36 Bido Lito! June 2014 Reviews JONWAYNE Mad Brains Bam!Bam!Bam! @ The Shipping Forecast “I’m not a replacement for anything you already love or hate about hip hop... I’m not here for your approval.” Jonwayne, 2014. JONWAYNE doesn’t compromise. Jonwayne doesn’t pander to the masses. Jonwayne doesn’t care about you. And he is one of the most respected producers in the States – after all he is on Stones Throw, (home to Doom, Madlib and Jay Dee); they don’t let any old sort onto their roster of leftfield rap. Emerging from the depths of LA’s beat scene of a few years back and affiliated loosely with such luminaries as Flying Lotus, Jonwayne has come to be as well-known an MC as a producer. However, tonight he opts to neglect his considerable chops behind the mic. He may not be the most technically tight rapper, but, by God, he’s fun to listen to, yet tonight he Gallon Drunk (Glyn Ackroyd) cuts a lonely figure behind the decks in sandals and hoody. Instead of deranged bars, we get lurid beats and a barrage of teased sound snippets. No matter what he sounds like on wax, live his time spent with the Low End Theory becomes more apparent as snapped snares, helium vocals and ridiculous low-end rumbles come on at a languorous pace – languorous yet spasmodic. We are treated to medieval chants, boilerplate trap and Jersey Shore Sound (Google it). We can let him off with the few minor fluff ups too; I mean, his set doesn’t exactly follow a linear format; with all those layered polyrhythms and samples snaking around no one seems to know quite where we are going. With a severe lack of dancing, tonight is a backpackers’ dream, with beard-stroking going on left, right and centre. Stoned-not-stoned, if you understand. Bringing up the rear, MAD BRAINS support with their own brand of classic NY beats, with a Pharcyde flow and odes to the herb and girls (and the obligatory name-checking of heroes). They swerve between clowning around and getting aggy with the mic, between the slate-grey skies of NYC and the trap-house of Memphis, and all the while putting their own British spin on things. All of this without the cringe-inducing earnestness about ‘real rap’ that most of our homegrown MCs produce: good fun, in other words. Laurie Cheeseman / @lauriecheeseman Your Bag? Your Bag? Catch Radkey @ The Kazimier on 24th June GALLON DRUNK Man In The Dark - Cavalier Song Howl At The Moon @ The Shipping Forecast In the late 80s and early 90s, GALLON DRUNK were exactly the kind of band you would expect to find in a basement venue somewhere in London, manically exhibiting their gloomy blend of blues, jazz and punk rock to an audience of alienated, druggy youths. With this in mind, The Shipping Forecast seems well suited to play host to James Johnston and co. but, before this can occur, CAVALIER SONG take to the stage. The Liverpool-based three-piece perform quite rarely so it is always a pleasant surprise to come across them at a show. With incense sticks burning, they gradually venture into a display of their atmospheric, experimental meanderings. The group's performance is particularly dynamicconscious, with patiently unfolding, looped guitar layers and sparse drums over intricate and repetitive bass lines. There are no vocals in the traditional sense, but instead Fred Walton samples his own voice through a heavily affected microphone and utilises it as a distinctive sonic tool. The climax of their set is met with loud applause from the rapidly growing audience. A certain ambience of moody introspection has now been established; an ambience that would perfectly suit the arrival of the headline act. However, MAN IN THE DARK appear instead and their fairly bland, fist-pumping display of acoustic rock does not really fit the bill. That aside, the room is now packed with expectant, slightly drunk fans who are not perhaps the disenfranchised teenagers of the 80s, but a healthy crowd nonetheless. With his slicked-back shoulder-length hair and sharp, black suit James Johnston bears a rather striking resemblance to his frequent musical collaborator Nick Cave. His songs involve the same dark lyrical content as his Australian counterpart, and have the same discordant quality that was the hallmark of The Birthday Party-era Cave. Comparisons such as these, however, do not do justice to the unique output of Gallon Drunk, and tonight's show does much to highlight their special qualities. Combining heavily distorted guitars with contemplative saxophone work and Johnston's vocals, which switch from spoken-word to straining moans, the group tear through a set of songs that span their eight-album-strong back catalogue. At times the sound is restrained and almost barely audible, held up by the rhythm section alone. At others it ascends to a squealing, indecipherable pitch of feedback and blaring horns. Johnston is always clearly in control even when appearing to lose his shit, and there are several occasions when his onstage energy almost results in a guitar-to-face scenario for those at the front of the audience. This, thankfully, does not happen. Instead the crowd receives a passionate battering from a great musical imagination rather than the tail end of a road-worn Jazzmaster. The response is predictably appreciative from an ensemble of spectators that varies from middle-aged devotees to first-time dabblers. And really, what better place to lose your Gallon Drunk virginity than in this sweaty, low-ceilinged basement on a Saturday night? Your Bag? Your Bag? DON WILLIAMS Philharmonic Hall Alastair Dunn Catch Uniforms @ Maguire’s on 7th June With millions of record sales under his belt, a Country Hall of Fame spot, and his songs having been covered by Johnny Cash, Eric Clapton and countless others, DON WILLIAMS is nothing short of a living legend in his industry. Therefore, there can be little doubt in the minds of the sellout crowd gathered in the Philharmonic that this evening we are about to witness a masterful performance. Happily for us, Don Williams isn’t in the mood to disappoint. Following his sixpiece band on stage to a hero’s welcome, he wastes no time in launching into a remarkably slick version of one of his biggest hits, Good Ole Boys Like Me. His voice is as good as it’s ever been, the musicians behind him are all at the top of their game and, as the song’s beautiful chorus kicks in, three-way harmonies and all, everything is right with the world. He doesn’t say much on stage, but when he does, it’s highly effective. His inter-song banter is delivered in an achingly low baritone, which just makes his bone-dry southern wit even funnier. “We’re just tickled to death that you’re here,” he tells us in a drawl that would make James Earl Jones sound like a hyperactive schoolgirl, before breaking into the foot-stompin’ Tulsa Time. There are no whistles and bells here – this is good old-fashioned, straight-up country music, simply honed to perfection. The songs are great, the band is flawless, and his lyrical bidolito.co.uk
THE KAZIMIER SATURDAY, 26TH JULY 2014 KOROVA MAGUIRE’S PIZZA BAR Distribution is what we do... Magazines Posters Bido Lito ! 0151 708 0166 bookings@middledistance.org www.middledistance.org @LIVPOOLCALLING #LIVERPOOLCALLING THE MONO LP’S THE SOUTHBOUND ATTIC BAND DETUNED RADIO FILTER DISTORTION GOLD JACKS POLYMATH GHOSTCHANT KZM LOW WINTER SUN KUSANAGI SUPERSPRITE STEREO ELECTRIC MISTRESS THE JACKOBINS RUFUS HOK MICHAEL BENNETT ENAMEL ANIMAL MIKE MARKEY SHEEPY CLEFT TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM SEETICKETS & SKIDDLE ‘He has that Peter Sellers madness inside him.’ JIM CARREY FRI 20th JUN 8:00pm THU 17th JUL 8:00pm All Tickets £20.00* * plus £1.00 per ticket booking fee All Tickets £20.00* * plus £1.00 per ticket booking fee
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