Broadcast - London ULU - 30th May
Gigs // Steve // 3rd June 2003
ULU is busy, and sweaty tonight. First band The Projects aren't good - they want to be Stereolab a bit too much, but Imitation Electric Piano are much worse, a bunch of really grating prog types. Lead singer mumbles a lot between songs and pulls funny faces as though he's playing the guitar with his eyebrows, then looks at his bandmates as if he's sure what he's doing. He doesn't.
Broadcast are on, and singer Trish Keenan looks good in her strangely dominatrix-esque haircut, and very blue 60s dress - I've no pictures I'm afraid, must get a digital camera... They launch into new, quiet song "Colour me in", which sounds great but for the occasional squall of feedback. The now familiar "Pendulum" follows, and it's odd - it's almost there, but not quite, the wheezing keyboards that drive it along are somewhat lost in the clatter and fuzz, but Keenan sounds fantastic.
In fact, she makes it - far more animated than I thought, moving and shaking as if she's just physically giving into it at times, and her voice is strong and clear, tracing simple melodies over the motorik groove.
Postcard, advertising
new album
"Haha Sound"
They play a lot of tracks from the new album, Haha Sound, and I have to say that I wished I'd heard it first - it's not out until the 11th of August. Most of them sound great, sounding even more French than ever, and still evoking odd forgotten memories in a similar way to Boards of Canada, without sounding anything like them. Occasionally they solo too much or over-"la la" things a bit, but the tunes are too good - "Come on let's go" still sounding like a great spacepop hit.
They finish on a clangorous version of "Hammer Without a Master", a surprisingly danceable instrumental which appeared only on a compilation ages ago. Live instrumentals can be, ah, difficult (if not bloody boring as the two support bands proved), and this just slightly goes on for too long. For me they need to rein in their slightly prog-tendencies (shudder) when playing live and stick to short, sharp bursts as they do on record.
And next time, play near Birmingham...
Links
- Broadcast - official website
- Warp - Broadcast's label
Comments
Why bother reviewing something that you don’t like especially if, and I don’t mean to cause offence, you are an amateur at doing so, and maybe even not that good at it?
Peter : 19/12/2003 11:17:44
Well, fair enough. We’ve given people the right to reply through the comments thing, and we expect that someone will disagree at some point - thanks for your comment.
Maybe you’ve got the wrong idea - I love Broadcast to death. They’re from the Midlands, they make glorious, odd pop music, and they look fucking great. I’ve listened to little else in the last few months.
Maybe all of this didn’t come through in the review above. Maybe that was because it was a round-trip of two hundred miles to see them, and it could have been better. I’m damned if I’m going to be slavishly uncritical of any band I go to see.
You’re right I’m no professional. We pay to see these bands - there’s no guest list freebie bullshit here, like your sainted professional journalist, who stands at the bar all night. And we wouldn’t have it any other way. We get involved. We’re down the front like you are (you are, aren’t you?), but if it’s not as good as we expected it to be, we’re not afraid to say so.
Having said all that, I went to see them in Birmingham the other week and they were fucking great. I admit it wasn’t absolutely perfect, and I said so - I’m sure they are big enough to take the criticism (I’m sure they couldn’t give a shit, as it should be...) - but I write as a fan, and I want them to be as good as I think they possibly can be. If you were there on the 30th, or you went to the recent (...rather marvellous) Birmingham gig and disagree with something specifically, then do tell us.
Thanks for your comment Peter.
steve : 22/12/2003 23:36:10
thyyujuykiulo;louyukuyhyyuy ? cheesecake anyone
twinstar : 08/01/2006 03:38:02