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Klay/Father of Boon/yourcodenameis:milo/Mclusky

Exeter Cavern - 25/4/04

Ooh baby, yeah baby, that's the spot, oh yeah.

First band on were Klay, spelt with a K. They were an entertaining little post rock band, at least that's how they sounded at times, there was also some heavier indie and emo (of the angry variety) in there too though. Vocals a bit quiet in the mix, but still well done. Slightly irritating use of the stop-start dynamic which really doesn't work unless you do it very well. They really came into themselves during the last song though which really showed that this is definitely a band you should keep an eye out for.
8 out of 10



Next on were Father Of Boon. They were very good. There was the eclectica and all round oddness of such bands as Spoon and Les Savy Fav with a very English, and even more cockney, twist upon it. At times the dual vocals even sounded a bit like the Streets, but with more than just a keyboard loop in the background this turned out to be a good thing. I particularly liked their democratic approach to music, want to play a bit of percussion? Sure, go ahead. Join in on vocals anyone? Why not? Take turns in playing the lead part in a song, let everyone have a go. It seemed like everyone on stage was doing everything, though not at once, which avoided confusion and added to the fun of it all. Will go far if there is any justice in the world, unfortunately there probably isn't.
9 out of 10



yourcodenameis:milo were actually a bit of a disappointment for me, I hadn't actually heard anything by them but I'd heard good things and they didn't quite live up to them. It's not that there was anything intrinsically wrong with them, just that there are quite a lot of bands doing very similar things to them right now and there was little to set them apart from the pack. They played reasonably good rock music which dangerously straddled the abrasive/melodic ledge. It is better for most bands to either go for something heavy and abrasive enough to lose yourself in or for something melodic enough to dance easily to (though Mclusky gave a masterclass on how to combine these things afterwards), Your Codename is Milo didn't quite pull it off. They were a very tight band who give an entertaining performance though and the last song, with layered fast guitars to boot, proved that they can do it right when they try.
7 out of 10




Mclusky. Well the score is a formality coming from me isn't it? They could have come on stage, pissed all over the audience and walked off again and I'd still give them 10 but hey, they really are very good. Steve Albini described them as the only good band in Britain right now for Christ's sake, if that's not a seal of approval from someone who counts I don't know what is. Mclusky play amazing indie punk which is alternately quiet and melodic and noisy and abrasive and heavy and arty and catchy and, sometimes, somehow, all of these things at once. They have an amazing talent for writing nonsensical, stream of thought lyrics that are still immensely chantable. They play music which you can just as easily dance to as headbang like a motherfucker. They're very funny (chasing an audience member for repeatedly asking for Alan is a Cowboy Killer, pointing out the way to Leeds for us. Ok, maybe you had to be there.) The bass player is a wiry guy in glasses who likes to take his shirt off and dance and the guitarist looks like Ian Hislop's evil twin. What more could you want? There was a good mix of old and new material, both equally good though it is nice to be able to shout along to the older stuff. A couple of the bassless new songs didn't seem as great but still rocked harder than most and seem like they are the kind of thing that would grow on me after a few listens. Obvious crowd favourites were To Hell With Good Intentions and Alan is a Cowboy Killer abd for good reason too, they are great, great songs. My personal favourite was Whiteliberalonwhiteliberalaction because the bass line is pure evil, the guitar is so catchy and the lyrics are so fun to scream along to, it was absolutely great to hear it live. I half wish there had been more songs from My Pain and Sadness... like You Are My Sun or Friends Stoning Friends or World Cup Drumming but I guess that's the point, Mclusky have so many great songs in their repetoire it would be impossible to fit them all in. So in summary, very good.
10 out of 10