The Duke Spirit, ICA, 13 december 2006
Every once in a while, a gig comes along that completely surprises you and makes you remember why you couldn’t ever live without music and why music is vastly superior when it’s live...
...this was one of those gigs.
Walking to charing cross after the gig, I wondered if maybe superior gigs is a London thing. Does london somehow provide the perfect setting for the best gigs? After a bit more thought and flashbacks of Alien Ant Farm’s crap effort @ Brixton Academy in 2002, I think that perhaps I’ve just lucked out when it comes to london gigs this year. Wolfmother were out-of-this-world bloody brilliant @ the Astoria in july. Was any band really gonna impress me as much as they did? Well, apparently yes. And apparently that band was The Duke Spirit.
But before that, we had to endure the opening act, Congregation. My first reaction to them? “wtf?” All they managed to do was leave me wondering as to whether or not this was proof that British country music exists? (and I personally seriously hope there isn’t a genre and a significant market out there... leave it to the americans, they do it properly anyways)
The opening act was followed by the usual equipment set-up and while this was going on, we were treated to some danish musical representation: The Raveonettes’ ‘attack of the ghost riders’ featured in the DJ’s collection. Wooohooo for that!! :)
The next hour (yes, they actually played a full hour!) was pure rock genius. The Institute of Contemporary Arts seemed an unlikely venue at first but it turned out to be perfect setting for a unique, artistic, and incredibly creative rock band. Usually, my taste in music is stupidly predictable (anything with a drum intro, heavy base-line, catchy guitar riff, and one or more band members with big curly hair is bound to catch my interest) but yet these guys completey floored me – amazing energy, wicked beats, and brilliant vocals. The effortless cool of liela moss (yes, she definitely deserves the PJ harvey comparisons) puts her right up there with charlotte cooper in my books.
This was mature indie with intrigue and classic rock and blues elements that left the entire room bopping their heads from start to end and me rememebering bands like sonic youth and my bloody valentine who don’t (but should!) feature in my CD collection. Perhaps I’ve been in contact with a bit too much indie pop recently but if there was ever a band to put me back on track, this was probably it...
Sometimes I think you need to be reminded what live music is all about and with the duke spirit, I was. Gigs should be like this, all the time and every time but since they are not, I love the fact that gigs like this one comes along every once in a while. because, imagine if every gig was like this - then it would be so much harder to tell the truly fabulous and talented bands from the rest of them. London doesn’t make the difference, the band does. So for now, all I can hope is that it won’t be another 5 months before I get to another out-of-this-world live show. Edinburgh, the challenge is on...
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