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Saturday night and it’s off to the depths of Basement Bar for a rock/indie line-up from across the world and elsewhere (Sunderland, Durham and York)... This Aint Vegas headline with support from Catweasels and Azuma Vega.
Despite the promising bill of bands, the sparsity of the crowd was a typical indictment of York’s indifferent musical scene and it was clear that a large percentage of the audience knew members of the performing bands. I cringed when thinking how full the musically woeful Gallery would have been that same night…
Still, first band up Azuma Vega were pretty darn good; an interesting, slightly grungy sounding group reminiscent of mellowed Smashing Pumpkins with a slight twist of Fugazi/’Drive-In unorthodoxy. Vocals were a bit too minimal though, a shame considering the singer’s cool, wistful melancholy. Despite being the least polished performers on the bill, Azuma Vega were still a band that left me wanting to listen to their records (and indeed I am actually listening to them right now - vocals are actually spot on in the recorded tracks).
Completely the opposite of the previous band, Catweasels were total indie-pop: indie, indie, indie to the indie-pop core. Despite being incredibly generic, the energy and passion of the group’s manic frontman made them quite likeable. It’s always enjoyable to see bands passionate about their music, and this quality was pretty evident at least. I could compare them to so many bands within the genre that I won’t bother, but fans of the unnamed check them out because you may well love ‘em.
By the time headliners This Aint Vegas took the stage they’d managed to attract a (slightly) denser crowd and I’d soon find out why they have gleaned a good reputation. ‘Vegas were at their best by far when playing their punchy, bouncy up-tempo stuff. The thumping, bass-driven tunes consistently hit really sweet grooves and the dual singers added an extra dimension to their sound by combining and diverging with excellent timing. The band’s weaker songs tended to be those more geared towards harmonies with a ballad type structure; however these songs constituted the set’s minority element. This Aint Vegas deserved to set the place on fire, but the crowd was too small to really get going in the same way as a larger audience would undoubtedly have.
This was a quality line-up, but it’s a shame that the place wasn’t to full and the venue never really got jumping, leaving me with a final thought: York’s music scene is generally weak, yet there is evident potential. Good, established bands play here to tiny audiences as they tour between bigger cities. Local and uni-based talent is there, yet too few people go to see it. There are no big stadium concerts, but small venues like Basement Bar offer cheap multi-band line ups for only a few pounds on the door. Bigger crowds will attract bigger bands to play here. What kind of music scene we have in York may be up to us…
This is slightly flattering to Azuma Vega - apart from a blunted sound they're nowhere near the melancholy brilliance of Pumpkins. The sound isn't as unique, the riffs aren't that creative, and the vocals just don't turn you on like Billy's do.
comment deleted by the author Bigger crowds will attract bigger bands to play here. What kind of music scene we have in York may be up to us…
Very true. The music scene in York seems to be on the brink of something special...
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