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CUTTING THE RETRO WITH KNIVES
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:: Herzoga
:: With That Knife
:: Trojan Horse
:: Who Owns Death TV ::
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06 August 2008 / Retro Bar / Manchester
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By Sophie Wilkinson
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TROJAN HORSE kick off the evening with a lot of noise, a lot of energy and one hell of a lot of enthusiasm. Described as “epic prog rock”, the band, made up of brothers Nick and Lawrence Duke and Chris Hurst, throw themselves into their set, despite a variety of equipment problems, something that often puts other bands off their stride.
The band present an almost complete uniformed front; I like the checked shirt look the brothers sport, however they need to make the drummer wear one too, just to complete the picture.
The songs are quite stereotypical in a “prog rock” sense – unfashionably long and rammed full of changes in tempo and style, however this isn’t a bad thing. The beat changes are matched well between the guitar riffs and vocals – nothing ever feels out of place. Every track is supported by some very competent drumming but I can’t ever see Chris Hurst; meaning I can’t see if he’s enjoying himself or hating every minute.
Thankfully Trojan Horse don’t fill the gaps between their set with shit banter, and manage to keep things flowing even when tuning up and swapping guitars, chucking themselves into each approaching song with renewed vigour.
The down beat sections of several tunes are quite enjoyable, as they allowed the vocal duets to extort a synchronicity in timing and harmony, almost to perfection. The only criticism to note would be that as this member of the public is not a big fan of prog rock as a whole, it began to get a bit puzzling. Had the band finished a song, or were they simply stopping for a breather? Regardless of this, it breaks the ice well with an entertaining dose of well applied rock.
HERZOGA clamber on ‘stage’ and, perhaps in contrast to Trojan Horse, look slightly out of touch with one another; there doesn’t seem to be any attempt at making a united front. There’s no forthcoming attitude from either guitarist or bass player, and no introduction to either first song or even the band. The guitarist/lead vocalist looks like he’s just finished working as a stand in for The Feeling, whereas the bass player looks like he’s just crawled out of bed. This contrast of smartly dressed and scruffy doesn’t look as good perhaps it was intended …
Ok, so looks aren’t always that important and when the set got into full swing, a couple of songs in, I thought maybe I’d judged it all too soon. Each number starts well – clear sounds, lines and harmonies, dissolving slightly mid way through and ending in a slightly messy finish. The bass seems slightly out of time, not keeping up with the good (if not repetitive) drumming, but who knows, this might be the effect they’re after.
The lead vocals sound good, but the backing vocals aren’t and unfortunately it just feels like too much emphasis has been put on the singers mannerisms, foot stamps and hairstyle and not enough on developing his own, personal stage persona or ability to project himself to the audience. The bass player seems almost sullen and doesn’t make any effort to interact with the crowd or to look like he’s enjoying himself at all. But as the set progresses I do begin to feel like the band are getting into the swing of things and they definitely become tighter, more synchronised.
As they hit the slower parts of their set and their songs, as it’s here where the group show off their technical ability, and they seem to interact with each other more, musically and personally.
WITH THAT KNIFE are really the stars of the show tonight. With the stage rammed full of band members and cables, it looks like someone’s going to drop off the plinth at any moment. But as soon as the band start up they turn into a well oiled machine. The dual vocals of guitarists Mike and Owen are fantastic, individually so different but superbly harmonised.
The bass and the drums sound so pristine I could close my eyes and be totally convinced by their slick and robust pulses - the band sound so powerful I feel like they could fill the Apollo with this wall of sound.
With That Knife are the first this evening to play music that actually makes me want to dance. I can’t help myself but my head is nodding and my toes tapping. The riffs and melodies are infectiously enjoyable. The use of the synth and effects on the lead vocals creates fabulous highlights and it definitely gives the band an edge that separates them from the masses.
The different vocalists are perfect for each song, everything simply seems to melt together to create a full, round sound with no obvious flaws or breaks. The tracks are comfortably self-indulgent – the ease with which the bands shift from melody to melody over each track shows a technical ability without any arrogance or attitude. This band have got everything just right …
WHO OWNS DEATH TV seem to think they need no introduction. I had no idea when the tuning up had finished and the band had started. It feels like the sounds have just been jumbled together. There are moments of startling coherence, the bass lines are absolutely fucking fantastic and the guitar seems to fit and flow perfectly, but the drums sound too harsh and heavy. The addition of too many brutal elements results in something slightly scrappy.
Although the “synth” (although he barely touches the keyboard except to lean on it extravagantly creating awful feedback at the end of every song) player and singer is the frontman, I feel like the bass is holding the whole set together, and without that the whole thing would crumble.
The band look slightly mismatched, everyone doing their own thing again. I can see the energy and the enthusiasm from all four members, but it is even clear when physically looking at the set up on stage that all members are individuals playing music, spread out in the four corners of the stage, rather than one together, tight unit.
The guitar levels are too weak, and it’s impossible to extract an opinion on technical ability when all I can hear is effects and distortion. I feel like too much emphasis has been given to making something sound “unusual”.
Every song has a great opening when drums, bass and occasionally guitar come together well and the staccato sections the guitarist plays sound really, really good and at last give the songs an interesting feel.
But it’s just not enough. I can’t enjoy the set because I simply don’t see a band in front of me, I see some musicians in a rehearsal room.
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Resources:
Trojan Horse
Herzoga
With That Knife
Who Owns Death TV
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