Trans Festival @ The Waterfront – 10/07/2010

July 21, 2010 No Comments

Before I even begin this review, I want to note that trans was genuinely one of the most entertaining and well-organised gig events I have attended in Belfast. Probably just about the best introduction to the Northern Irish Music Scene you could hope for; with eight bands ranging from great to exceptional calibre, catering for all tastes – folk, rock, electronic, you name it. The two stages – on the top floor of the Waterfront with a gorgeous birds-eye-night-time-view of Belfast and the cosy studio, were wonderfully intimate spaces too. So hats off to the Trans folk and without further ado, here’s how each band fared…

Words By: Matt Wheavil Photography: Peter Stuart & Matthew Patton

The 1930s

The night was kicked off by this confident 3-piece, who embellish a gorgeous Celtic flavour in their musical performance – tight rhythm and bass sections, beautiful lilting melodies and a multi-skilled drummer who assigned one hand to keeping a steady beat on his snare and the other to a shaker.

Their music is a particular brand of infectious folk/pop, like The La’s but considerably more Irish. At this stage the crowd was pretty small, with huge gaps between the people present and it was still light outside, therefore leaving it to the band to create their own atmosphere, which they managed to pull off with effortless harmonising and a thumping Celtic beat.

The only disappointment was the anti-climatic set closer, ‘The Picky Song’, which sounds better on record but live contrasted the rest of their set too much with its brooding as opposed to upbeat tone. For a good taste of the 1930s talent though, check out ‘Break My Heart’ on their MySpace – catchy folk guitar of the highest order.

More Than Conquerors

These guys were impressive enough supporting ASH the night before in the Oh Yeah Centre but here, the enhanced sound system of the Waterfront studio allowed them to flex their true potential. Most notably, they *cough* more than conquered the stage – making full use of its length and breadth, guitar jutting and head banging with an energy almost as full on as their sound, which is much punchier live than on their E.P.

MTC are in fact a swiss army knife of styles, merging a funky bass groove with jolting punk rhythm guitar and on some tunes, swaying folksy vocals. Think Franz Ferdinand with more energy and creativity and even then you’ll fall short of the mark.

For me the bassist stands out, not only in looks with his tattoos and The Edge style bobble hat, but his bass playing is full of interesting quirks and shifts this band away from sounding too indie and a little more… Chilli Peppers. They’ll definitely not disappoint at Glasgowbury this year – a very promising quartet.

Girls Names

Genre Wise, this 3-piece are very similar to The 1930s – catchy and Celtic. While their stage presence is a little stiff, (especially having just been blown away by the energy of More Than Conquerors), Girls Names’ more than compensate with immeasurable instrumental confidence.

Their sound draws a line somewhere between Joy Division and the Smiths but with an Irish Celtic twist – fast paced rhythm guitar and a front man who sounds like Morrisey on a good and less wail-some day.

There’s effective integration of guitar effects too – flanger, vibrato, delay, you name it, it’s in there, meaning most of their songs sound like This Charming Man with an adrenaline injection.

Most of the audience looked to be enjoying the music, nodding and swaying along appreciatively – there’s a sort of nostalgia vibe with the Joy Division stage demeanour and 80s rock/pop guitar – Girls Names are worth checking out if that era appeals to you.

The Continuous Battle Of Order

This is the point were Trans was turned on its head into an Edinburgh Festival style freak show. The studio is darker than before and on comes stage a guitarist looking like Ewen Macintosh of The Office fame, blasting an ear-shattering riff out of his guitar – It’s as if a bedroom musician had totally flipped and decided to hijack the Waterfront with noise. A drummer enters stage left and the hairy duet send the place rocking harder than The White Stripes ever managed.

At this point a technician comes on stage to fix a piece of the drum kit, looking like he’s entered a force 10-hurricane – at the beginning the whole thing sounds a little messy and overly loud and the audience look somewhere between shocked and appalled.

Then, the two manic musicians on stage begin to gel and the guitarist turns technical wankery into technical wizardry with sick finger tapping that sounds like coin collecting from 80s video games – it’s sort of techno metal and the crowd suddenly warms to what they’re hearing, whooping in anticipation as the singular, imposing guitarist before them raises the bar of shredding technique higher and higher, faster and harder.

What looked like an excessive and grotesque act becomes an impressive spectacle and I find myself thinking it’s refreshing – not many artists would have the confidence to put out something so brash, yet captivating.  If you get a chance, check The Continuous Battle Order out but ensure to take a very deep breath beforehand, because the experience is like riding a very large, jolting roller coaster.

Kasper Rosa

These guys should be playing Glasgowbury this year – no question – their sound interchanges confidently between mind-bending musicianship in the melodic vein of Sigur Ros or Explosions in the sky and refined heavy metal.

Not only that but Kasper Rosa’s Stage Presence takes things to an entirely new level – during the heavier parts of their labyrinth songs, they launch off the stage and into the crowd like dogs released from their leashes, jutting their guitars and gnarly expressions, intimidating some audience members and inviting others to headbang along.

It’s a brilliant touch, as the next minute they’re back on stage producing a beautiful, soaring guitar sound, singing with their eyes shut and changing the atmosphere in the room from a gritty hell to some sort of musical nirvana.

The mood of their stage presence fits the ever-changing mood of their music, which is a collection of epic songs that fuse grace with urgency. You’ll find yourself absorbed and entering a live experience like never before.

At the end, an audience member behind me summed Kasper Rosa’s immense performance up, yelling “F***ING AWESOME!!” – you might utter something similar, possibly a little less profane, if you listen to the stand out track on their new E.P, ‘Scaling Mount Improbable’ – ironically, the bassist, Dave, did just this after the set was over, climbing a PA stack (see above).  Rock ‘n’ Roll attitude at its best.

Pocket Billiards

If there were a band to follow Kasper Rosa’s amazing performance, this one is it. Pocket Billiard’s are a 9-piece – no need to adjust your PC screen, that’s right NINE members all crowded on stage, including a brass section, keyboardist, vocalists, guitarists and bassist.

They’re essentially a ska act, cut out of same cloth as Madness or The Specials but quite possibly much better. Their live performance is like a party on and off stage, with the band members integrating the can-can and Russian dancing during songs, making fun of their sizeable entourage. Meanwhile, even the press photographers couldn’t resist having a boogie between shots – Pocket Billiard’s music is just that damn catchy.

I enjoyed ska dancing like an idiot too – it’s not something you get the opportunity to try too often. Pocket Billiard’s are remarkably refreshing and could lift the atmosphere on any stage – their zany brand of circus music is nothing short of exceptional and comes across sublimely live.

Kowalski

Probably the band that had the most cohesive and polished set of tunes of the night – their upbeat, chilled out sound fitted perfectly with the serene lit-up night view of Belfast from the top floor of The Waterfront.

Kowalski are immensely talented in a live setting, merging gorgeous melodies over the top of a thumping, catchy fusion of Travis pop and Foo Fighters rock. It’s accessible music with more ambiance and diversity than that of Snow Patrol or Cold Play.

The vocalist stands out, hitting falsetto notes effortlessly and the chemistry in the band is very tight indeed – the synthesizer and keyboardist, Paddy Conn, integrates beautifully with the rest of the band to produce a hugely immersive, shimmering sound.

Song wise, ‘Get Back’ and ‘Take Care, Take Flight’ are probably the best introductions if you haven’t heard Kowalski before. The more musically attuned ears might remember ‘Athlete’ who Kowalski replicate at times with just a little more sweetness.

Not Squares

They ought to nickname this drummer 'The Sub Machine Gun' - he's that good (C) Peter Stuart 2010

If I thought the atmosphere couldn’t get any better, I was about to be proved wrong. Not Squares are a unique line-up with a phenomenal sound. Quite cleverly, a solo drummer is placed between two keyboardist/synthesisers to form three quarters of a square and their sound is like the German techno of Kraftwork but more cohesive and futuristic (with a Daft Punk edge).

Not Squares turn the Waterfront studio into a club scene, with audience members dancing and raving, the biggest grins widening across their faces. And what makes it even better than a club is the raw musicianship on display – the drummer is truly mesmerizing, somehow keeping up with the techno beat, flailing his sticks, jutting his lips – despite being seated this man has the charisma of 10 Mick Jaggers.

I couldn’t help thinking it was as if Jeremy from Peep Show had set up his own band – there’s a definite comic quality to Not Square’s insanely confident drummer and twin synthesisers, all crowded together in a tiny explosion of occasionally cheesy (and constantly impressive) electronica.

The relentless energy in Not Square’s performance is a captivating spectacle and on the G Sessions stage at Glasgowbury this weekend, they’re going to create something very special indeed.

Festivals, Reviews