VoidNotes

First posted on May 7, 2018

This is the third Norm’s night and the second I made.

Tonight I’m seeing a couple of repeats (Dr. Clyde (Is this the third time? Did they play the owl last october? I honestly can’t remember) and Saturday Morning Breakfast Show(review available on my long dead tumblr) and a first for The Three of Us. I’m here for Saturday Morning Breakfast Show (SMBS from now on) who I saw 25 months ago because life and lack of advertising.

I’m sitting next to someone’s parents who are politely waiting for the first act. I got here quarter to band instead of quarter past doors but still managed to get one of few seats.

The Three of Us

I’m not certain, but, this may be their second gig. A indie trio with a singer, a bassist, and a drummer.

Each their tracks seems to start with a fun riff but don’t sustain my excitement. I like the bass but I always do.

Lyrics leave room for improvement. “I hope were friends till we’re thirty” isn’t high poetry. But Dr Clyde is a tough act to precede in that regard.

The bass shaking at the end of I don’t know((Actual song name)) was cute. The act is cute. The little errors are cute. I feel condescending but they are starting out so won’t be as good as when they play again. The penultimate song ends early due to messing up.

But the last track is the highlight. Again it starts jumpy and I’m keen. It gets faster as they exchange smiles. A great choice to end on.

I always find myself saying this but: it’s a nice start. I can’t see a bands first gig and evaluate them like a long term project((is this unfair? I feel these are finished projects)).

Saturday Morning Breakfast Show

I made a bit of a tit of myself when I introduced myself to Robbie on the night ( I complained I hadn’t heard about a gig in two years. Can you Stan a band with 191 Facebook likes? I’ll try). Told him I was excited to hear him live again.

So SMBS is one man, a glittery guitar, and so many loop pedals. As he builds the layers of each song he hops about the stage, tapping the slab of electronics before him. The music is pretty math rock. Soft, distorted vocals. Ambient.

Only two of the four tracks have lyrics. I like the soft sadness of It’s Officially (British) Summer (Time) but find Ties and Suits and Songs lacking in nuance. The date rape is bad because you’d feel bad if it was your sister is… basic((People have issue with the what if it was your sister argument because surely the woman being drugged in the story is as a human being we can have empathy for. But at the same time. If someone is drugging a person to assault them, they don’t have empathy for that person)).

Objectivity is stupid. I saw SMBS at one of my first local gigs. Maybe my second. I was mystified by him((This was back when I didn’t have much mental clarity and anything that made me think was a revelation. Something to cling to. That and the peanut & oat & chocolate biscuit I had that night haunts my dreams and leaves me waking with a dry mouth. They were amazing. Cactus cafe. Go.)). He started out making some basic sounds on a guitar but it built up into a wall of sound that was both harsh and dreamy.

I’ve listened to the Doug Tandy EP enough times that it feels like home((I thought that phrase and now can’t stop)). If anything, it was jarring that anyone else was there.

The video is from my phone, not a low light camera. My favourite part is at 00:27.

Where is everyone?

It’s half nine and there are ten people here. I recognise 2/3rds of Dr. Clyde and the doorman. A few more people show up but even in this small venue it feels empty. It’s everyone watching Marmozets?

Dr. Clyde

Saw them last month at epic studios with a much bigger crowd and a very different vibe. Tonight there were more like 30 people here. I liked the intimacy of this gig and talking to the singers mum. Apparently she is at most of their gigs.

Despite the lack of crowd they put on a good show. I think they always will. I didn’t take any notes as I was too busy dancing. I was already in a drifty mood and this just brought me completley into a hypnagogic state((2018 is all about the negation of self via live music)).

I like the way they play off each other. You think a song will end then the riff a bit more. The vocalist/guitarist just kinda talks into the mic and it works. Dr. Clyde have a lot of disparate influences to their music. It’s rock at the base but more complex.

The bassist had to run off half way through the set to go to the bathroom. It was that informal. The local scene seems more close knit than ever; everyone seemed to know each other. Even I knew someone there, and I know four people.

Hello, please exchange this money for merchandise, Mr BreakfastMan

This was nice.

I think he was confused, if touched at having a stranger be a fan. We talked a little about his music and he explained that facebook statistics showed that people didn’t see his posts. But he promised to post more. And there’s a music video coming up((edit: It’s out and so pretty. .

I’m now writing this in my new SMBS tee; eating my Saturday Morning Breakfast. I’m going to see my friends and sit in the sun. A good day.

Dr. Clyde is the better band. But until they have captions to help me understand their words((Is this a symptom? Everything is a symptom and I just can’t hear the lyrics though the other sounds. The noise doesn’t translate into words)) they can’t mean what SMBS does. To me.