Saturday, December 08, 2007

Destroy Cowboy / Grandscope / This Machine is Off / The Dogfight Revolution Rainbow Digbeth Friday 7th December 2007

Got a taxi down to the Rainbow tonight. Most unlike me, but we had guests (which is also most unlike me). The driver seemed to go via Gdansk to get there...which ain't the quickest way from Bearwood but there we go. He enjoyed himself. No matter, we still arrived in time for openers The Dogfight Revolution. Strangely they have no tracks on their My Space page which forces me to use what little memory I have left at my age to recall the details of the set. I can certainly see where they're going, tapping into earlier psych influences and 60's mysticism. They're a relatively young band and it's a tricky blend to get right. For me it worked best on Talk to Lucifer (see I can remember stuff so yah boo and sucks to you), which had some thermin...yes theramin! We like theramin. In fact I was referred to as a theramaniac. Which has quite a nice ring to it...well not so much a ring more a weeewoooooowooheeeeooo. If I had to offer some constructive advice I'd say 'wig out a bit more'. They've certainly got the talent for it. It would be bloody brilliant to get a real sitar in on the action too.

Next up This Machine is Off. Turns out it was some way off. Stuck on the motorway about 25 miles off in fact. Yes, our old friend Mr Friday Night Traffic decided to stick his oar in. Shame. TMIO sound pretty good, particularly the remixed shit. Check out the pkd breaks session on Their Space. Still the good folk of Kamikaze! have promised to try to get them back. Perhaps they should just stay in Birmingham now to be on the safe side?

Grandscope must hold the record for the most stuff ever on the Rainbow stage. I counted at least three keyboards, four guitars and a drum kit plus sundry electronic wizzardry. I like Grandscope. Birmingham needs a Grandscope. And we have one. Grandscope. That's not a review is it? Right. Well they've got a bit of Kraftwerk, a bit of At The Drive In, some Jazz Funk, a hint of A Certain Ratio (ask your Grandad), a dash of prog (ask your Great Grandad)...hell it's a melting pot of the good stuff (with a drizzle of the weird stuff for good measure). So, Grandscope then. Difficult to review. Bloody enjoyable to watch.

Last up headliners, and deservedly so, Destroy Cowboy. Just as good as the last time I saw them in the Barfly a few weeks ago, they've got some cracking tracks (christ I sound like an old Radio One DJ) that are just screaming out for a wider audience. Hey and 1000 Candles have hit written all over them. Andy actually sings like he talks too, I don't mean he goes around la la la-ing all day, he sings in his real voice, none of this mid Atlantic tosh. Which makes a huge difference. This band sound so right I can't believe they've not been snapped up yet. Still that's the music biz for you. Balls to it. I'll finance the fucking debut album and make millions whooohahahahah. How much do debut albums cost? Oh bugger...

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