Disco Ensemble, The Morning After Girls, 65 Days Of Static


Liverpool Barfly, May 21st 2006

Now I’m not sure why this is called the ‘Most Wanted’ tour, Wanted by whom? Judging on the turnout tonight not the venue or the audience, at it’s peak tonight’s show gets 60 people through the door. It’s a poor showing, there are better places in the city to do this kind of thing, where it would get more support. I can tell you that for sure, if this was in the Circle K! It would have around 200 people every time, but that’s corporate thinking and corporate deals for you…

Enough of the bitching, I’ve been dispatched mainly tonight to check out Disco Ensemble and they jump on stage with around fifteen people in the place, it’s not good, but the band crack on like the room is packed, running through seven high octane songs that show much promise. They have the look, the moves, the right hair! But most importantly, the songs, The singer is from the David Johansson / New York Dolls meets The Hives school of rock, but he can sing and pout at the same time. Highlights of the set are ‘The Alps’ and a stunning ‘We Might Fall Apart’ - a teenage anthem in waiting. I expect better things in better places for these chaps.

Someone seems to have got the dry ice machine to work, or we are sponsored by Marlboro, because the stage seems to have disappeared for second act, The Morning After Girls, who are not all girls it would seem! The crowd has swelled to double the size (30). The band come out looking all moody and American, they are in fact Australian, they kick up some dust, and plenty more smoke, they are kinda like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club used to be, and with a girl (a very handsome girl), not a bad thing, but then again not really a good thing either… They certainly look the part, but looks don’t count for too much these days, do they? So expect them to be huge.

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Closing tonight’s gig are 65 Days Of Static and they are something of a revelation, like a heavy metal Low, they just throw out odd shapes and massive instrumentals that just don’t seem to need vocals. I’ve been aware of the band but not caught them live before, they are incendiary, the sheer force of their delivery cannot fail to impress. They only stop to breathe out after fifteen minutes, and then it’s back in again, incessant fury is perhaps the only way to describe what they do. I have no fucking idea who this appeals to, but appeal it does, I could not listen to them at home, but I certainly look forward to seeing them again live.

So, three very different bands, who like I said are defiantly ‘Most Wanted’ if they can get the support, but where the fuck were the people, where was the press, where was the radio coverage for these acts prior to the gig, Liverpool needs to wake up its infrastructure to embrace the alternative culture alive in this city, with support like this, bands just won’t bother! But I’m glad I did.

Jj 2006