If there’s one thing you can’t fault Sean Price (Fortuna Pop’s El Presidente) - for, it’s persistence. In a workshop at Indietracks some years ago, titled “How not to run a record label”, he regaled some of the worst mistakes he’d made. At the time, success seemed elusive: sales were low and he’d invested ridiculous sums of money. Little did he know, he had just released some album called The Pains of Being Pure at Heart which would turn out a massive hit. At the same festival, there was a girl called Elizabeth playing with Tender Trap who had her own band, Allo Darlin’, who found success equally baffling, seemed to come last on the bill in every indiepop gig in London. It’s funny how things turn out.
The first night was the least exciting of the three, with more unknown bands and a less contemporary headline act. The very first was Monnone Alone, the new side-project from an ex-member of The Lucksmiths. In typical style for my gig outings, I completely missed him. Not that I didn’t want to – I’m a massive Lucksmiths fan – but you know, I had an emergency (my cat needed new kitty litter).
Bearsuit were a great way to start the proceedings (for me, anyway). Every time I’ve watched them, they’ve become better. Maybe it’s my familiarity with the songs, maybe it’s the larger venues – maybe it’s the fact that when I first saw them, they were in front of about 10 people at UCL Union. Regardless, their blend of fast, relentless, bleepy guitar pop has been getting distinctly better. In my eyes, they share many similarities with fellow sort-of-label-mates Shrag: their music is similar, except Bearsuit definitely are more influenced by dance/indie than Shrag, who lean towards a punkier aesthetic. And of course, they have small, hyperactive, female lead singers.
Cinema Red & Blue are a massively rare treat for those fans of indie-pop, specifically those of Comet Gain (who isn’t?), but they have members of Crystal Stilts, The Aislers Set, and The Ladybug Transistor, as well as probably a few others that I forget. David Feck, lead singer, mused that they weren’t so much a supergroup as the opposite – stragglers from other bands. I’m massively unfamiliar with their stuff, which isn’t too much of a surprise given that they have released a single album and played two concerts in their – ooh – 10 year history. They sounded lovely, although I have to admit a certain amount of bemusement, as I couldn’t help stare at the keyboardist from the Crystal Stilts. He has an erm, interesting dance.
They were swiftly replaced – and I do mean swiftly – by The Aislers Set, who put on a surprise set for the night, increasing the number of bands to 5 (five!). Their music, much more so than anyone on the line-up for the Tuesday, was pure, unabashed indiepop, flavoured with C86 tones. Despite that the band are from the states, I can’t say the surprise set was that much of a surprise, as rumours had floated around for a little while that it would be them. It’s nice to see some more C86 tones, especially with who was coming next:
That said, The Primitives never were on the C86, even though they’re commonly banded into that genre as they were active at the time. Their music is distinctly more punky in tone and owes more to say, Blondie than it does to your average 80s indie band. Nevertheless, they’re usually loved by indiepop kids, and they did get a UK top ten hit also covered by Matt Willis (from Busted)! That said though, I’ve always questioned how well The Primitives have been able to play to a large crowd. Although Twee as Fuck put them on to one of the best Buffalo Bar gigs I’ve ever been to – excluding the Pains – their headline act at Indietracks last year underwhelmed me, and I felt this had the same feel to it.
Tuesday night started off with the mighty Shrag, whose last gig I, uh, slagged off. I insist that the sound was to blame, but the band profusely apologised and said they were having a shit night. If this performance was anything to go by though, they must have been in high spirits. The music had real punch to it, and lead singer Helen (above) couldn’t help but crawl around on the floor during The Habit Creep. This is the Shrag I know and love – for god knows how many times I’ve seen them live. The one thing I’d definitely complain about this though: where the hell was all the stuff off the first LP? I know you want to play new stuff, but – but – Pregnancy Scene? Mark E. Smith? Those are some of my favourite tracks! I suppose you can’t have everything.
I’ll finish off this half with talking about Comet Gain. Now – and don’t judge me for this – I’ve always been highly skeptical of them. First (and last) time I saw them was at the last Twee as Fuck, and they were abysmal. For a band I’ve heard so highly praised, I made up my mind on the spot. Anyone who likes them is a nutter and they’re overrated. At some point, someone sent me an mp3 of You Can Hide Your Love Forever, and my eyes widened like dinner plates. How- what- huh?! Okay, okay, this is their only good song. They’re normally average. After this set, I don’t know what to think. They were utterly spellbinding. It was the kind of performance that utterly changed my opinion of them to the better. Particularly great was An Arcade From the Warm Rain That Falls, which has made me realise that their album this year is erm – fucking great.