Grabbed by a poster in the Tickets Scotland box office for up and coming local rock group No Fxd Abode's debut EP launch night at Pivo Pivo, I thought I'd investigate the hype on their MySpace page. Instantly grabbed by their track "Million Different Ways" and learning of a free EP dished out with every ticket, I was in. Not knowing who was supporting until at the door, I had no opportunity to familiarise with the previous output that Goosedubbs or Old Town Rebels had to offer beforehand - so I was in the unique position of experiencing their gig with no previous expectations. In the case of Goosedubbs, five members were onstage - one vocalist, one very punky drummer and three guitarists - which certainly gave the whole performance a crowded feel but it definitely worked for them. Their music had a real RATM feel but at times they did employ an odd guitar sweeping technique, reminiscent of seagull-swishing U2. Very much trying to achieve the typical pubrock playing band's code of hook-laden penache, their efforts are least disguised on their last and strongest track; "Full Stop" delivers an interesting expanse, helped greatly by the lead singer's accented drawl 'trying-too-hard-to-be-melodic, partly failing but still very friendly' way of singing. They seemed to lack confidence onstage and were of course a little messy, but their grittiness was charming. I spoke to the singer afterwards and told him how much I loved the band's name. Perhaps humbled, he handed me a CD-R containing the band's newly recorded EP "Daylight Robbery" - sadly it's tracklisting doesn't contain "Full Stop" but I'd be happy to see it included in any of Goosedubbs' advances.
Next to the stage very quickly after were the Old Time Rebels. The four members began with an ideal opener; a jumpy instrumental with the lead singer playing his guitar with a violin bow; sadly this didn't reflect the consequent styles that were heard (although admittedly the second song was a very rhythmic grooving number). I'm under the impression that the singer was looking for more of a bolder presence in the mix but whatever the case, his nah-nah-nah vocals were lost in sound. A real shame because the percussive elements of their set, the bass and the drums being the real muscle of the machine, would have married perfectly with whatever vocals I could make out. Showing a lot more glamour to their stomp than the previous act, their tracks often opened with macho basslines - their bandname definitely matching the mood of the performance and songwriting. They're very well-rehearsed musicians, playing a type of rock that reminds me of a polite MC5 with a Glaswegian scrawny rant of a voice instead. To be faced with a cover of the Stooges' "I Wanna be Your Dog" midset (politely executed too) totally fired up that image of them again - perfectly played but lacking uniqueness or unpredictability, no true build-ups or release of energy. Their second-last track sounded very happily dirtier than previous; shamefully it was played a little out of time (perhaps a result of some of the 'WAG and lad' crowd jokingly chanting the drummer's name, ultimately throwing the poor guy's concentration). The band were definitely cohesive with one another and seemed like cool dudes - their bassist seemed considerably sociable on the smoking steps. It revealed more creative guitar use than before; this rock & roll tirade attitude they've constructed right near the end was perhaps that one thing they were lacking hitherto. The closer is a very punchy track, letting the guitar roar over the thumpy kickdrum and faded vocals, taking on a sense of grunginess to play them off.
Having spoken to their singer, drummer and manager at points in the evening, I guess my expectations for No Fxd Abode were gradually being raised over the course of the night. Their opening track was nice and catchy, but very noticeably short. As becomes the case for all their tracks in the set; the punk influence screams in NFA more-so than in any of the other acts. The band are, one should put, Glasgow as fuck. For each track, the singer Chris will opt for either a hefty local drawl or (for the ballads or more epic attempts), he actually does have the ability to hit the notes well. Discovering the singer is the sole songwriter definitely puts things into perspective - the songs have a whole 'here, man' matey blood in them. Once we're past the guy's voice, the songs really are a realm of catchy thrown together in the local village hall kind of rock, but only more intricate than that - all members paying strange attention to detail in their performance; the most exempliary of this is the sonically dominant Chris who wildly changes his vocal style between songs (even from verse to verse at times). As the adrenaline obviously kicked in and the venue was becoming genuinely packed, the bandmembers were becoming seemingly more urgent in their playing (even during their new 'slow one' to pace things down a bit). In a way, this 'on edge' feeling really showed in one particular track (which I, as per, didn't catch the name) where the punk influence gleamed through even more - the drums appropriately tribal-sounding, the vocals snarling and the guitar wailing in the corner like an injured baby. The group were really lucky to have their fans chant the letters NFA between songs, really boosting their confidence no doubt - the obvious single in the repertoire "Million Different Ways", a real highlight on the EP and their MySpace, was successfully twenty times more engrossing when pumped through a PA. Sadly I had to miss the end of the night thanks to my best mates at Stagecoach, but I had a fairly interesting time when I was there. One thing to note is that the No Fxd Abode gang, from Drumchapel (by the way!), were a lot more casually dressed than I expected from the Bunnymen-influenced pictures and videos on their site; their lead singer even wearing a very Britpop-esque tracksuit top if I remember correctly. The accented whine that Chris has opted for in his recordings will obviously polarise opinion and will remain a monstrosity for some listeners; but equally so without it, the guys don't have that special slot, that section of music to invade and make themselves different.
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Goosedubbs:
http://www.myspace.com/goosedubbs
No Fxd Abode:
http://www.myspace.com/nofxdabode09
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