This Is Music

This Is Music

21 July, 2008
by: Domzig

Sunday is without a doubt the crappiest day of the week. Yeah, OK, you don’t have to work or anything, but you have the whole feeling of having to work the next day it kind of sucks the life from you like an emotional leech. Of course this means that having to stand through a gig an endurance challenge worthy of the Krypton Factor or something – but oh, well ‘endure and overcome’.

The Macbeth is pretty packed out this Sunday for This is Music, and whilst this has the effect of creating a bit of an buzz about the place, as I look round I spot so many yawning people that I start to looks like the whole gig could turn into a massive sleep over at any minute.

Into this atmosphere are thrust local boys My Sad Captains, who jam out sweet indie pop, that takes in country influences and comes across a lot like Canadian indie legends The Weakerthans; minus the songs about cats, explorers and waking up in mental intuitions. Still, for their part, The Captains’ are a pretty charming bunch and by the time they finish nearly everybody in the place is smiling happily to themselves, and I’m feeling sufficiently motivated to risk having a beer.

Leicester residents Kytes are next up, with their guitar led post rock that is reminiscent of Explosions in the Sky, Sigur Ros and the sea ice off Lancaster Sound, immediately making me rue my decision of buying a Budvar.

They’re pretty good and well worth persevering with, but watching shoegaze bands are a lot like viewing photos of landscapes in a gallery. The first couple and you’re awed by the whole beauty of the things, but after checking out a couple they just become pictures of trees and birds – and your mind starts to wander off. The lustre starts to come off Kytes quite quickly, but to be fair I’m not in my most contemplative state of mind and I’m left thinking that these guys work a whole lot better on record.

Last up are Scottish boys Frightened Rabbit, who are definitely the most interesting act of the night sonically speaking. Their songs rise and soar like symphonies, making me think of fireworks, cliff jumping and other epic activities.

But then, that’s the dichotomy of Frightened Rabbit’s sound – because whilst they might sound uplifting and passionate, Scott Hutchinson’s vocals are as dark as it gets and tinged with a sense of sadness and impending doom. It’s a little fucked up, but as he cries his heart out to a crowd of kissing people, I get the sense that I’m witnessing a beautiful moment of universal love, or that I’m a creepy pervert that stares at people kissing in bars.

It’s heavy shit for a Sunday night, granted, but it’s these kinds of things that set you up for the week

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Domzig