Longwave Southpaw, New York
It's unlikely you'll find a better place to see New York's Longwave than this. Brooklyn is the adopted home of at least one of the band, and tonight they're playing to pretty much everyone who's been with them on the slow climb from their early, Britpop-influenced debut 'Endsongs', to the current, Dave Fridmann-produced, 'Strangest Things' album. The main difference these days is that frontman Steve is delving ever further into his guitar, pulling out fresh sounds as if on a one-man mission to exhaust its possibilities: treacly feedback for 'Meet Me At The Bottom'. Delicate chimes for 'The Ghosts Around You', juddering pop riffs for the excellent 'All Sewn Up'. Occasionally on record Longwave have been a little too measured, but it seems like they've learned from their support slots with The Stokes and The Vines that you don't always have to technically perfect to cause a stir. By 'Tidal Wave' Steve and co-guitarists Shannon are bustling their instruments to get the kind of rampaging feedback that we haven't seen since the early days of Ride. At the bottom of 'Tidal Wave', though, is a fluid, epic rhythm from drummer Mike and bassist Dave that the so-called shoegazing bands never aspired to. Even when Steve goes stumbling backwards, dangerously close to Mike's drum kit, the drummer doesn't miss a beat. Longwave have always been technically accomplished, and now they're realising that a little chaos goes a long way.
Trevor Baker
Rock Sound Feb 2003