Wednesday 21 April 2010

Keith TOTP - The Lamb

See, Keith TOTP on guitar is backed up by three indiepop guitarists and a really cool geeky girl playing a saw, to stop their sound drowning out his vocals he is positioned in front of them.

This one time I had Mouse Eat Mouse doing an acoustic session in my flat in Glasgow, their sax player was mighty loud so we had him playing away in the kitchen and the vocals chap was stood by my front door. You gotta work it out with unamplified stuff.

A song about about masturbation. The amassed ranks of guitars (four of them) blur together a wee bit, but the saw is over-arching warbling from the right.

The usual venue for Totally Acoustic has been refurbished a little, the walls plastered with pre-war photography and portraiture, more tables, the place seems quite full. I'm by the door, and more people are trying to cram in behind me.

Dominik Diamond is here, despite having emigrated to Canada in 2007.

The vast majority of Keith TOTP's songs are negative "We hate your band" and "Fuck the Manic Street Preachers", entertaining stuff nontheless.

The Bombadier tastes a bit funny this evening.

Tuesday 20 April 2010

Superman Revenge Squad - The Lamb

Was briefly trying to remember if and where I'd seen Superman Revenge Squad. I recalled slagging them off cos of over-pimping from God Is In The TV, but it turns out I'd only seen them before at a previous MJ Hibbett's Totally Acoustic night.

Can I write about this any differently than last time. Probably not I don't recall last time too well, so this review may be identical. Although tonight he has a cello player which on the one hand adds more depth to the songs, but on the other hand, from where I'm sat at the back by the door, the vocals are overwhealmed a wee bit, but I could still make out the words, maybe if the chap sat in front of the cello player, or on his knee, no, that wouldn't work.

I like his song about seeing an old man flicking through a porno magazine in the newagent, probably looking for someone who looks like his dead wife. It reassures my search of RedTube for anyone who looks like girls I knew a decade ago.


But, I hear you cry, what does it sound like? Weel, its acoustic guitar with breathy fast spoken/sung vocals. Not much in the way of fancy guitar noodles, but nimble chords. Songs played in the bedsit style, introvert and imaginative, well, songs about thoughts, day dreams and something someone once said or saw. Like The Streets minus the hip-hop.

Ah ha, a song inspired by a half remembered Oink comic strip, Mark Riley would be so proud.