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Organisers at the Static Gallery waste no time in getting Binary Toad out on stage to breathe life into what is a very minimalist venue. Taking centre stage in a tie-dye tee and odd socks, he looks like he’s been shipped in from a West Coast commune. However, what emerges from the paired Mac and synth is entirely incongruous with his image.
Beat driven electronica to give Richard D. James fans plenty to gorge on, there are also other more subtle influences at play. Dancehall rhythms collide with Ed Banger thumps, and it seems as though The Toad is beginning to forage further afield.
Ex Hackney Carriages frontman Hari Ashurt Venn makes a welcome return to Liverpool with new band Treasure. Recently formed but already catching the eye of Pitchfork, their synthy, glistening sound is not yet properly polished, but shows great promise. Canada, for instance, is beautifully fragile. However, the additional presence of a drummer would ratchet up Treasure’s live set several notches.
Best Coast are one of those bands that from a listen on Myspace, you can get quite caught up in. Their swoonsome, lo-fi, sun drenched grungepop is easy on the ear.
It also offered hope in a miserably chilly January. Leap on a few months (and thousands of blog entries later) and Best Coast are touted by many to do well on this year’s festival circuit.
On the evidence given tonight, this will be some feat if they manage it. There is just no substance to it. Behind the kooky silhouetted tattoos, the knowingly innocent lyrics and librarian lookalikey drummers, there is little to get your teeth into. No noisey guitar riffs, no evidence of departure from predictable drum parts, it was just dull.
Noting the crowd’s unease, the band changed gear and picked up the pace. The crowd pushed forward, but got nothing back in return.
This is music designed to be in TV teen drama. In the background.
Best Coast Myspace: http://myspace.com/bestycoasty
Binary Toad Myspace: http://myspace.com/binarytoad
Treasure Myspace: http://myspace.com/treasuretheband