Tales From That DJ Booth - 11/07

Words by Marcio Custódio
Pictures by Marcio Custódio (Sonicflyer) and Stuart Nicholls (Wry)

When you have four great bands playing, and one of them is celebrating the release of a long-awaited single and EP, it's obvious you'll have a packed house. That was the case of Goonite Club @ Buffalo Bar last Wednesday, with four acts on the bill, including Wry, partying with friends and fans for the release of "Whales And Sharks" cd EP and "Sister" 7" vinyl single, both out by superb shoegaze independent label AC30. The first two bands were Kissing Kalina and Deep Cut, and I have to admit I didn't pay enough attention to them, mainly because I was busy running the night (sound system, guest-list, drink vouchers), or because I was simply talking to friends I haven't seen for ages. Nevertheless, I was impressed by the bits I saw, with the two bands fiercely delivering strong rock 'n roll sets. Kissing Kalina were sleazy, dark and dirty, while Deep Cut, fronted by a girl with great attitude, gave us some notable Britpop songs.

Since the venue was full mostly with Wry fans, I decided to do a DJ set based on the band's influences, so I threw a few noisy classics mixed with newer ones in the playlist. It worked out nicely, and I could see people were delighted to hear My Bloody Valentine, House of Love, Blonde Redhead, Amusements Parks on Fire, Ride, Sonic Youth, and many others, between the live sets. I truly enjoyed doing this; I have not included a band like Chapterhouse in my DJ set for at least five years, and it was a pleasure to dust off their record.

Following the shoegaze anthems exploding from the speakers, the stage was ready for Sonicflyer, a half-Russian half-English quartet. Listening to those beautiful guitar lines and female vocals to die for, the only thing I can say is that they are splendid in every way, resembling what would be an unique encounter between bands such as Lush and Doves. Their songs spill over into a sublime realm, with melodies capable of melting the iciest heart on earth. One song, "Tonight", was especially emotional. After they finished I awkwardly went to talk to the girl who sings and plays guitar (picture), praising the group and asking for a demo, so that I could add them to my DJ sets.

The air was already filled with enthusiasm as headliners Wry prepared to take the stage. This was an important night for them, and the fans seemed to realise that, attending en masse. For me, this band is in better shape than ever, and the concert just showed that, with strong and solid songs like "Come And Fall", "Sister" and "Bitter Breakfast". The audience was in high spirits during the performance, the songs were played violently loud, and the minor technical problems that happened during one track didn't, even in the slightest, spoil the supreme beauty of the music. The crowd loved it all, and the band was cheerful, as you can see in the picture. One thing I noticed is how majestic the guitars were sounding, with all the nuances flowing deep in my ears, striking my head and warmly touching my heart. And I was hardly the only one with these feelings. Other highlights included "Different From Me" and "Never Sleep", the latter full of glorious riffs.

This group of Brazilian chaps crossed the Atlantic all the way from Brazil to give England something very special: illuminated rock 'n roll.

www.myspace.com/wrymusic
www.myspace.com/sonicflyer

www.myspace.com/thedeepcut
www.myspace.com/kissingkalina

www.myspace.com/marxdiscjockey

www.myspace.com/gooniteclub

www.myspace.com/stunphoto

xxx

Tales From That DJ Booth - 27/06

Words by Marcio Custodio
Picture by Stuart Nicholls


Oh, that was a very good one. June seems to be a quiet month for bars and clubs, as most of us are finishing exams and saving money for our deserved holidays in the summer. Not Goonite though. Tonight we have a crowded Buffalo Bar enjoying three remarkable bands and grooving to the tunes selected by me, the humble disc-jockey.

It was Semaphone who kicked off the night, delivering an Americana vibe to an audience that was still filling the bar. These guys don’t come from Nashville or its surroundings, but they’re actually from Ireland/Italy, all based in London. Their songs are excellent, consisting of refined guitar lines and a warm voice, alluding to a successful collaboration between The National and My Morning Jacket, with Nick Cave as a producer. The song “Stretch a Canvas” is up there with the best things I’ve heard this year. Just bloody brilliant!

Then came Lawrence Arabia, and with them a splash of delightful vocal harmonies and glorious ballads. They managed to take Semaphone’s Americana vibe to a dreamy level, and it just blew our minds. The place was already full by this time and, even when the quietest songs were played, we could feel people were just hypnotised by the performance’s beauty. There were moments it reminded me of a George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass era going on a sensitive path, or a simply folk-ish Abba. This might seem strange, but there you go.

As for the next and last act, I simply can’t recommend them enough. Johnny Boy is without doubt one of the best bands in this country right now, and it’s a shame they are not as popular as they deserve. But maybe they’re happy with that. I like them not for the fact that they are highly praised by both mainstream and underground media, or because some rock legends love them (Mick Jones and Johnny Marr are huge fans, and Manics’ James Dean Bradfield produced their first single), but merely for the fact that their music is absolutely creative, infectious and fantastic, in all ways.

Instead of the formulaic average guitar band that seems to be everywhere these days, Johnny Boy sounds non-obvious as much as possible, and yet they manage to write colossal pop tunes, that could easily, if this world was not so cruel, reach the masses. But that’s fine, lucky us to have them at Goonite Club, and to witness an explosion of colours, vibration and energy that is this band’s concert. On record they are a Spector-esque wall-of-sound convoy, firing bullets made of pop nuggets, but on stage you can add to it a proper punk band fiercely playing a non-stop selection of splendid songs. The screen behind the stage, showing boogie-neon-fireworks images, only helped the spectacle’s magnificence.

The song “War On Want” was a shoegaze-tour-de-force going to a Massive Attack aura, while “Fifteen Minutes” came with hypnotic guitar riffs. Other highlights include “All Exits Final”, “Bonnie Parker’s 115th Dream” and a Ramones mashup-cover. And for the ones euphorically waiting the hit single “You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes And You Get What You Deserve”, the band left it for the finale, ending the concert with class. Seriously, I respect you if you are not a Johnny Boy fan, but I’ll never be able to understand you. Bless them.