Thursday 28 April 2011

The Smiths 10 Bands in 10 Minutes 24/04/2011

Liverpool band Married by the Sea managed to put on a 10 Bands in 10 Minutes where the songs were Pixies tunes about a month ago. Unfortunately though, we kind of missed it so in order to make up for that we thought we thought we’d pop along to this night. The format of these nights is as follows; 10 bands each have a 10 minute slot. During this 10 minute slot they have to play at least 1 Smiths’s song.
The bonus of a night like this is two-fold. First of all the rapid-fire change of bands means you never really got bored. It’s reminiscent of the early Stiff Records tours in the way that the bands play pretty much through the same equipment, so they can’t hide behind any fancy production values (although there was one band who decided that no small cheap Fender amp would get in their way of massive, random sound – more of that in a bit).
The second upside to a night like this is that you will know at least 10 of the songs played at this night. The covers don’t always have a special little twist to them either. A lot of the songs played tonight were straight note-by-note, dot-to-dot replicas; a risky business if you’re band isn’t any good. Anyway here are bands and the Smiths songs they played.

1st Band – The Readymades
The Readymades have been going for about 5/6 years now, and their experience really showed through. They have an airy, cool sound which makes them sound a bit like critic’s favourite The Rosebuds and the drop in quality is nowhere near as wide as you’d expect from a band that is 1st on the bill at this gig. The second song they played; All Is Well was particularly noteworthy as added a nice subtle punch to their set.
Smiths song – Girlfriend in a Coma
I’ve actually seen this song covered by Noah and the Whale at a small festival and it was possible the most boring 5 minutes of my entire life. Luckily however, The Readymades are not wilfully shallow and self-absorbed. Their version was very similar to the original but it was pretty faultless and did me the good service to remind me how much I liked the song before Noah and the Whale heard it. 8/10

2nd Band – Andy Gill
Unfortunately, Hot Club De Paris pulled out of their support slot tonight, maybe it was because everyone’s bored of them already or maybe it’s because something devastating happened. Luckily, however, this chap Andy Gill turned up to beef up the bill. He only brought his guitar and his laptop, so you could tell this was all a bit last minute. On a side note what is the more pretentious stage laptop – the Sony Vaio or the iMac? Anyways, Mr. Gill (not of Gang of Four fame) was in a bit of a no-win situation to be honest, but credit to someone who turns up in such a short space of time.
Smiths ong – London
Once again not the greatest performance given how much notice Andy had to step in, he seemed a bit tentative around the song. On the upside however, there were some parts to the song that he’d given a lightly Detroit-techno vibe to – good effort sir! 6/10

3rd Band – Town Bike
After Andy Gill’s brave but ultimately futile set, garage-punk band Town Bike were given the stage. Being a personal favourite of Mersey Beat, we were very excited readers, yes we were, and we got exactly what we hoped for. Town Bike immediately got into their side and started hammering out their charismatic punk pop. The night in hindsight, seemed to change up a gear from here on in.
Smiths song – Shoplifters of the World Unite
Best cover of the night. The pace was doubled-up on this song and didn’t seem out of place at all. This night should’ve have featured more covers like this where the original is custom-fitted to the bands style. The chorus also seemed to grow into a shout-along. 10/10

4th Band – Go Heeled
Go Heeled in 2009 and lack a bass player. This probably would’ve been fine if they had followed any other band but unluckily they were following quite a loud band. At times their set was lacking that little bit of burble which the audience may not have noticed if they’d have gone on at a different slot. Mind you, the singer looks great, can dance about, and their indie-rockabilly tunes certainly had some pedigree to them.
Smiths song – Bigmouth Strikes Again
Oh dear. Go Heeled despite doing a fairly good couple of songs to open their set decided to bring an electric ukulele player for their cover of Bigmouth Strikes Again. I’m not sure however, if any of them actually new the song (they certainly didn’t show any evidence of the fact) or what an earth that dreadful ukulele player was meant to bring to the song. Very, very disappointing. 4/10

5th Band – Hillary and the Democrats
Hillary and the Democrats were up next. If you haven’t heard them before they have a kind of American geek-rock sound which their name would suggest. However, the singer does sound very English. I guess this is what globalisation is all about. They opened up with their song (I Wish That I’d Taken More) Photographs. They’re a very polished band, impossible to dislike but that’s mainly because they seem to lack the ultimate factor which can help you ‘love’ a band. They brought the drummer’s girlfriend up for a song as well (what’s with all the cameos tonight) and that carried on the nice atmosphere of their set.
Smiths song – What Difference Does It Make?
They did this song in the middle of their 10 minutes, which I suppose is quite brave (points for bravery count by the way). It was a half-decent replica of the originally, that was aimed to be a note-for-note rendition of the song. The vocals caught that Morrisey tone spot on, however the guitarist is clearly no Johnny Marr. He seemed to be pushing himself a bit too much to keep up with the original song which stuck out in parts. 6.5/10

6th Band – Cavalier Song
Time for a change methinks and Cavalier Song is certainly that. After knocking over a microphone stand (fuck you Axl Rose) the guitarist/singer brought on what can only be described as the biggest pedal board I have ever seen. Their sinister second song was enhanced by him physically operating the board with two hands. They’re a proggy band and this was a proggy performance only really bloody good. The crowd seemed mystified but credit to this night for putting on a band which was so different to everyone else who played.
Smiths song – Reel Around the Fountain
A song about underlying paedophilia! If this song was going to be played it had to be this band which played it. Although saying that, it was fairly hard to distinguish what they were playing, but once again this was a brave performance, it does seem that they are better at playing their own stuff, but the main guy (pedalboard dude) is clearly talented; he has a good, breathy voice and his playing matches the dyanamic sound that the band creates. 7/10

7th Band – Sparkwood & 21
This band took to the stage next complete with quiff and glasses (lead singer), Buddha beads (bassist), American sit-com clothing (drummer) and mandolin (mandolin player, duh!). Go Heeled should probably take some tips on how to use a small stringed instrument properly as this performance was one of the best of the night.
Smiths song #1 – Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want
I don’t know whether this is a sign of me getting old, but the folk inspired sheen that they gave to this song was unequivocally moving. The singer managed to hit every note spot on, and many a mouth in the audience mimed the words along. 9/10
Smiths song #2 – This Charming Man
The iconic intro was nailed to perfection, but this song seemed to run out of momentum a bit too quickly. By the first chorus, the band seemed to lack the punch that it is needed with this song, despite some stellar bass playing from the Buddhist. Everything else about the song was ok, but after what they’d just given us with Please, Please, Please, it felt like a bit of an anti-climax. 7/10

8th Band – House That Jack Built
House That Jack Built claim to be the best band in the North West. They’re not bad by any means but they certainly ambitious in their ambitions. They’re set constituted some songs of inoffensive, well executed indie rock. It wasn’t bad but it didn’t really add anything to the evening. The guitarist by the way, looks a lot like the PE teacher from the TV show Teachers.
Smiths song – How Soon Is Now?
I guess it was inevitable that at least one band would attempt this. How Soon Is Now is a song which The Smiths themselves couldn’t get right live right have the time so it’s admirable of the guys to attempt it. Instead of playing it straight however, they doubled it up and turned into a more punk-ish version so at least they made it doable. Didn’t sound too bad but once again it wasn’t that memorable. Although the singer should be reminded that it’s not acceptable to slap a bass anymore unless you’re Bootsy Collins. 7/10

9th Band – Puzzle
Puzzles are one of the most charming bands I’ve seen in a while. They look like a nervous bunch of people on stage, but are gifted enough to manage to be breezy and lovely whilst at the same time be punchy enough to maintain good momentum in their songs. This seems in no small part to their drummer ‘Spoons’ who had numerous shout-outs from the crowd and is a bit of a powerhouse on the ‘ol pots and pans.
Smiths song – The Boy With the Thorn in His Side
A very good song which was re-created tidily by Puzzle. Spoons moved onto bass for this song, and he’s just as loud on that. The band did seem to miss his considerable clout for this song though; the stand-in drummer didn’t quite have the authority to pull it off. The guitarist however, nailed Marr’s guitar parts; Hillary and the Democrats take note. 8/10

10th Band – Married by the Sea
So it was left to the hosts to end the evening. They’re a popular bunch of guys and did a pretty good job of closing the show. My favourite member is the synth player, who sounds a bit like a robot wasp (seriously). Couple this with a subtly powerfly line-up of people and you have all the hallmarks of a very steady band.
Smiths song #1 – Panic
However, the first Smiths cover Panic, is a bit like trying to eat pasta with 2 forks, a golf club and 3 spoons; a bit clunky, clinky and confused. I can see the reason behind bringing a guitarist on stage but why does any band feel the need to play each other’s instruments half way through a song? This was an ill-executed decision. 5/10
Smiths song #2 – There Is a Light That Never Goes Out
I’m always dubious of this song, mainly because it’s one of those tunes that comes on at the end of your average indie club night and everyone hugs each other because they’re all so bloody together and crap. However, the band gets back on the instruments they’re supposed to be playing and instantly everything gets sorted out. Near enough the same as the original, but professionally re-created and a good way to end an enjoyable evening of rainy Manchester songs. 8/10

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