MERCHANT CITY FESTIVAL…… 13th Note Café>>> CANNON ….GALCHEN…. {CAYTO}
Yeah,yeah. So this gig was over a month ago? I never claimed to be a fast writer. Trust me, my synapses are stronger than they should be. Its my memory that’s fading fast. Anyway…. Let me welcome you, good reader, back into the mists of time, back to late summer 2002, down into the depths of the 13th note café, where enigmatic, skinny young men strike poses with guitars, and sonic addicts scream their lecherous approval. This gig was billed as "gig of the month" by the café’s own ‘zine, and what a treat it turned out to be as well. This tiny basement was packed to its rafters for the occasion, the air conditioning was set to "maximum monoxide" and the impressive battery of amps on stage had been primed by an army of rock lizards for maximum sonic penetration.
And then came {CAYTO}. I’d never seen this band before, heard of them of course, and had no idea what to expect. Immediately I was impressed. They whipped up a fantastic energy, mixing epic guitar interplay and piano styles, with some highly impressive vocals. Their epic rock style may bring lazy comparisons to Muse or Radiohead, but in this reviewers opinion they have a style and sound quite unique, chucking buckets of crazed energy and simple good old fashioned fun over soulful introspection. This energy spilled all over the crowd, too, most of whom were {cayto} virgins like myself, but who left the venue feeling at last their souls were complete after their new education. Into the bargain they very nicely gave everyone a free CD, a sampler for their upcoming EP release.
After that I needed air. As if the venue couldn’t get any more full, it somehow did. Then, after my return, GALCHEN rose through the human tide….a four boy experiment in guitars, synth loops, samples, and tight-ass rhythms. I have to confess I’d seen this band before, in Sleazy’s, and on that occasion was blown away by them. This time the proximity of the venue did for the epic nuances of their stage sound. Possibly the numbers crammed in to the place turned the atmosphere off slightly. All in all, it was a fine set with poor sound. There is a certain numerical, scientific edge to their music, which is completely instrumental, but they possess a rhythm section of such quality that the whole experience they offer is well worth seeing, and promises much for the future…
And, as is the case far too often in these three-band bills, half the crowd piss off after the second band. This inexplicable behaviour meant that dozens of fools missed the magnificent CANNON. For the uninitiated, Cannon are a five-piece (three guitar!) instrumental band. They weave great epic soundscapes without vocals… nothing strange there, you may think…. everyone and their cat has bought a copy of "Daydream Nation" and gone post-rock recently. But where most bands would layer the feedback or chuck in meaningless samples nicked from the BBC World Service, Cannon use subtlety and technique to innovate musical structure and harmony that is intriguing and exciting. Every part of the bands sound has been tempered to slot exactly in place with the rest. Not a reverb was set to long, all effects were artfully mastered. Now that in itself could be a criticism… to some tastes such clinical playing could be cold and unrewarding. I reckon not. Their sound on the night was excellent. I suppose my only gripe was the (apparent) short length of their set, and of some of their tunes… maybe some of the crescendos could be ironed out so to bring a proper fizz down the centre of the spine. But…. I clutch at straws. Cannon are fantastic, simple as that, go see their next gigs in the wintertime.
"Finish yer pints and move outside please!" The hospitality of Glasgow barstaff is justifiably legendary. Time to go, my ears ringing, pockets empty, another night well spent in the note……..