengths is that if you keep coming long enough, you're bound to see a band you saw, say, 6 months ago. With that in mind it's worth pointing out the vast improvement of next act, Empire Safari. They seem to be embracing a more trip-hoppy, spaced-out sound and it suits them well. They're functioning more as a unit as well giving those stop sections more impact. A combination of groove and conviction get the crowd nodding along. My only complaint is that the vocal doesn't quite match the power of the backline - something easily sorted with more gigging.

Next up, and with much crowd buzz, were The Creeks. Two songs in and it's clear that the buzz is not for nothing. The band perform as one and there's a wealth of energy pulsating from frontman Ste Pye's cocksure vocals. The sound has its parallels in balls-out rock outfits like Velvet Revolver, not straying too far from the conventions, but it's played with such energy that no-one's complaining. A solid backline with some lively and loose drumming is equalled by some flashy classic rock guitar-work and gritty vocal displays. Fresh from Leeds Fest, the confidence and banter belie a band ready for bigger things.

Wrapping up were Apollo's Basement, fronted by the kind of lackadaisical vocalist you'd love to punch. That says nothing of his Morrissey-esque clarity and an innocent stage presence which matches the sound perfectly. To follow through on my initial statement would make it feel like you were punching Bambi. The band themselves had a sort of endearing punk-indie vibe, typified by tracks like 'Cheeky Dream', the lyrical content of which is not without wit but has a sort of vomit-inducing directness - Morrissey's delivery, but not his subtlety. All in all though, it's a very confident and entertaining show. You don't have to look hard for the appeal and I reckon there's a love-hate relationship to be had with this band.

Comments

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On 12th September 2011 at 21:49 Dave LMS wrote...

Tim - I can't work out if you liked the last band or not.

On 12th September 2011 at 22:14 Martinp wrote...

I'm not sure if I'm getting likened to Johnny Cash or Che Guevara...though I like the plenty to enjoy comment...

On 13th September 2011 at 13:16 360 Club wrote...

I agree with Dave, I got good feedback from other bands and engineer, so Tim did you like or not squire?

On 15th September 2011 at 00:09 The Creeks wrote...

Thanks for taking the time to review The Creeks dude! Enjoyed reading that! Pics almost ready for upload! Got some from last week as well. All bands were great I thought. Especially enjoyed Martin Plocks set.