Thee Oh Sees, Prettiest Eyes & Heavy Lungs, The Tramshed, Cardiff
Heavy Lungs (3) I don't know what to make if these. I mean musically there were on point. In the middle of punk and hard rock, just not as many riffs, just smashing the fretboard and drums to create a ferocious noise, and it worked pretty well. Until the vocalist chimed in. The only way to describe his is to compare him to a knock-off Clash cover band who's had way too much dutch courage. The guy was stumbling all over the stage, making no coherent sense. I mean at one point even the band looked at each other with concern. Not a good first impression, with some sub-par vocals.
Prettiest Eyes (8) This is the kind of band you'd want at any function you're throwing. Hailing from the great state of California, the three piece just want to have as much fun as possible while playing some good rock music. Halfway through the first song I realize, there's no guitarist, but instead a keyboard player taking on full responsibility of the fret man using only his keyboard and a distortion pedal, with the energy of a kid drinking their first sugary drink. The drummer/vocalist is just belting out the beats while performing some amazing voice work. And I'm pretty sure they were singing in Spanish in for most of the songs as well, but they were so catchy I didn't realize. The bassist them dominates the other side of the stage, but not as you'd imagine. Dressed like a Spanish ballroom dancer, he shakes his hips and just struts around the stage. And I'll be honest. He's the sexiest man I've ever seen. With my eyes glued to the band in anticipation, the sets over. Just like that. This is a band that's worth keeping an eye out for. Amazing.
Thee Oh Sees (9) So my understanding of Thee Oh Sees was just prog (psych actually - Ed). My opinion has been severely changed. As soon as they hit the stage the crowd goes wild as they burst into Plastic Plant. What I noticed most in the first few minutes is the has two drummers. Yes. Two. Both full kits. Both playing the same beats in the same time. Why was is necessary? I couldn't tell you the reason why, because my mind was focused on the noise coming from the entire band. It was just magic. Playing with fury, but making it look so easy, the band encapsulate everyone from the beginning. Further into the set, vocalist John Dwyer has issues with his microphone, and without missing a beat fixes it within moments, and the show goes on. While more driven toward the hard rock side tonight, the band still fit in their classic prog sound with the mesmerizing keyboard work of Tomos Dolas just takes me under its wing until the band bursts to life again, squashing my momentary day dream. My favorite song of the set was when they played the chorus inducing The Dream, which hooked me from beginning to end. Until the final goodbye of Encrypted Bounce leaves the speakers, I'm left speechless. There's nothing I've seen like this, and maybe, there never will be.
No comments:
Post a Comment