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ADPONTES- REVIEW - DEMURE |
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Demure
at STAINES HOBGOBLIN
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STAINES HOBGOBLIN
Thursday 11th September 2008
The ancient Greeks
thought that if you took the head of this, the legs of something
different and the hind quarters of that thing over there you could make
up a new beast. And that beast would be a viable creature. The final
product - the chimera -
a single organism with genetically different sub-cells is what I was
observing tonight. The other thing I was thinking about was Mister
David Byrne’s ‘Talking Heads’ whose
80’s band played everything from punk rock through funk and
glam to world/folk music. And the band consisted of eleventeen
different constituent members not always necessarily including
‘The Head’ of Mr.Byrne. It was a chimeric band.
Tonight I was at The Hob, Staines, to see Johnny B’s chimeric band,
called ‘Demure’. Johnny B is the ‘David
Byrne-esqe’ head of
this particular creature (more of him in a moment) and he is given life
and locomotion by a youthful and clean cut Philip Price, wearing a
green sesame street T-shirt, on lead guitar. To his left, on bass, is
Chris Caller, (looking to all intents-and-purposes like an innocent
church chorister dressed up as a hugger-mugger) and on the
hind-quarters is Neil ‘Stix’ Rawles on drums. (Neil
appears to be slightly- erm- ‘Dutch’ looking.) With
blondish long hair, bits of blondish beardy stuff poking out of his
chin and wearing a scruffy alice band. If I had looked more closely I
would not have been
surprised to see clogs on his pedals. Someone behind me remarked that
the drummer wouldn’t have looked out of place in a
hairy hippie type band like ‘The Flower Kings’ and
I know what they mean.
John is the lead voice and rhythm guitar of this outfit and looks like
a slightly podgy (and I mean that in a beautiful more 'cuddly
'way) and a slightly shorter version of Sacha Baron Cohen but with
loads more black hair and lots more charm. Almost a smaller, more
rounded, softer version of Baron Cohen then. The band plays Alt- Rock
in the conventional sense but with overtures towards noise rock,
especially in the way that the percussion and the bass are given the
freedom to spread out their wings and have dissonant aural adventures
of their own, but framed within the main architecture of each song.
This reminded me of ‘Sonic Youth’ or
‘Butthole Surfers’.
Demure songs have an individual charm and a hummable charisma that
speaks of anguish, truth, unity and vulnerability- in fact all of the
themes that the Staines crowd shared some harmony with. These
bitter-sweet melodies are given lush and sonically-ambitious backdrops
by the crew and especially by Philip Price whose tones and strings are
very memorable and are the sign and seal of a genuinely unique product.
The song ‘1 Vision’ is very reminiscent of Pearl
Jam with grungy guitar, contrasting song dynamics, a pulsating and
luminous lead meandering through the tune and anguished lyrical and
vocal content leading to dynamic conclusions. The song also reminds the
listener of ‘Soundgarden’ but would be welcomed by
the more ‘emo’ types amongst us, and above all, by
anyone with a liking for early emo e.g. ‘Embrace’or
‘Rites of Spring’.
‘Designer Me’ has very sub-pop sound familiar to
‘Soundgarden’ fans and my friend remarked that he
could definitely hear “Black Hole Sun” in there
somewhere.
Not that the band is at all unhappy. I want to make that very clear!
Front man John is an energetic and genuinely enjoyable
performer to watch and his vocals are resonant and passionate - even
theatrical at times. In that respect he is a very similar vocalist to
Eddie Vedder. With brooding baritone sounds (when the mood button is
turned on,) reaching pulsating highs. Unlike Ed Vedder though, Johnny
is also responsible for the guitar arrangements for the ensemble, so
sings with with the guitar ready to be launched from either
side on his return, kept ready for a rhythm blitz, but to be put neatly
to one side for any dramatic lyrical moments.
Happiest and most chirpy of all is Philip who grins and gurns his way
through each song with some deft fretwork, his face illuminated by a
cheeky grin and a wink to the audience. Bass-player
‘Caller’ (the choirboy) is relaxed and coo-ool. He
tends to lead each song, working closely with the percussionist Neil,
who is given plenty of room for his own artistic freedom and, I think,
is technically a very clever player with an ear for detail and with a
capacity to produce explosive but, nonetheless reliable, drum patterns.
This emotional, sensitive and, perhaps, timid band is a joy to listen
to and watch. They have crafted some articulate numbers that give them,
and their enlightened audience, a chance of freedom and the ability to
'jump out of stream' without spilling their guts on the jaggedy rocks
below. You do not leave a Demure concert with shattered eardrums. There
are no rage-filled concert rooms or any latent desire to smash up the
drum kit when you witness this band. And for this they should be
thanked, appreciated and honored.
Demure means down-playing one’s accomplishments and this band
has a lot to be proud of. 'Demure' has many virtues, skills
and abilities but it doesn’t go round town shouting its mouth
off about it. It is rare, these days- any days- to find a band with as
much humility as this lot and it is a tribute to each and every one of
them that they are so professional, so effective and - gosh - so damned
likeable!
We wish this chimeric local band every success.
© Neil_Mach
Sep 2008
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Carmen
at Royal Albert Hall
Thursday, 26 February - Sunday, 8 March, 2009
From the very first note of the much-loved overture to the final tragic
chords, the very essence of Spain is brought to life in this acclaimed
in-the-round production of the world’s most popular opera.
The
dusty atmosphere of the town square, the
cool night air of the smugglers’ mountain hideout and the
festivities outside the bullring in Seville are all vividly recreated
in this powerful tale of lust, superstition and murder slowly
unravelling with fatal consequences.
Carmen, a fiery gypsy girl, is arrested for attacking a fellow worker
in the cigarette factory but manages to persuade her guard, Don
José, to release her on the promise of love. Never satisfied
with the love of one man alone, Carmen quickly casts aside the hapless
Don José in favour of the glamorous toreador, Escamillo.
Consumed by passion and jealousy, Don José pursues Carmen
back
to Seville leading to the inevitable and tragic conclusion
Bizet’s rich and timeless score contains some of
opera’s
finest arias and best-loved music. Escamillo’s rousing Song
of
the Toreador, Carmen’s bewitching Seguidilla and tantalizing
Habanera and Don José’s heartfelt Flower Song
never fail
to captivate audiences, seducing them with the sensual music and sultry
rhythms of Spain.
Following its highly acclaimed seasons in 2002 and 2005, this
spectacular in-the-round production returns to the Royal Albert Hall for
a strictly limited season of just 12 performances.
CARMEN
ROYAL ALBERT HALL
KENSINGTON GORE, SW7 2AP
Feb 2009
Tikcets from £40:00 CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS >>>>
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