Yet another venue for the Leeds scene? Indeed it is. They used to lock 'em up in here in the olden days, when Cliff Richard was a Harry Webb and Heartbeat hadn’t been invented yet. Tonight it’s transformed as the smart new Otley Courthouse: bar, lighting rig, balcony, community volunteers and everything.
It feels like a pioneering night on the edge of the known world. A small market town is host to a band (STUFFY/THE FUSES) who are getting to the end of recording their next album with producer-legend Steve Albini and another (THE SCARAMANGA SIX) who have rewritten the Independent Music Rule Book three times in as many years. Their label (WRATH) had its third birthday party last night and the juggernaut rolls on bigger than ever.
THE SCARAMANGA SIX took the headline slot, with their more raucously fluent and climactic sound. But it's a double header if ever there was such a thing. STUFFY/THE FUSES are Wrath's "token southerners" according to Stuffy Gilchrist, but their fierce individual music comes from nowhere but their own hearts. They probably do have favourites, and Stuffy does mention Cat Stevens at one point. But starting from other bands they might sound a bit like wouldn't really help. Really. Because they are a mature band who sound pretty much like STUFFY/THE FUSES. They're fairly British, and you wouldn’t mistake them for something outta New Yoik. Or even from New York. And they do have a cunning talent for musicianship in amongst the thrills and spills of consumate pop racketeering.
So, this means some aggression in guitar and drums; some wistful romance in some of the vocals; a deeply soulful and funky keyboard backdrop; some sweet male/female harmonies; and unexpected sonic rabbits popping out of hats all around you. The drummer (for he is STUFFY) takes a walk during one song and joins the audience to listen to THE FUSES (who do make a joyful noise throughout). There is one hell of a lot going on. Your reviewer is almost overwhelmed with new shifts in lovely sounding guitar chords, pulsingly melodic bass lines and those STAX reminiscences over on the keyboards. In days to come the audience will remember that this was the time they first heard six brand new songs from an as yet unfinished hotly anticipated album, with just one familiar tune - "Friend" from the last release "Join Me or Die". With a brand new venue and a brand new pa system this is seriously adventurous rock and roll behaviour that works. Stuffy's introductions are homely and friendly, but once the music starts, no prisoners are taken. This is serious. And from between-the-sets chat I start to get really excited about the prospect of that new album when it comes out. The word is that it is sounding immense.
What I can tell you from tonight's early live outing is that "Broken Family Man" is an epic highlight. It happens to be in 6/8 time, which puts the pogoing off the agenda for a while (there's a load of punk in the sound too. Did I mention that?). But "Broken Family Man" is a dance, and a sad and tuneful dance at that. It’s followed by the fierce onslaught of "Father and Son Divorce" with murderous drumming and yelling that match the violence of the song and finish the set on a breathtaking high. STUFFY/THE FUSES have put down a marker, no mistake.
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THE SCARAMANGA SIX are in edgier mood tonight. Paul Morricone, guitarist, singer, videomaker, and quietly decisive dynamo of the WRATH world has poured his six man energy ration into a feedback ring that haunts the very building and which hasn’t been exorcised even by doors open. It doesn’t matter. THE SIX rip it all apart with the arrogance of great songs, huge stage presence and cunningly nimble manipulation of the dark sides of popular music. They admire THE CARDIACS by all accounts (Tim Smith having produced their forthcoming and wonderful "Cabin Fever" album) but their own thing comes into its glorious own in "Pincers" as session closer. Their own thing involves a huge four voice harmony intro, juddering bass (Steve Morricone) battering ram drums (Andy Sargeant) and two incandescent guitars from Paul Morricone and Julia Arnez. Multi-instrumentalist Chris Catalyst, a relatively new member of the Six (has it ever been six?) adds keyboards, additional percussion and a scary vision of how Mr T would look if he'd been born in Hull. The iconic Steve Morricone also does staring and screaming and stabbing his bass at brother Paul's head.
Sporadically missing vocals notwithstanding, songs like "Soul Destroyer" and "Baggage" roar through the Courthouse looking for sweating crowds of thousands to get working on. There's a scale to the SIX and to STUFFY/THE FUSES that doesn’t sit comfortably in our comfortable and ancient town of Otley.
ENDLESS GREY WINDOWS had opened up with good tunes, a strong solo vocal and no bass (interesting experiment, but I could really hear a gap in the harmonic shape). They have a good two-guitar rock thing going with lots of ideas and obvious potential. Drumming was meticulous but very quiet – the house pa was not kind to anyone tonight. But we'll be back!
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