THE DAZE - Dexters, Dundee 29-03-08
I raced across town from another gig to catch this one. It was the band's gig to celebrate one year of existence - one year since that debut gig at Yuppies which started them off with good reports, but then things took hoold as everyone realised that this band could deliver songs that took the commercial side of serious indie songwriting onto a whole new level, the four tracks fromn their debut EP spending much of the summer of 2007 being DJ and between-set favourites from venue to venue, a mark of the extraordinary quality of songwriting and playing that they delivered. Playing more gigs than seemed wise, the band sensibly cut back on the live work towards the latter part of winter, to concentrate on writing, and were now starting - or as good as - 2008 as they mean to go on. But would it still have the same magic? Would it reach the heights that they attained before?
Would it?
Don't be daft!! - Of course it would - and then some............
Armed with brand new songs, recent songs and the familiar songs, The Daze played the longest set I've heard them do to date and, in the process, not only provided one of the best concert experiences you'll hear from an on-fire indie quartet, but threw down the gauntlet to the rest of them. Opening with "Young, Free & Easy", the band immediately caught fire as Robbie's, now throatier and less nasally, vocal, burned through the blazing twin guitar onslaught and the hammering down rhythm section, as the audience started to dance, aware that this was going to be a good one! From there, a couple of songs from the first EP got more and more people on their feet, as the band found their grove and from about the third track onwards, REALLY started to cook. The unveiling of the first of the brand new tracks saw them unleash the fastest and most powerful track that they've done to date, the best bit being that they pulled it off with ease, proving that when they want to turn the heat up, they can get angry enough to do it and scorch their guitars-driven way through a fiery offering that's still got "Daze" written all over it. "You'll Never See That Day", one of the more recent tracks, is rapidly becoming a classic - the harmony vocals from lead guitarist Scott, now improving so that they partner the raspy lead vocal as both soar above the expansive wall of sound that's going on below, the guitars a mix of searing lead and all-guns blazing rhythym, while the bass pumps out the undercurrent with reckless abandon as the drums lay down the driving foundations to keep it all moving apace, the song itself every bit as addictive as any other Daze song. Another new song is "Devil's Disguise", the first time we've heard them deliver a song that's not absolutely immediate, but the sort of song, taken more at a mid-paced attack, that you hear and get wrapped up in, the result being that you think, "now that was good but I need to hear it again - and again - to get the full effect", one of those tracks that you know is going to grow on you the more you hear it, and another facet to what this band can do, compositionally.
From there on, it was the run to the end on the final straight, as two more deliciously addictive tracks from the debut EP had the whole crowd on its feet and dancing to some degree, while the set finished on traditional set-closer, the epic that is "New Day Dawning", the song starting as an intense slice of anthemic indie briliance and turning into this fiery cauldron of explosive drum work, solid bass, massive guitars, soaring choruses, and even more swirling guitars.
A triumph - this was one red hot set, the best part being that this wasn't even the band at their peak - there's way more to come and they can take this set and make it something that audiences are going to want to come out and see, as it that perfect mix of knowing you're going to hear great songs, knowing you're going to hear fantastic guitar works, knowing you're going to hear a quality band and - above all - knowing that you're going to have a bloody fantastic time, every time you see them play. You can't say fairer than that!!