The Metropol, Bristol 8th Jan
This was my first visit to the Metropol club, on the south side of the river in Bedminster. The place is dark, low-ceiling'd and fairly big as a lot of these city venues go. There is a great lounge area where the bar is at the back with a little bandstand stage. The sound was pretty good, I thought as I took a seat behind five Angel Tech fans. A big empty room with a group of us sitting in little rows in the middle. Great. So anyway, Angel Tech, brilliant as always, this time playing one of my all-time favourite 'Tech songs Andromeda opened the evening with an acoustic set. The gig didn't have the reverent experience of the Folk House, but I could actually hear the band without having to look sternly around me and it was much more intimate.
Leave Land For Water (No web site that I could find, but you can listen here - well worth it, believe me) are a five piece, rock / bliss-out outfit with an amazing drummer. In fact, they're songs are a lot better when the singers stop, since frankly, their melodies just don't fit. That and their main singer can't sing. Musically, I really enjoyed the Ozric Tentacles style wig-outs and the fact that everybody seemed to be plugged into this box of effects that the keyboardist was constantly playing with. If they can sort the singing out, this band will be great. For now though, it's all about the drummer. They brought a crowd with them, who all disappeared almost as soon as they finished, which was a shame for North Sea Navigator who is gearing up for an album launch. He's been busy recording and honing his strange-but-lovely dirge-esque songs and the three piece is now sounding more and more together each time I see them (this one makes three times). The cello, electric guitar and drums / harmonium combination really makes for some strange but wonderful sounds and songs. Not your average band.
