FESTIVAL MUSIC PREVIEWS & REVIEWS
L L E D O K C R T A P
I
LACH: UP THE ANTI! Witty rock and roll renditions from legendary Lach ●●●●● Masterfully strumming a guitar, singing with a gravelly vocal or doing a commendable Bob Dylan impression – Lach, despite his onstage humility, is kind of a New York legend. His rousing solo show is a journey through music memories, scattered with anecdotes on The Clash, The Jam, The Beatles . . . the list goes on. The surprisingly small turnout means things start a little flustered, a hilarious reinterpretation of The Doors’ ‘The End’ – an ode to how awesome it would be if Jim Morrison were Batman – not fully receiving the reception it deserves. Fast forward, however, and you can tell he’s done this before: a rant on Fringe pitfalls, wistful anecdotes on the New York antifolk scene and an achingly funny hatred of Tom Petty’s biography – interjected with mighty fine tunes – and things warm up nicely. With ‘no set list’ the show moves fluidly, a highlight being walked through a chorus of ‘KISS Loves You’. A great storyteller, Lach’s direct delivery and witty lyrics are at the heart of this show. (Jo Bell) ■ Alternative Fringe at the Hive, until 25 Aug (not 20 & 21), 8pm, £5 (£4).
SLEIGH BELLS Cocky, weird, but joyous noise-pop from New York
When describing New York duo, Sleigh Bells, some accurate adjectives might include: ‘weird’, ‘jar- ring’, ‘obnoxious’, but perhaps also ‘joyous’, ‘triumphant’ and ‘oddly beautiful’. It’s this juxtaposition that makes their collective sound hard to nail down and their actions even tougher to predict. On their second album, aptly-titled Reign of Terror, the pair have turned up the volume, the inten-
sity and the hooks and filtered it all through an 80s metal time machine. The result is a cocky, metal- studded fist-pumper, but with plenty of substance underneath the razor-wire noise.
Live, the duo bring the party with a pungent, smoke-machine-clogged atmosphere built on barek-
nuckle electronic aggression, prowling Van Halen-esque shredding and sickly sweet vocals courtesy of singer, Alexis Krauss. Anyone familiar with Floridian hardcore troupe, Poison the Well, might well recognise guitarist and Sleigh Bells instigator, Derek E Miller too.
His confrontational guitar-work is at the white-hot core of SB’s music, but as shown by album opener ‘True Shred Guitar’, there is a sense of humour and cocksure satisfaction at play too when doling out glam-metal levels of squealing distortion. The band play Glasgow and Edinburgh back to back in support of Reign of Terror, so expect to be danced to death. (Ryan Drever) ■ Sleigh Bells play Oran Mor, Glasgow on Tue 21 Aug; The Liquid Room, 225 2564, Wed 22 Aug, 7pm, £12. Reign of Terror is out now on Mom+Pop Records.
TEMPER TEMPER: THE PAIN OF DESIRE Weimar rock‘n’roll from an unforgettable per- former ●●●●●
The edges between live concert and theatrical performance bleed together in this full band show instigated by creative director Wendy Bevan. It begins as we await outside, the sound of piano flourishes being prepared echoing through the institutionalised corridors of Summerhall, even as a fraught-looking master of ceremonies paces back and forth, silently offering his hipflask and barking at anyone who dares speak. Then we are ushered into the venue’s old anatomy lecture theatre, a barrel- shaped room with the most wonderful, air-thickening acoustics and a vantage point from the old wooden pews that offers a raised view wherever you sit. Bevan, wearing a sparkling, floor-length, crocheted
dress, bird’s nest hair and porcelain-toned make- up on her face, glides in and says not a word. Her band, led by wild-coiffured pianist Seiriol Davies, strike up, and they sound fantastic: a crunching drum beat that shakes the walls, a thick bassline that echoes in the chest, Davies’ madcap but expert playing. They remind of Dirty Three or perhaps Can in a wilder moment, but Bevan’s stunning performance is pure Dietrich; a voice made of jagged highs and a spine-caressing baritone, her expressions detached and constantly yearning for something in the middle distance, and if the audience aren’t there at all. The effect is powerful and hypnotic, and will stay with you. (David Pollock) ■ Summerhall, until Sat 18 Aug, 21.45—22.45, £10 (£8).
CHRIS DIFFORD & NORMAN LOVETT: IT’S ALL ABOUT ME! Squeeze singer and Red Dwarf comedian in inexplicable team-up ●●●●●
Quite why Chris Difford of successful 70s and 80s pop group Squeeze chose to embellish his partial spoken word/life story with miserablist comedian and Red Dwarf actor Norman Lovett is never explained here, so we can only presume they’re old friends or drinking buddies. In which case, the air of matey self-indulgence with which the show is infused becomes easier to explain. It is, on many occasions, all over the shop, with Difford’s matter-of-fact anecdotes about the band (formed when he put a 50p advert in a sweet shop window; he and Jools Holland once inked the words ‘I am a cunt’ on the sleeping John Cale’s forehead) diluted by the speed with which he races through them and Lovett’s baffling interjections, the only one which appears relevant is a This is Your Life take off. Thank heavens, then, for Difford’s lovely acoustic versions of the band’s classics, including ‘Take Me, I’m Yours’, ‘Up the Junction’, ‘Tempted’ and ‘Cool For Cats’. (David Pollock) ■ Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, until 27 Aug, 9pm, £10.50–£11.50 (££9.50–£10.50).
60 THE LIST 16–23 Aug 2012