PESKI KINGS + SPIRAL TV + NICOLE - Mondo Lounge, Dundee 08-02-08
PEG & THE BOUFFANTS + LAST PROJECT + THE DEFENDED + THE HERALDS - Dexters, Dundee 09-02-08
Bit of a different review going on here, but you'll see why, in just a second.
Let's take the Peski Kings and Peg - two more different bands, you couldn't possibly hope to find - you couldn't even begin to compare them, in any way, shape or form. Each band I've reviewed recently (you are keeping up with my reviews, aren't you??) and found each to be absolutely superb - both consumate pop bands from wildly opposite ends of the musical spectrum - the Peskis with their own brand of good-time, happy-go-lucky yet seriously addictive indie-pop, Peg & The Bouffants with a wildly defiant mix of '80's rap 'n' roll, '90's indie strength and a contemporary cauldron of danceable intensity that sweeps you along in its wake.
The one thing that each has in common, on the strength of the performances witnessed on respective nights, is that they're just becoming ever more powerful in their own right.
At Mondo, Becki's mid-range voice showed a greater power to it than we've witnessed to date proving that she's rapidly turning into a vocalist capable of providing a possiblly punkier element to the future pop brew which the band provide. Tonight's set was outstanding as they showed a combined strength that makes their brand of pop into something altogether more serious, a maturity of composition that will, sooner rather than later, get them noticed. With new tracks that range from anthemic to irresistibly dancey, the whole band is taking age-range pop onto a whole new level of acceptability.
Meanwhile, if the Peskis are starting to growl, Peg & The Bouffants have roared their presence and are now starting to devour the opposition with a fervour that chews the meat and spits out the bones with a smile on its face. Janine's vocal is a mighty delivery that makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck, while Kirsty delivers this sinuous swirl of a vocal that curls itself around you before biting you on the neck to let you know that this lady has teeth and isn't afraid to use them. As with the Peskis, only here with the effect of a neutron bomb, they delivered one of the most powerfully intense sets I've witnessed from them to date and, similarly, had even most the partisan Perth crowd, a part of the large audience there on the night, up on its feet and leaping about by the last number of the set, the new and magnificent ska track sung by Kirsty, for which tonight Janine leapt off the stage and into the audience.
Both bands are superb - there is a place on the Dundee scene for each of them and I sincerely hope that they succeed - but, of course, you'll not find them sharing the same bill - which is slightly ironic, as they did that very thing the night before - it's a wonder we all survived - sadly, I wasn't there to see it!!
At Mondo, a lady called Nicole, who had played a creditable solo set with the Peskis a while back at the Bowling Alley, revealed a new trio she'd formed and, although they only played about 4 or 5 tracks, this is definitely a band to watch - I can't recall the full name of the band but they had "Nicole" in the title - as she has a reallly strong voice and really made you sit up and take notice, a couple of the original compositions (she did a couple of covers too) sounding extraordinarily strong, the combination of instruments set against the vocal, quite superb. More next time........
Spiral TV, meanwhile, performed the usual set of sublime psychedelicized Americana-meets-mod rock with a passion that belied the fact that Ricky the lead singer and guitarist, was severly under the weather. Good set, nevertheless.
Meanwhile, the following night at Dexters, a local band called The Heralds played their third or fourth gig and sadly suffered from a guitar technical glitch which interrupted the flow of the set a bit, but the opening song was a mighty example of modern indie that really cooked, so there is something there - I just need to catch it on a more consistent night.
Last Project headlined a sharp and strident set that went down well with the audience as they played a full-sounding set of songs which sounded quite powerful and yet at the same time, the hooks and choruses didn't seem to hang around in the head as long as I'd have hoped, but that's being a bit picky since, as an indie band climbing the ladder, they've got a lot going for them.
But, for me, the crowning glory were The Defended - what a set!! With one of the finest opening tracks that any indie band has come up with, a track that immediately has you hooked and caught up in the band's wake as they tear along in a haze of riffs, rhythms and vocals, all of them addictive, only then to deliver track after track that sounded tight, cohesive and powerful, while at the same time showcasing songs that are so immediate, you sing along without even knowing them, all proves that this is one of THE most potentially commercially slices of musical brilliance around on the East Scottish indie scene right now, and if T-In-The-park isn't eating out of their hands this year or next, then there's simply no justice.