Mojo Fury w/ Oceansize @ The Oran Mor (Glasgow)
September 23, 2010 1 Comment
Mike Mormecha cutting some shapes (C) Fraser Strachan 2010
After six long but tremendous years of circulating the emerald isle, it is finally time for Mojo Fury to spread their wings and embark on a UK tour, backed up by a full album release in February.
Chatting to the lads briefly before this Glasgow slot, it appeared there had been an incident at their opening Newcastle show, involving a blown bass amp. Thus, I could sense a little nervousness as they left for the stage.
This soon vanished as they assembled before the Oceansize faithful and proceeded to convert every single one of them into a Mojo Fury fan. Opening with a stunning rendition of ‘What a Secret’, the bass and drum sections combined to produce a thundering kick, injecting emphasis into Mike Mormecha’s sublime vocals.
Pete McCauley, filling in on drums for the first third of Mojo Fury's UK tour (C) Fraser Strachan 2010
Amazingly, it was one of Mojo’s best performances – the kind that lifts off like a rocket and never returns to ground level. Everyone in the audience seemed totally enamored by the four Northern Irish men on stage – looking engrossed during the furious guitar riffs of ‘The Mann’ and blown away by the instrumental epics of ‘Salty Sticky Hearts’.
For me though, the highlight was ‘Run Away’ – an absorbing masterpiece of an anthem. It was during this song that Mormecha honed his stage presence to perfection – engaging the audience with an array of movements and intense expressions. For the most part, there was a fierce, passionate look in his eyes, as if he was feeling every single note and lyric.
Oddly enough Mojo Fury turned out to be the best band of the night. Second support act, This Town Needs Guns, were a catchy outfit with lively jangly guitar parts and quirky melodies. Their guitarist stood out, showing off all sorts of mad finger tapping tricks.
Look at his wee face (C) MDW 2010
The vocalist on the other hand was distracting as he kept circulating his body around the microphone in a strange, nauseating motion. Still, while quite the contrast to Mojo Fury, This Town Need Guns sounded like pros and are certainly worth checking out – they write a lot of songs about animals, in case that helps persuade you…
Headliners, Oceansize, to be completely frank were a rampant disappointment. Their set was a monotonous drone that was more a test of endurance than entertainment. Every song was at least 8 minutes long of muddy blandness – No melody whatsoever.
And yet, they have a hardcore fan base with one crowd member yelling half way through the set “You’re the best f***ing band in the f***ing world!” which was met with riotous cheers from everyone surrounding him.
Pete takes his own payment for filling in as Mojo's dummer (C) MDW 2010
Thus, I may have to change my identity for fear of being found, dragged into a dark corner of Glasgow and beaten until I swear allegiance to Oceansize. Perhaps that’s how they’ve gotten their fans… it would seem to me the only logical explanation.
Mojo Fury on the other hand will be winning fans across the UK on merit alone. They’ve done us proud, very proud indeed.
By Matt Wheavil
I managed to be at this gig to see Mojo Fury as well, somewhat by accident, it was well worth being drenched on route (with thanks to Blackberry maps).
I do agree about the headline, there were some kind of harmonies but a bit empty. Lots of spinal tap noises, which I enjoyed (when not in metal mode). The dancing at the start was very wedding dad like. Though I do have to say it was just not my kind of music, they are good musicians at what they do.