Stonkingly Good, First Youth Night At The Social
BY one of ThameNews.Net’s up-and-coming, young music journalists, Rob Lowen.
SIMPLE Reason, The Youngs Plan, Proliem, The Residue -Review:-
It’s a Tuesday evening and there’s school tomorrow, but nevertheless the top room of The Social Club in Thame contains a fair few kids. The bands are only just setting up as the first few teenagers enter the room, but soon(ish) everything is ready, and the first band step tentatively onto the corner of the room that is being used as a stage tonight.
The Residue look about nine years old. And they sound like Greenday had a child with Jet but it was raised by The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Not too shabby considering the age of these guys (I believe them to be about 14). The Residue play a catchy, likeable set tonight, and particularly impressive is the voice of singer Rob. On occasion, they lack attitude and emotion, but this may well be down to nerves, and the guitar tone could well do with some work. Of particular note is a stonkingly fun cover of AC/DC’s You Shook Me All Night Long.
Second to the stage tonight are Proliem, tonight looking absolutely ridiculous. Singer Martin is wearing the campest shirt of all time, and he and guitarist Craig appear to be wearing make-up. I’m afraid so. Never an excusable gesture normally, the pair of them look even sillier standing next to bassist Jim Furnace and drummer Max “definitely not camp” Camp, both of whom have turned out tonight in full grunge gear.
Proliem open their set with a ridiculously heavy cover of the James Bond theme tune. Not the most original idea in the world ever, but the song draws a chuckle from the few kids at the front anyway. Proliem play interestingly tonight, considering that lead guitarist Ben Holding left the band officially just days before this gig, and sometimes it is all to obvious that Craig hasn’t had time to work out new, more fitting single line guitar parts, because sometimes the guitar sound is far too thin. Proliem also seem to lose heart in the verses, but hitting the choruses with all the energy they have. This band are ambitious, but the clean guitar sound is just a few shades too thin to successfully carry it off. Having said that, on occasion Proliem toss ambition out of the window and favour pure sludge.
Set closer On The Other Hand is by far the grungiest song Proliem play tonight, and the guitar sound is so sludgy you’d have thought Kurt Cobain fell into a swamp. But in a good way. Proliem reach their peak with this song, which is a shame because had they achieved this earlier in the set they would have been very enjoyable indeed. The middle eight section draws a clap from the assembled kids, which is quickly put to a stop by some fancy math-drumming from Max Camp. That boy is a machine.
The Youngs Plan are main support tonight, and after a brief kafuffle getting on stage, and guitarist Sam Richardson’s tuning problem, they launch boldly into a new song. It calls to mind the clunk-bonk strand of new Thame-core recently popularized by the likes of Twat Trot Tra La. It’s delicious, and sounds massive. This song recalls OK Computer era Radiohead, spiralling around the head and around the room. Crowd favourite The Antidote sounds like Biffy Clyro taking salvia and jumping between buildings in New York. Left positively roars- there’s so much going on that there’s no space left in the head to think, before dropping out into a gorgeous minimalist verse, a rant about nothing in particular. The next song – yet more new material due to be on the next EP, has no trouble once again proclaiming The Youngs Plan’s love for Biffy Clyro, its violent alternative thrash is truly delightful. Input/Output is sparkly and huge, with a catchy verse groove. The Young’s Plan’s constant stream of refreshing new ideas puts professional bands to shame. This song is like a shot of Aftershock Blue after a bottle of Jack Daniels, and singer Ash Cooke only has to grin apologetically for the audience to forgive him over a fluffed vocal cue.
The Youngs Plan are too alternative for teenage angst. Instead, their closing number gives off an aura of nostalgia, the simple refrain “Like rocks that we threw in the river” is the perfect anticlimax to the intensity of earlier songs.
Touchingly – Wycombe’s Simple Reason stand in a circle together with their arms around each other before every gig, and tonight they embrace each other before hitting the stage like a fireball, launching into single Empty Handed – the promo video of which is available on the band’s myspace. Singer Josh Rumble really does have the most fantastic set of lungs.
I’ve been anticipating seeing Simple Reason again for a long time now. The last time yours truly saw this band, they were exchanging screams with a thousand emo kids at the profile festival in Aylesbury. January 2007 will see the release of their debut album and tour, with a single coming out in February and the possibility of a second album in March.
Tonight, Simple Reason are tighter than your parents, and yours truly only felt disappointment at my dedication to the notepad- this band make you feel like you could jump into a fight with Mike Tyson and come out breathing. Simple Reason put on a dynamic display, with awesome vocal harmonies provided by guitarist Keith. They don’t necessarily throw in that nudge towards the unexpected that would be great to see, but in terms of showmanship, even in a confined space such as the Social, this band are unbeatable.
A heavier number sees kids literally hanging from the ceiling. Anger oozes. There is more pressure in the six inch space between the band and the audience than in an industrial brewing vat. Then the song is over and Josh Rumble calmly taunts the crowd: “Calm down now children” before the band launch into another Used-esque epic rock song. Moments of brooding roll into explosions of rage, peaking in a guttural roar worthy of Tarzan, then followed by a violent thrash accompanied by some tasty tapping courtesy of new guitarist Rich Mckee.
The penultimate song – which I unfortunately missed the title of, contains a massive build-up, which seems to swell from the band to fill the whole room and engulf the audience, before launching into an all-out aural war, obliterating the eardrums of every kid in the room.
The band finish with As We Go On, a technical masterpiece and a stunning slab of hard-rock that sees pinched harmonics flying everywhere and guitarists Rich and Keith posing together- then running straight into the centre of the room. Which of course sends everybody crazy.
The passion and intensity that this band put into their music is insane. Keith’s mouth seems to fit around the whole microphone as he belts out each heartfelt harmony. Rumble bends over double and roars, the noise emerging is almost not human. Rich throws his guitar around wildly, whilst still somehow never playing a bum note. Bassist James is an ever constant presence, solid, confident. Josh is a blur of arms and hair behind the drum kit. Then all too quickly, it is over. The band suggest that some of the kids come and chat to them, and it’s great to see a band so humble, especially considering the carnage that has just taken place. Splendid stuff.
PHOTO: Courtesy of whoever took the picture ‘Social Flyer’. Contact editor@thame.net who will immediately credit your name.
