Keep the curtains shut, don’t answer the phone. Work on Shin Jin Rui’s second album continues.
Probably best summarised by the first thing Brian said to me as we came off stage: “If I never play another gig, then it’s okay.”
It felt as though five years’ worth of Carlsberg 5am frustration had fueled this fifteen minute apoplexy, in a sudden release that left us feeling calm and momentarily complete.
Began the show tripping up over myself as I flailed into the front row, turned to see Brian bashing his guitar to pieces. In keeping with our scrupulous rehearsals, we made very few mistakes. Amazing, when you consider the Irish Sea divided the band until just last Tuesday.
The set ended in wave upon wave of distortion and noise, whereupon I threw the Kaoss Pad around wildly as Brian spiked his guitar into the stage before hammering it on the top of his amplifier.
Alex and James were exceptional down in the engine room; and with the amplified drums the sound off the stage was tremendous. We now look forward to our next show with real hunger to push things further.
(Photos courtesy of Jazzy Lemon.)
Still the best band in the North East by a country mile, and still the last to realise their considerable talent, Chronicity were on the brink of splitting earlier last year. After Saturday’s headline performance, they can no longer be unaware of the adulation this band carry on their slender set of seven songs.
Quite simply, Pete, Will, Cath and Phil ripped it up, playing with the kind of inspiration that has bands likes Future Loss scurrying back to the drawing board. During Elvis Prison Guard, frontman Pete Dale seemed to be inducing some kind of asthma attack as he double time strummed his Jazz Master, while Cath stood centre stage, Doc Martin boots placed firmly either side of her monitor, hammering at her Rickenbacker going through Big Muff distortion. Phil stood modestly to one side, head tucked into his chest as he worked away intricately, while Will went in opposite directions on the kit during the improvised sections, until he was called home for his dinner upon which he promptly snapped into place with tight, jazz-style beats.
The audience was left baying for more, but they had played all their songs. It was special to see the four of them on a stage again after such a long time apart; and to finally receive the kind of adulation they deserve. Expect Chronicity to play again at a Libris event soon.
Still the most beguiling of Ex Libris bands, Shin Jin Rui’s live performances oscillate in strict adherence to the moods of its members.
Saturday evening found them in an exacting state; strong of voice and high in confidence, rattling off the pop numbers that will make up their sophomore release with aplomb.
They warmed the freezing room (James played bass in his ski jacket) and commanded increasingly more attention from the audience. Adam looked every inch the star in his denim jacket and obscure t-shirt; and Alex’s kit sounded great through the PA. Rui continue their post-hiatus return to form with startling pace.
For some time now Brian and I have been interested in making Future Loss t-shirts that we can give to friends and sell at shows. Having considerable expertise in the area of print making, Brian has developed an idea based around swirling lines and chopped up tiles; the evolution of which you can see from an early concept (above), to end up with the finished piece (pictured below).
Musical tone and style is everything to a man like Brian, and here he can be seen in the midst of his tortured creative process.
On a more productive note, we managed to jam out a twenty minute piece that we hope to cut down into something more coherent. The new song begins with a repeated, shrill one-chord riff, over which delayed vocals echo randomly. The flow is occasionally interrupted by a stuttering series of chords, before heading into a more melodic section with sustained singing harmonising with the guitar. Finally, Brian takes to the drums as I hammer out some cathedral-sized chords on the organ.
In preparation for our January show, I met with the Shin Jin Rui rhythm section (Alex on drums, and James on bass) several times prior to our rendezvous with Brian, so that we could rehearse the songs without guitar.
When Brian arrived on Tuesday evening, we went straight into an electronic, headphone-only rehearsal using Alex’s MIDI drum kit and a quartet of headphones going through my mixer. After James and Alex had been properly introduced to Brian, we had a cup of tea from the adjacent kettle, and then got down to work. In a truly surreal moment, the first time we played together saw the song ‘She Shouldn’t’ go without a hitch. Dumbfounded at this victory over the Irish Sea, we continued until the set was complete.
It was very strange pulling off my headphones during a song, and hearing just the scratch of plectrums on guitar strings and the thump of Alex’s sticks on his pads; when compared to the all out noise in my headphones. Practicing in kitchens is underrated: you’re nearer the kettle and the cupboard with the biscuits in it.