Tucan @ The Box, Crewe

My arrival at the box is greeted by the sound of a lively acoustic duo from Sligo.  Boring you think?  Not these two, with a blend of funk and salsa that is fit for any Mexican bar they certainly hit the spot.  As for the crowds’ response, from a fairly sparse venue early on, comes a roof raising eruption of noise.  It would have me to the dance floor in a matter of minutes, maybe the crowd a tad shy, or not drunk enough, one of the two.  Typically Irish music brought to the northwest as part of Tucan’s tour, the crowd and band are loving every minute of it.  Fourth song ‘Indian Harmony’ is a fusion of two songs (so we are told).  With one acoustic guitar playing a rather addictive bass line, gradually built up until a powerful eruption of pure talent from the Irish duo (in other words, a bloody fantastic chorus!).  Considering there are no vocals present this is a rare skill to produce such great music, somewhat resembling Newton Faulkner (minus the dreadlocks!).  As for the individual guitar talent of these two, simply breathtaking.  However, more varied material would be nice during the set.  This was a very well rehearsed, professional yet light hearted set from Tucan.  With no percussionists present it is hard enough to keep time, but to do it with such ease and add complex melodies is just fantastic.  With the correct guidance and a lucky break, we could be seeing a lot more of these guys.

Bleached Wail @ The Box, Crewe

The headliners are due to emerge in less then 15 minutes. I can genuinely say the crowd haven’t been lively all evening.  However an act of this class doesn’t come along everyday.  Saying that more then two have appeared tonight.  By my experience tonight, this really is the place to be if you want to find home grown talent and a good night out in the same place.   Bleached Wail finally hit the stage and an eruption of noise fills the packed venue.  Kicking off with ‘Bounty Hunter’ it whips the crowd into a frenzy, with melodies you just have to dance to.  Along with lead singers truly individual voice, which puts the icing onto a rather well made cake, this is set to be an epic headline slot from the local boys.  The middle 8 is Chili Peppers – esque with lead lines even Frusciante would be proud of.  However with a true stamp of authority and style bleached wail have made it individual.  The ending says it all, what most of the crowd have been waiting for the duration of the night gets a worthy reaction.  If you don’t play an instrument these three guys will have you down to the nearest music shop in a jiffy.  The raw talent mixed with masses of stage charisma is a sure recipe for success.  Ten Man Grin gets the whole place dancing, jumping, and yes, even on shoulders. The atmosphere in the place is electric, so much so it makes the hairs stand up with excitement across your entire body.  I can say it isn’t just me who has a grin worthy of the Cheshire cat across my face right now.  For my first gig of 2009 I can say this isn’t a bad start. Stolen Thunder certainly a crowd favorite and personal favorite although it is hard to pick when all the songs are top notch!  I am loving every second of this band, with Irish like melodies which previous band Tucan would be proud of, can this band get any better? 

Wild Nothing @ Deaf Institute - Manchester

With many peoples minds - and bodies for that matter - focused on the more important things in life – for instance; the highly anticipated album from Girls Aloud star Nadine Coyle, the crowd could be forgiven for being a little thin on the ground tonight.

The Deaf Institute has built up a cult reputation for being one of the coolest and kookiest bars in Manchester, playing host to some of the best new bands on the music scene.  Tonight is no exception.  With Wild Nothing coming to town, it could be said that they are a little new to the UK music scene (this being only there second tour here) despite this they are already warming to certain venues “We’re happy to be back here, this is our second show at The Deaf Institute, and it’s one of our favourite venues”.

   

Alas, as I stumbled through copious amounts of dry ice entering the venue, I caught a glimpse of the first band, The ABC Club.  Wearing what can only be described as the contents of their dads’ wardrobe, you can understand why I was a little sceptical.  Nonetheless, once the highly charged indie influenced rhythms kicked in I was soon backtracking on my original thoughts.  Although stage presence and crowd interaction were not their forte, they played a tight and professional set, that impressed me, and it seemed only me.

            

Milk Maid were next to try and please this challenging crowd.  With unkempt  facial hair, ripped jeans and each sporting long locks there were two genres that came to mind; Grunge and Metal – thankfully they didn’t play metal.  So, launching with some gusto into their first song the crowd remained very much understated, making the bar first port of call rather than the music.  This remained a constant theme throughout their set.  The efforts to reinvent Nirvana and the grunge era wasn’t working whatsoever, despite their best attempts.

            

The arrival of Jack Tatum a.k.a Wild Nothing was imminent, and for the first time throughout the whole evening I could sense an air of excitement around the venue.  With an echo of the addictive melodies that made Bombay Bicycle Club so successful, coupled with the raw emotion and strength of Jack’s voice makes for a strong set.  As so many bands in this current day and age love the sound of their own voice, it is somewhat refreshing to hear ‘Thank You Guys” once every couple of songs, a band that is fully concentrated on their music rather than the sound of there voice is a rare occurrence these days.  What made this performance special is the banter between the band-mates and the sheer enjoyment they were having, it was visible for everyone to see.  The crowd had now taken their eyes of the bar and were fully concentrated on the lively performance that graced them, and appeared to be enjoying every minute.  Wild Nothing had certainly lived up to the hype they have been receiving, and gave everyone something to smile about with a fantastic and unique performance tonight.