It’s hardly an ideal situation. My blood pressure's been going through the roof in ensuring I make the venue in time after a mad day travelling back and forth across Yorkshire to catch one of the area's most promising outfits: only to discover they've been shoehorned on early. Bugger!!
Still, even caught in full flow, there's plenty to immediately latch onto with York's THE HALCYON BAND. They'd opened with new tune "The Habit Of Forgetting Yourself" and are already powering into the gutsy "Year Of The Rat" - one of new album "Sirocco"s highlights - as I arrive.
This song supplies an edgy, familiar, but still not easily definable guitar-pop sound, with (often) above average scope for harmony elements flying around and space for presence-fuelled singer Danny Slack to emote. Wracked set closer "Machine Gun Fire" shows they can rock effectively, with the stinging guitar hooks coming thick and fast.
That's only half the story, though, as the other songs culled from "Sirocco" tonight demonstrate. "In The Morning", for instance, mixes and matches nicely, with Tom Johnson's windmilling drums beautifully complementing the twin guitars' jangly ache and Sam Forrest's fluid, jazzy basslines. "Better Son" and "Hold On" strip things even further back and, while they're a little more raw than on record, they still cast potent spells: "Hold On"s yearning Alex Chilton-isms are indeed becoming a firm favourite around these parts.
After a stripjack "Machine Gun Fire" - and to my reckoning barely 20 minutes - they're gone. This was an all-too brief affair, but even on such a tight schedule (and minus the excellent "Nice Day") THE HALCYON BAND sound like they've got it sewn up. Further investigation is surely justified.
They are followed by Medium 21, here to promote their “Plans Aren’t Enough” EP, and to be honest, they don’t do that good a job of it, with more false starts than a Skoda with a flooded engine. It’s third time lucky for one song, but with this many pauses I’ve lost interest.
After 6 songs they’re off thank God, with no melody or substance to their songs to speak of, their sub-STROKES pop bumbles along with lapses of concentration from the band showing in a loose approach to timekeeping and rhythm leading to a, for me at least, depressing conclusion that they are another band being foisted on the public at large when they should be fiddling in a parents front room, or, best, in an outhouse, until they get the hang of finding a tempo and sticking to it! In a word, crap!
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It’s quick change around time and Brendon Benson is on sharpish, looking and sounding more professional from the outset. Jack White from The White Stripes is a friend and fan which should mark him out for some serious press attention.
He’s certainly well travelled. According to various sources, he's from Detroit, Michigan or Louisiana, but currently based in New York. This latter fact certainly seems true as he introduces himself saying “We love York, We love New York, it’s unanimous!” Mmmm, not sure what he means but heh, ho – here we go!
This is West Coast pop music, sunny, melodic and good stuff through and through. I can hear influences from the likes of The Lemonheads, Elvis Costello, The Clash and The Eagles, quite a mixed bag really. He tells us this is their second to last date and that it’s their “Most heavily attended” You feel a bit sorry for him if this is the case – he deserves a bit better. “Our bus driver has 55,000 jokes and now I can’t remember any of them” he informs us later – let’s just be serious Brendan, play the tunes and entertain us that way – you now you can.
Several tracks form the “Lapalco” album are played, including “Folk Singer” which goes down well. The crowd jump up and down enthusiastically to the band, scruffy chaps that they are and after a short while they finish to rapturous applause. It’s been a pretty chaotic night, I’m sure Brendan will do well, I hope the Halcyon Band do better and that Medium 21 learn to play their instruments in time.
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