Like For Like
The Like/The Bright Space, Birmingham Carling Academy 2, Thursday March 2 2006.
With heavy snow showers forecast in the region, it's touch and go until the getgo as to whether your correspondent gets to the gig in the first place. Things sufficiently clear to make it possible to get the train into Brum where a couple of beers in Scruffy's with the lovely Alison means we only catch the last few songs by The Bright Space, but what we hear sounds promising - if you like Brendon Benson, powerpop and harmonising they're definitely worth holding your torch for.
It's easy to be cynical about The Like, three girls yet to hit their twenties who are the progeny of various West Coast musical alumni. And yet the first thing that seems to strike everybody is that these girls can really play - Tennessee Thomas providing powerful drums; sultry Charlotte Froom delivering bassline service to court attention while singer/guitarist Z Berg has a rich, husky, distinctive voice recalling at various times Chan Marshall, Katie Stretch and Jenny Lewis. Apart from the band themselves, that is, as the first thing that strikes Charlotte and Z is that drummer Thomas is wearing a skirt instead of trousers as they mock-scold her to keep her legs closer together while she beats the skins.
Denied a decent view of Tennessee's dishevelled state by a group of gormless lads in front, Dead Kenny is left to ponder that while The Like are significantly more than competent, they're still somewhere short of genuinely exciting. Maybe longer prior exposure to their pretty, hook-laden songs might have helped but your correspondent feels they're a band still awaiting the signature tune that will catapult them to critical mass.
Later, head on to The Sunflower Lounge for drinks, where a girl wearing an eyepatch unceremoniously bumps into Alison. She apologies before adding parrot-fashion, 'I'm only wearing it as a fashion accessory'. Shiver me timbers, whatever next? Just as well Alison's civilising presence stops Dead Kenny from asking to closely inspect her treasure chest as recompense for her pirate error.
The Like/The Bright Space, Birmingham Carling Academy 2, Thursday March 2 2006.
With heavy snow showers forecast in the region, it's touch and go until the getgo as to whether your correspondent gets to the gig in the first place. Things sufficiently clear to make it possible to get the train into Brum where a couple of beers in Scruffy's with the lovely Alison means we only catch the last few songs by The Bright Space, but what we hear sounds promising - if you like Brendon Benson, powerpop and harmonising they're definitely worth holding your torch for.
It's easy to be cynical about The Like, three girls yet to hit their twenties who are the progeny of various West Coast musical alumni. And yet the first thing that seems to strike everybody is that these girls can really play - Tennessee Thomas providing powerful drums; sultry Charlotte Froom delivering bassline service to court attention while singer/guitarist Z Berg has a rich, husky, distinctive voice recalling at various times Chan Marshall, Katie Stretch and Jenny Lewis. Apart from the band themselves, that is, as the first thing that strikes Charlotte and Z is that drummer Thomas is wearing a skirt instead of trousers as they mock-scold her to keep her legs closer together while she beats the skins.
Denied a decent view of Tennessee's dishevelled state by a group of gormless lads in front, Dead Kenny is left to ponder that while The Like are significantly more than competent, they're still somewhere short of genuinely exciting. Maybe longer prior exposure to their pretty, hook-laden songs might have helped but your correspondent feels they're a band still awaiting the signature tune that will catapult them to critical mass.
Later, head on to The Sunflower Lounge for drinks, where a girl wearing an eyepatch unceremoniously bumps into Alison. She apologies before adding parrot-fashion, 'I'm only wearing it as a fashion accessory'. Shiver me timbers, whatever next? Just as well Alison's civilising presence stops Dead Kenny from asking to closely inspect her treasure chest as recompense for her pirate error.
1 Comments:
Glad to hear Alison is proving a civilising influence...
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