I'll admit I was dithering about going to this show until the day before the gig but by god I'm glad I made that choice to deafen myself for fun on a Sunday night in a club that smelled overwhelmingly of toilet.
I know you were a fan of mclusky. Don't even try and argue that you weren't, or that they were just ok. Fuck off. They were brilliant; a white hot flash of anger and sharp edges, all off kilter top and groove-ridden bottom. So when they broke up and I had only managed to see them live once I was ashamed I hadn't made more of an effort while I could. Thank the lord for Future of the Left and second chances.
First off, how do they make the bass sound that filthy? Not in a sleazy, sexy, Girls Against Boys sort of way, all late night bars and cool haircuts. No. In a belligerent tramp sort of a way that is highly impressive to watch from a safe distance but if you get too close you know that you're the one who's going to come off worse.
Considering that the only songs I knew before the gig were 'The Lord Hates A Coward' and 'Fingers Become Thumbs,' both of which were played and sounded HUGE, the rest of the set was a fresh treat to listen to with each song sounding like your new favourite by verse two. Tracks like 'Manchasm' and 'Small Bones Small Bodies' sprinted past leaving us in their wake; 'Plague Of Onces' kicked me right in the balls; and despite some technical hitches - hey, would it be a small and sweaty gig if something
didn't go wrong with the bass at least once? - once the closer 'adeadenemyalwayssmellsgood' spat its last notes and the stage cleared it was an true triumph of hard bastard determination over any technological shenanigans.
They said they'll be back this side of Christmas. Don't make the mistake I did with mclusky. See them as many times as you can because I'd like to think you're not as stupid as me.
