- Howler
And so it begins! I’ve decided that these posts will be a “behind the scenes” affair – behind the music scene, if you will – something more candid than your usual review. This way, I can get all the silly stuff that generally wouldn’t make the cut out in the open.
I still can’t quite believe this gig was for free. Not just for me (I was there in a journalistic capacity for Nation Sheffield), but for everyone. Every last speck of the public. Howler’s debut has been one of January’s most highly anticipated releases – alongside Tribes’ and Lana Del Rey’s debuts and The Maccabees 3rd album – so the fact they’ve managed to squeeze in an extra live show, sans charges, reflects very well on them as a band. Also, I’d never been to The Bowery before, so it was a perfect excuse to check the place out.
After walking all the way down a sodden Division Street, I met up with Leah, Nation Sheffield’s editor and creator, by The Bowery’s bar. We’ve been emailing every so often for the past couple of months, so it was nice to finally put a friendly face to the, well, text. Once we’d got our drinks, we made our way round to the front, where the non-existant barrier between audience and performer was. After a few minutes our photographer, Kristy, arrived. It was her first gig for Nation Sheffield too, and it turns out she lives about 5 minutes away from me, which could be great for future reviews – Nation Sheffield or otherwise. I have a really good feeling that this little project will help me branch out and make more contacts with creative/media types. I’ve recently felt as though this was my downfall, so hopefully it could all turn round by the end of the academic year (and possibly into the next!).
The three of us started casually chatting about Nation Sheffield and Leah’s plans for it’s future, when talk turned to tonight’s performers. The support act, Man Made, in particular. Man Made is the stage name for Nile Marr. Nile Marr, it turns out, is the son of The Smith’s guitarist Johnny Marr. Johnny Marr was watching his son perform tonight. JOHNNY MARR WAS STANDING OVER BY THE DOOR. You have no idea how much self restraint was mustered to not squeal, jump up and down, and make a complete fangirl-ing fool of myself. I reasoned that if I saw him on my way out, or he came closer to where we were standing, I’d ask for a casual photo and an autograph, then be on my way. Turns out I had no such luck, but still, I can now say I went to a gig with Johnny Marr. Kind of.
Man Made
Naturally, this heightened my expectations for Man Made quite significantly. Particularly when he decided to put of a sequin jacket before starting his set. However, he didn’t live up to it. How could he? It was a terrific jacket. Plus the whole legendary dad thing. I did like his music, it was just a bit samey. I’d done a spot of Youtubing beforehand, so recognised his closing song ‘Happiness (We’re All Invited)’, but the rest of his set just blurred into one great mass of moping acoustic indie rock. I’ll think of something more constructive to say when I write up a proper review, but my general impression was yawn.
Kristy was finding the intimacy of the gig quite hard to work with, as people tended to not want to move out of the way as she tried to get a wider shot, but I revelled in it. I could pick on the fact his lips occasionally pressed up against the mic. As I was standing to the side, I could gage the crowd’s reaction whilst still feeling a part of it (something which I think is vital for writing a comprehensive review). Plus, it was generally just nice to feel on the same level as the artist. I get starstruck ever so easily, so something like humanises musicians for me.
Now, the main event: Howler. They were as cocky as the hell they were trying to raise. Their musical style makes me think of The Strokes or The Libertines if they were beach-bums instead of city boys. Like an anarchic Drums. Lead singer Jordan Gatesmith flouted the invisible stage line and swayed into the crowd at free will, which a group of girls at the front seemed both delighted with and terrified by. The thing I like most about their performance would probably be the crowd banter. Yes, I know the word “banter” is more ubiquitous than Ed Sheeran right now, but this is what talking to the audience between songs has been referred to for goodness knows how long, so I’m going to stick with it. At the point where Jordan did the obligatory thanking-of-the-support speech, bassist France Camp decided to make a special mention to one of the bar tenders who’d managed to transform your average lemonade to a Sprite, through the power of soda and lime. France’s voice cracked as he announced that this was the work of “a magician”. It was a bit special. However, they did manage to touch a nerve with me. Howler had played Buffalo Bar in Cardiff during the week and said that “Wales told us you rape child. Apparently you say they rape sheep, so they told us you rape children. I don’t know, I couldn’t understand a fucking word they said.” …How very dare they.
The only drawback was that, as I’m not as familiar with their album as I’d like to have been, I couldn’t distinguish between a lot of the songs. Okay, certain ones stood out, which I made note of and so should be able to pick out and name for the review – but it was a little disappointing. For such a well received band, I was hoping they’d have more stand-out material, not just a unique sound.
Overall, not a bad first week of the challenge! This Friday I’ll be reviewing the release party for Low Duo’s latest EP for Sloucher. I’ve never been to a release party before, but I’m expecting it’s basically a big, celebratory gig – right?
