…I open my eyes. It’s morning. Time to get up and go about my daily business.
Memories start to come floating back. We went out last night, and what notes did I make? A glance at the notes app on my phone (have you tried taking notes on a shorthand pad in the middle of a heaving gig? Well, then) sees I have written down Emperor’s New Clothes and Plato’s Cave. Oh yes. A pleasant surprise and a big gaping disappointment…
Back to the matter at hand. Kicking things off at Scotland’s greatest live venue are Project Gemini. Must admit they were a new band to me, but they quickly won me over and many of the crowd. Project Gemini is the work of one Paul Osborne, writer, musician and producer. The band released their second album last year, Colours & Light, and it’s one I’ll definitely be buying in the near future. For sure, you might be able to tell what their influences are, but this is no mere record collection rock (for the uninitiated, this is where all you can hear who a band has been listening to, and nothing new). There’s so much wonderful stuff in here: the drummer reminds me of Can‘s drummer, the late, great Jaki Liebezeit. There’s hints of very early Pink Floyd, and a lot of psychedelic-garage rock. Sure, much of it might have arrived at any point in the last almost sixty years, and yet the band take it to a whole new level. They politely tell us what the songs are called although it’s the only part of their set I can’t hear. No matter. I’ll be happy to see them very soon. You should, too.
Brian Jonestown Massacre have been going for thirty years, and in that time made twenty albums. In terms of long-lasting cult acts which have a huge following and have produced a huge body of work, comparisons could probably be drawn with the likes of Guided By Voices and The Fall. Like the reputation of the latter band, there’s been a steady stream of members in and out, controversies and gigs that are wildly unpredictable. This was my first time seeing the band and I’d been enjoying soaking up the back catalogue over the previous few weeks.
Unfortunately, I must report back that it was one of the most underwhelming gigs I have ever been to. I’m mindful that BJM mainman Anton Newcombe has been battling ill-health, but frankly, the lack of interaction with the audience is embarrassing. He stood side-on to the audience at the side of the stage for much of the gig, and seemingly Joel Gion (tambourine and maracas player) was left to pick up the majority of interaction with the crowd.
Certainly, there seem to be lots of people lapping it up. And if you closed your eyes, the band seemed to be on good form, although if you’re needing to do that, you have the music available at the touch of a button, which negates the purpose of a live gig. Not to mention the fact that it seemed to take a long time between songs (I’ve been to hundreds of gigs, trust me, it doesn’t take that long between every song). It seemed almost painfully ironic for them to play songs with titles like ‘Pish’ and ‘Fudge.’ They did play a fine version of ‘Anemone‘, though, and the irony was it sounded even better than the recorded version.
I realise that in saying this, I will annoy a lot of people: Frankly, I expect more from a gig. In a time of a cost of living crisis, most working people don’t have the money to take a punt on a bad gig. Undoubtedly, everyone has bad days – you, me, presumably even the Pope and Taylor Swift. But if you can’t deliver, don’t.
Then again, if you want to tut at the boy pointing out the true nature of the emperor’s new clothes or just let those folk in the caves watch the shadows, then, frankly, be my bloody guest. Just don’t make out that I don’t get it. If you want someone to spit in your face repeatedly while claiming that it’s just raining, who am I to deny you the pleasure?
In the words of Johnny Rotten: ‘Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?‘
