Apparently Moody Tumblers' 'drone cello' is great. I arrive to late to hear for myself but I'm sure there will be ample opportunity to see them again soon.
I haven't been in the Cooler since it was so named, not since the days of Wedgies. I was bullied into going there for my birthday in first year at university and had to endure lots of drunk people telling me that dancey pop music isn't that bad, see? Now it is a small-ish empty room with a mezzanine bar.
Fuzz Against Junk are setting up. Tonight they are a three-piece with six members. The bonus members include an ineffectual extra percussionist and a girl who sits on the floor failing to keep time with maraccas on her knees. She stands up to sing - horrors - the microphone doesn't work! Rather than donate his own, the frontman saxophone player makes a big show of trying to fix it and then they resort to glaring at the soundman, presumably in case he's turned her down on purpose.
A bit of gaffer tape later the mic works but it's nearly the end of the song - or do we have another noise-jazz freakout to look forward to? A couple of the songs have some good grooves - but these are all too often overtaken by the aforementioned 'free noise jazz' which rather tends towards 'fsck it, just play lots of random stuff'. This is a band that needs to put the drummer at the front as he obviously leads the tunes and everyone else should sit at the back and follow.
Acid Mothers Temple are a bit choatic to begin with, a medley of song endings and crazy noise, with eventually settles down into some great psyche rock. There is some very impressive and atmospheric throat-singing, a bit of synthy eiryness, but it is mostly driving rock and psychedelic wig-outs. The highlight of the gig is the closing song, a 40 minute rendition of Pink Lady Lemonade - a musical work based on a simple two-chord melody.
As we are hypnotized by the repetition, the music swells and the guitarist launches into the maddest, most welcome guitar solo known to rock, complete with macho posing and tongue-strumming.
For twenty five minutes.
It is great.
