So often, the final part of a trilogy is a distinct let down compared to what’s come before. I’m thinking Spider-man and Aliens, here. Even Return of the Jedi was a below par closing chapter.
Thankfully, the same cannot be said of the Ayetunes Vs Peenko series of gigs put on by esteemed west coast bloggers, known as Jim and Lloyd to their Mums.
The final installment is at the Classic Grand and first up is Luke Joyce, playing under his I Build Collapsible Mountains guise. Last time I saw Luke play live was with the Gothenburg Address, and here he seems to have swapped walls of noise and his black hoodie for a plain old acoustic and a nice sweater.
Thankfully, we’re not into Foster & Allen territory – Luke’s songs are deeply personal and affecting and greeted with raucous cheers from the small audience. Sadly, not everyone’s listening and the ‘you could here a pin drop’ reference that I’d hoped to make can’t be applied, but at least the irritating chatter drowns out the even more irritating teenage metal gig happening upstairs.
His set’s made up of songs from the recent Month of Lost Memories record – To the Dark, Rails and Empty Veins all stand out, and there’s the promise of more material to come sooner than we might think.
The last time I saw Come On Gang!, they impressed me with their anthemic, danceable indie-pop and tight arrangements. It’s good to see that not a damn thing has changed.
Singing drummer Sarah Tanat-Jones anchors the whole thing from her kit, and flanked by the boys, they’ve grown in confidence. They’re also in the final five of the Hog the Stage competition to play the Gardens at Hogmanay.
I’ll refrain from commenting directly on their competitors as I wouldn’t wish to cause offence to the other acts, two of whom I think are utter shite, but Come On Gang! are one of the two bands up for it who would both deserve it and put on a great show.
Tunes like the cowbell battering Red Thread are catchy as hell and they’d be a fantastic warm up act for Biffy Clyro and whoever else plays. Come on judges!
Tonight’s nominal headliners are the Seventeenth Century and the band that I’m the least familiar, with but they play a cracking set. Thankfully the crowd has swelled a fair bit too, as this is music that needs to be heard by as many people as possible.
The Seventeenth Century
Musically, they’re a remarkable mix of chamber pop, folk and experimentalism here, but the songs, from the gently echoing Roses in the Park to the closing crescendo of Notes are blinding, all five members trading harmonies throughout. Singing violinist Mark Farmer is as an intense a frontman as you’ll see this side of Nick Cave with bags of on-stage charisma.
They’re young lads, but with an EP due next month, more gigs – including a trip to Holland – and talk of an album in the new year, I’m going to stick my neck out and predict big things for the Seventeenth Century. Judging by the reception they get, I’m clearly not the only one here that’s impressed.
