== ISSUE 198 ==== CONSUMABLE ONLINE ======== [January 24, 2000] Editor: Bob Gajarsky E-mail: editor@consumableonline.com Managing Editor: Lang Whitaker Sr. Correspondents: Daniel Aloi, Joann Ball, Chris Hill, Bill Holmes, Tim Kennedy, Jon Steltenpohl Correspondents: Michelle Aguilar, Christina Apeles, Niles J. Baranowski, Jason Cahill, Matthew Carlin, John Davidson, Andrew Duncan, Krisjanis Gale, Paul Hanson, Eric Hsu, Scott Hudson, Steve Kandell, Reto Koradi, Robin Lapid, Wes Long, I.K. MacLeod, Wilson Neate, Mike Pfeiffer, Linda Scott, Don Share, Scott Slonaker, Kerwin So, Chelsea Spear, Michael Van Gorden, Simon West Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, David Landgren, Dave Pirmann Also Contributing: Franklin Johnson Address all comments to staff@consumableonline.com ; subscription information is given at the end of this issue. ================================================================== All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright their author(s). Permission for re-publication in any form must be obtained from the editor. ================================================================== .------------. | Contents | `------------' CONCERT REVIEW: Stereolab / Papa M / Dymaxion - Wilson Neate EVENT REVIEW: Cahoots.com SFNYE Superior Bash, San Francisco - Joann Ball REVIEW: Eiffel 65, _Europop_ - Bob Gajarsky CONCERT REVIEW: Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - Wilson Neate CONCERT REVIEW: Buzzcocks / Heist - Tim Kennedy REVIEW: Hobex, _Back in the 90's_ / Collapsis, _Dirty Wake_- Jon Steltenpohl CONCERT REVIEW: Marc Almond - Wilson Neate REVIEW: Another Level, _Another Level_ - Franklin Johnson REVIEW: Yellow Machine Gun, _Spot Remover_ - Andrew Duncan NEWS: Clash reissues, Everclear, Green Day, Grooveradio, Jayhawks, Musicmusicmusic, Musician's Atlas, Poptopia 2000, Previewtunes, X / Noise Pop Festival TOUR DATES: Anthrax, Cravin' Melon, Robert Cray, Dismemberment Plan, Julia Greenberg, Guided By Voices / American Flag, Ben Harper & Innocent Criminals, Richie Hawtin, Jimmie's Chicken Shack / Sumack, Jungle Brothers, Live, Aimee Mann / Michael Penn, Pretenders, Squatweiler, Stereophonics, Stroke 9, u-ziq, Young Dubliners Back Issues of Consumable --- CONCERT REVIEW: Stereolab / Papa M / Dymaxion, Irving Plaza, New York City - Wilson Neate Since this was the final date on Stereolab's US tour, it promised to be somewhat of a special occasion. Unfortunately, however, the tangible sense of excitement and expectancy at Irving Plaza last night was all but scotched by the opening acts, one that was as irritating as dermatitis and another that could have bored the hind legs off a donkey. Given that the name of the first band sounded like an antibiotic that you might take to clear up a nasty rash or a minor infection it was perhaps logical--albeit in a backwards sense--that Dymaxion should have a tendency to get under your skin in the worst and most irritating way. Dymaxion wouldn't look or sound out of place playing an afternoon bash hosted by the Electronics Club at your local high school. If their sound is fueled by any substance, then caffeine is clearly the drug of choice here. Dymaxion seemed to be a Devo-esque novelty act specializing in frenetic and disjointed, jittery and jerky, melody-free songs that were more like extended cartoon sound effects, scattered with very witty electronic noises. Most of the latter were emitted by a pile of gadgetry proudly presided over by a clever boy seated at the front of the stage. It was very impressive. He must have spent all of his allowance at Radio Shack and assembled it all by himself. While Stereolab's sound may owe something to Burt Bacharach, Bert and Ernie are more obvious influences on Dymaxion. Papa M, brainchild of Dave Pajo of the ... ahem ... seminal Slint, begged the question: why bother playing live if you're not going to make even the remotest of stabs at having any live presence? This was a concert after all and not a sound installation. They seemed genuinely uninterested in being on stage and mailed in, via parcel post, a paradigmatic post-rock, charisma-free, no smiling allowed, occasional backs-to-the-audience 'performance'. It was especially amusing that although Alan Licht had a flying V guitar--that most rock of instruments--he played it with as much character as Strom Thurmond would exhibit, playing the church organ. Intentional, dead pan humor, one can only hope. Despite the accomplishment and craft of the recent _Live From a Shark Cage_, Papa M's music just didn't go anywhere live and there was more noodling in 40 minutes than goes on at your local Thai restaurant in a week. At one point it became clear that they'd lost the audience, given that the crowd chat noise was louder than the music. The sense that they didn't want to be there was underscored by the fact that, before the feedback had died out at the end of their set, the drummer had already started to disassemble his kit while Pajo had unplugged his instrument and was already on his way off. But then what can you expect from a man who said, in a recent interview with _Pillowfight_: "I never had a relationship with an audience, I've always been the self-obsessed ego maniac that I am this day"? That Stereolab should have come on and salvaged the evening was a pleasant surprise in view of recent critical notices (in Britain) that have reported shows marred by austerity and distance on the part of the band, an absence of spontaneity and a tendency to inject precious little affect into their disinterestedly intellectual and intricate musical textures. Indeed, Stereolab frontwoman Laetitia Sadier has herself recognized their almost 'mathematical' approach: a precise, geometrical construction of shifting aural shapes, melodies and counter-melodies, and repetitive circular structures with incremental changes, as well as their deliberate crafting of sound patterns beyond a simple 4/4 beat. The cerebral dimension is enhanced by the technology they employ. Stereolab's penchant for retro-equipment (Moog synths, Farfisa organs, etc) goes against the grain of seamless electronica as it yields a sound that always draws the listener's attention to those very devices used to create it. The result is a self-referential meta-music that foregrounds the means of its own construction. Stereolab's lyrical content is commonly cited as evidence of their overtly and overly cerebral tendencies. While Sadier and Mary Hansen trade catchy pop vocals, the substance of much of what Sadier is saying often attests to a very _un-pop_ depth of thought. Not only are her lyrics frequently loaded with Marxian rhetoric but it's a particularly high brow, academic variant of Marxism that makes even The Gang of Four sound like union leaders spouting the Cliff Notes version of _Capital_ to the rank and file. Their politics have more to do with the writings of Althusser than with the rantings of, say, The Anti-Nowhere League; they're more Castoriadis than The Clash. Rather than "let's smash the system", Sadier articulates something more along the lines of "let us work together towards a realization of the knowledge effect in order resist the ideology of late capitalism," albeit punctuated with the trademark to-and-fro da de da's of 60s French girl pop. Still, despite their undeniably thoughtful and, yes, intellectual approach, Sadier also said in a recent interview, "I think sometimes we 'rock' and it is kind of nice to rock" and last night was certainly one of those occasions. Having switched on and kicked off with "Crest", from the pithily titled 1993 album _Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements_, it was clear that Stereolab were going to save the day. They managed to balance the tightly crafted, rigidly structured and almost clinical nature of their recorded music with a measure of spontaneity essential to live performance. They were a little rough around the edges, had a few minor glitches and hitches, lapsed into distortion and feedback occasionally, interacted with the audience--and with each other--and injected the kind of raw intensity that can only be achieved in the live context. Some songs were supplemented with elements not present on the recorded versions while others were overhauled. "The Seeming and the Meaning" from _Peng!_ was accelerated and roughed up a bit and "Blue Milk," from the recent _Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night_, was prefaced with a chaotic intro segment absent from the album. Other tracks that stood out live were "Metronomic Underground" with its throbbing Floydian "Come in Number 51" bass line, "Analogue Rock", "Tone Burst" and the new songs "The Free Design" and "Blips, Drips and Strips". Drawing on tracks dating back to 1991, Stereolab showcased the multifaceted and eclectic texture of their sound. Last night's set featured early material characterized by minimal chord structures and simple time signatures alongside nods to Krautrock, Bacharach and Esquivel-esque lounge/cocktail stylings and more recent forays into bossa nova and jazz with complex time signatures. Stereolab have been described as a postmodern girl group and that's a pretty fair description. The postmodern character of Stereolab's musical identity is their hallmark: a playful, almost affectless sound built on musical citations and a blurring of the divisions between high and low culture to form a kitschy, pop collage. But for a so-called girl group, Stereolab's live performance symbolically challenged traditional gender hierarchies. Laetitia Sadier, Morgane Lhote and Mary Hansen occupied the most prominent positions on stage while Tim Gane, Simon Johns, and Andrew Ramsey toiled away in the background, the latter two building particularly strong, driving rhythms. As is his custom, Gane spent the evening in a sonic world of his own at the back, jerking his head compulsively like the insane polar bear at the Bristol Zoo. The only down-side to their set was that they slightly undermined themselves during the encore. Having almost completed a fine version of "Super Electric" that emphasized their ability to rock and to be danceable, they were joined by members of the opening acts. They then proceeded to indulge in one of rock's (and jazz's) worst cliches, turning "Super Electric" into an extended jam session. To start with it was amusing but it quickly became a real patience-tester, an unfortunate epic of dullness: three drummers drumming, three guitarists guitaring, three percussionists banging, two keyboard players plonking and a partridge in a pear tree, etc. Even so, Stereolab clearly had a good time and this was the last night of the tour, so you can't fault them really. Jam sessions aside though and in stark contrast with last night's openers, Stereolab's performance made a number of timely points: a live concert really ought to provide an audience with something different from the experience of listening to a record; it's a good idea to have stage presence and to communicate at least _some_ identifiable form of emotion; it's possible to play intelligent music and communicate its intelligence live without being pretentious; it's possible to play quirky, idiosyncratic music without being plain silly; and it's quite possible to play thoughtful music that is danceable. --- EVENT REVIEW: Cahoots.com SFNYE Superior Bash, San Francisco, December 31, 1999-January 1, 2000 - Joann D. Ball California knows how to party! It was an around the Bay extravaganza at the Cahoots.com SFNYE Superior Bash held at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in downtown San Francisco. Presented by Bill Graham Presents and local party kings Martel & Nabiel, and sponsored by Internet powersite Cahoots.com the San Francisco New Year's Eve (SFNYE) Superior Bash ran from 8PM December 31, 1999 until 3AM January 1, 2000. With maximum quality entertainment, minimal snob attitude, no velvet rope, and no need to take a cab to party hop, the ninety-nine dollar ticket price was a real bargain. Extremely well organized and executed, the SFNYE Superior Bash brought together some 10,000 attendees for a fun-filled night of great music and madness under one roof and several tents. A major bigtime party on a grand scale, SFNYE featured a main stage plus nine party rooms, each offering a multitude of sonic and visual pleasures. New Year's revelers roamed from room to room throughout the night, and were always well rewarded. None of the themed stages and rooms could be missed, from Club Release featuring the Bay Area's best House music DJs and the Disco Palace, to the Shagalicious Shack with live swing from the Chazz Cats and sixties a-go-go music from Casino Royale, and the spectacular World Beat Experience showcased the incredible live sounds of the West African High Life Band along with Hip-Hop DJs Tom Thump and Mind Motion. For those "in the know" who procured the much-sought after shiny red wristbands, the Level 4 VIP Room sponsored by bayarea.citysearch.com was all about the good stuff. And when it came time to celebrate on the down low, a high priority given the occasion, the Rat Pack Room with its martini bars, the Bubbly Lounge and The Make-Out Den were the perfect hiding places. But Party Central amid this New Year's Eve festival was definitely the Millennium Ballroom. Cuba's Los Van Van, formed in 1969 by vocalist, bassist and songwriter Juan Formell, entertained the crowd with REAL Latin dance music. The first of the three acts on the Millennium Ballroom stage, they immediately established the ground rules: that this was a night for incredible music and serious partying. With a distinguished history that includes 23 albums and three decades of shaking bon-bons, Los Van Van has perfected a mesmerizing sound and performance style. Their hour-plus set was completely relished by those who immersed themselves in all that the world's foremost Latin dance band had to offer. Headliners the Pretenders had the awesome responsibility of ushering out the old year and bringing in the new one. With a sense of purpose, energy and determination to rock the house, the Pretenders kickstarted their performance with the no holds barred "Night in My Veins" that was the night's anthem. The band blistered through a killer 20-song set that only slowed down because it had to - when lead singer Chrissie Hynde led the packed Ballroom in the traditional New Year's countdown. And the indoor fireworks and explosions were the perfect segue into "Middle of the Road," as power drummer Martin Chambers continued the festive bombast throughout the song. With guitarist Adam Seymour's burning solos soaring and sizzling throughout the night, and bassist Andy Hobson keeping the band's musical pulse strong and steady, it's clear that the Pretenders are fueled and ready for their US theater tour, which begins in Florida in late January. With the New Year just barely underway, it was time to groove to the electronic sounds of the Crystal Method. Only an act of this caliber could keep the mainstage crowd going after midnight at a New Year's Eve bash that had already overflowed with bubbly and intensity. Even before the set began, Crystal Method fans were poised and ready, having quickly staked out the necessary space required for the reckless abandon letting go that the group inspires. Without missing a beat, underground club culture experts the Crystal Method transported that spirit and energy to the Bill Graham Auditorium, keeping the party going until the wee hours with their trademark rock, funk, big-beat hip-hop sonic assault. Throughout the world, Y2K fears were proven false. But in San Francisco, one thing was for sure: the predictions and forecasts proved true. The Cahoots.com SFNYE Superior Bash was everything that the good folks at Glodow Nead Communications promised. It was without a doubt "the ultimate New Year's Eve millennium blowout!" --- REVIEW: Eiffel 65, _Europop_ (Universal) - Bob Gajarsky One of the biggest worldwide hits of 1999 was by an Italian trio - Jeffrey Jey, Maurizio Lobina and Gabry Ponte - formed under the headquarters of a European dance hit factory, the Bliss Corporation. Eiffel 65's "Blue", through the use of a vocoder and filtering (similar to that used to modify Cher's voice in her international #1 hit "Believe"), captured the emotions and feelings of an entire dance generation. And although many dance albums are "one hit, 2 remixes and 8 tracks of junk", _Europop_ will provide its listeners with endless hours of midi and synthpop pleasure. The three members of Eiffel 65 each achieved several top ten European dance hits. Being brought together by Bliss Corporation founder Massimo Gabutti enabled them to pool their influences and resources to create a new dance sound. "Blue (Da Ba Dee) is a mix of dance and English pop, a song with a disco beat," says Jey about his group's music. "We're more like an old-fashioned Depeche Mode, a solid structure, but more futuristic. We are electronic, but we look for new sounds...it's easy to sing to and dance to." "Your Clown" is the best example of their Depeche Mode influences, and stands as one of the instances where the often-used vocoder actually detracts from the song. Think a "Blasphemous Rumours" type of track, and you'll have the main musical thrust of "Clown", while lyrics including "I don't want to be a clown again / I don't want to live this triangle / I don't want a million lines / 'cuz I long to carry on " echoes the same type of sentiments as felt by many of the same people dancing to "Blue". Want "Blue", part 2? "Another Race" and "Silicon World" will fill the bill perfectly. Looking for more synth-dance hits that are instantly hummable? See "Too Much of Heaven" and "Dub In Life". And in the 'what goes around comes around' department, "The Edge" sure sounds like it's begging to be covered by Cher... When listening to _Europop_, it's best to free your mind, and let your ass follow. --- CONCERT REVIEW: Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Mercury Lounge, New York City - Wilson Neate In a recent interview, Gorky's front man Euros Childs joked that it was only a matter of time before someone issued a compilation entitled _The Best Welsh Album in the World . . . Ever!_ in order to cash in on the current popularity of bands from Cymru. On this fictional album, as Childs conceived it, you'd find the likes of The Alarm, Budgie, John Cale, Tom Jones, Man, and Shirley Bassey, acts who until 10 years ago made up the canon of Welsh popular music, at least in the minds of most people on the English side of the Severn Bridge. Of course, this hypothetical album would also include representatives of the recent generation of Welsh groups that have turned out to be some of the hottest properties in British rock and pop today. But although Gorky's Zygotic Mynci are often mentioned in the same breath as Stereophonics, Super Furry Animals, Catatonia and the Manic Street Preachers, owing to their geographical origin, the similarities between Gorky's and their fellow Welsh groups pretty much end there. While the rest of the pack are fine bands, their songs do the standard work of pop, allowing listeners to slot themselves into a universal narrative. Theirs is a kind of "your name here" approach with very little in the music that generates a regional sense of place or that roots them in the specific environment of Wales--not that I'm suggesting they have any responsibility to do so. At the same time, however, bands such as the Manics certainly do identify themselves in national terms and make much of "being Welsh," albeit in interviews or via onstage flag-waving. With Gorky's on the other hand--on record, in performance and in interview--there's an absence of nationalist rhetoric and yet their music conveys a unique sense of time, place and identity. Listening to Gorky's isn't a passive, generic pop experience. Rather, it's an active encounter with otherness in which you enter what Tom Cox of _The Guardian_ has called "Gorkyworld," a place of "rolling hills surmounted by bearded wizards playing flutes, schoolbound children dropping lunchboxes as they hurdle streams, picnics on windswept beaches, and mystical medieval roots." In these days of devolution and of popular nationalist and regionalist sentiment in Great Britain, however, questions have been raised as to whether the landscape of Gorky's music is an authentic representation of Wales. Such concerns display an overly simple view of national identity and the terms of its cultural representation. Gorky's don't beat us over the head with an essentialized "Welshness"--whatever that may be--in terms that might just reproduce stereotypes and cliches. And interestingly, while the generic rock of some of the other Welsh bands--flag-waving notwithstanding--has tended to abolish a sense of place and a fixed, regional identity in favor of an anonymous urban sensibility, Gorky's music enagages in a more complex process and suggests more useful and progressive notions of identity and community. The vision communicated by the rich and allusive textures of their sound is far from quaint regionalism. Of course it's grounded in the geographical, historical and cultural contexts of its creation but it also derives from other places and times. The identity of their music is happily contradictory, at once rooted in Wales and at the same time produced by multiple incorporations of otherness. They create "Gorkyworld" not only by drawing on the cultural and musical traditions of their own region--as well as its language--but also by visiting other places and times: the English folk tradition, the 70s art rock of the Canterbury scene, the swinging London of early British psychedelia, the 70s Krautrock of Faust, the barking mad Mojave desert of Captain Beefheart, the American South of country music, and the Southern California of the Beach Boys. Owing to its hybrid pastiche of forms, their music attests to a postmodern sense of self and community, one that reveals the limited terms of the traditional conceptualizations of belonging and identification allowed by nationalist ideologies. "Gorkyworld" and its inhabitants are multifaceted as opposed to monolithic; they are at once local and global, rooted and shifting. While Gorky's sense of belonging, identity and place may stem from a crossing of borders, it never ceases to be Welsh. Their Welshness simply accommodates heterogeneity, process and transformation and is defined by more than language, a political stance or acceptable, fixed cultural tropes. This hybrid identity becomes brilliantly clear in a single moment at the end of the song "Spanish Dance Troupe" as Childs, his Welsh accent foregrounded, playfully poaches a Beach Boys lyric. "Good evening, we're Gorky's Zygotic Mynci from Wales in Great Britain" were Euros Childs's words of salutation to a packed Mercury Lounge. And that was pretty much all that Childs said last night, apart from repeatedly thanking us and giving us the thumbs up. But then there was no need to say anything else, no need for banter or shtick--the music spoke for itself. The last 18 months or so haven't been easy for the band from Pembrokeshire. During the sessions for _Gorky 5_, guitarist John Lawrence decided to call it quits, then they were dropped by Mercury in late 1998--halfway through a tour--and subsequently they even had to self-finance the recording of their next album. Fortunately, they were signed by Mantra records and _Spanish Dance Troupe_ was released in October. Much like _Spanish Dance Troupe_, which clocks in at a slim 37 minutes, their set was brief by late 90s standards, lasting only 45 minutes. But that's perfectly OK given that their sound is, after all, a beautiful pastiche of music from a time when albums and performances were generally shorter than they are today. When you listen to Gorky's, you know you've heard what they're doing somewhere before but at the same time you haven't. Rather than imitate, they take the shape and feeling of earlier music and repackage it in their own way. _Spanish Dance Troupe_ continues to revisit the best of British folk and progressive rock of the late 60s and early 70s, albeit with the addition of a distinct country twang. Last night's performance of songs like "Desolation Blues," "She Lives on a Mountain," "Faraway Eyes" and "Over and Out" showcased the best of the new album and its hybrid renderings. The linchpin last night was, of course, Euros Childs. At 24 years of age and with six albums under his belt already, he's a rare talent, a man out of time in this age of boy bands and talent deprivation. Looking uncannily like a miniature Nick Drake, Childs occupied center stage behind his keyboards--occasionally emerging to play guitar. He's a uniquely self assured songwriter who is blessed with a rich and diverse creative vision. Childs's live performance foregrounded an ability to pen songs that run the gamut of style and tone, songs that are always enhanced by the musicality of his voice, which moves effortlessly from lulling, lower ranges right up to a Brian Wilson-esque falsetto. While he seems shy and jittery in the spaces between songs, hiding behind his hair and repeatedly giving us the thumbs up, Euros is back in his element when the next track starts. Then he gets totally lost in music. But he's not affected or contrived, just completely absorbed by what he's doing, and it's that intensity that makes Gorky's especially engaging live. While much of the time Childs' intensity took the form of quiet focus and application, at times it was translated into sheer physical energy. This was indeed the case during the Roxy Music-styled "Poodle Rockin," from _Spanish Dance Troupe_, and "Sweet Johnny" from _Gorky 5_, with its Beefheart-esque shifts in tempo and volume. During the latter, Childs physically assaulted his bank of keyboards like a man possessed, much to the delight of the crowd. Although Childs was obviously the center of attention, the endeavors of the other Gorky's should not go unrecognized. Particularly noteworthy was Megan Childs's perfectly integrated violin playing which evokes--as others have noted--the sound crafted by Scarlet Rivera on _Desire_ and David Mansfield on _Street Legal_. While the tracks from _Barafundle_, "Meirion Wyllt" and "Patio Song," were particular highlights, the finest moment came at the end of last night's show with the instant classic "The Humming Song" from _Spanish Dance Troupe_. This fragile piece is quite an achievement. Centered around Childs's simple but emotive piano and his understated, soothing vocals, "The Humming Song" packs a whole range of emotion into four-and-a-half minutes, building up and managing to soar momentarily but ultimately settling back into melancholy. Gorky's put the largely unfashionable notion of musicianship back on the rock map. And there's nothing wrong with musicianship, especially when it's so unpretentious and so full of substance as the brand that they perform. There were mutterings at the end of the set owing to the absence of an encore but when you consider the set-up of the venue it makes sense that the Gorky's didn't come back. At the Mercury Lounge bands have to access the stage through the crowd. To do an encore they'd have had to push their way to the back of the room, stand there for a bit and then push their way back up to the front. All a bit pointless and awkward really, especially given Childs's apparent shyness. And besides, after "The Humming Song," there was really no need for anything else. --- CONCERT REVIEW: Buzzcocks / Heist, Brighton England - Tim Kennedy Tonight's venue is a sticky upper floor of an old Victorian pub on the main A23 route running into Brighton, premier seaside resort of the South of England. We are here to see one of the original punk bands who were involved in the infamous Anarchy Tour which the Sex Pistols led around the UK in 1976 (only to be banned from nearly all venues). If you know your history... But before all that, Heist make their entrance. Two young ladies in evening dresses grace either side of the stage, one with cornet, the other a violin, a drummer and centrestage is a rather severe cropped-headed guy in a jacket on vocals and guitar. Their songs seem to inhabit a smoky demi-monde between indie punk and Eastern European gypsy music. The music is seductive whilst retaining the muscle of the drums and guitar. The violin is effectively the lead instrument and Celina shows great skill with her instrument and a great deal of shy but evident charisma. Alison uses her cornet on occasion to nicely embellish their songs or else joining Mike on vocals to offset his gruff yet impassioned delivery. This band seem to be a little too individualistic for the major record companies in the current nervy climate, which is a shame because their brand of romance is sadly lacking in today's often stereotyped musical camps. Their response has been to go independent. They have their own label Super 8 and brought out a single a while back called "Defectors" which garnered critical acclaim. On their own they have variously worked with Nick Cave, Primal Scream, Marc Almond and Tindersticks. They've toured with the Fall and Eddi Reader as if to emphasise their eclecticism. The mainly punky crowd rouse themselves to applaud a brave set from the eclectic Heisters as they depart. The Buzzcocks take the stage about half an hour later to a rapturous welcome. Two of the original band are present, Pete Shelley guitar/vocalist and Steve Diggle guitarist and occasional vocalist. The hits are rolled out, including "Ever Fallen In Love", "Paradise", "Orgasm Addict", "Promises", "Fast Cars", "Harmony In My Head" (with Steve singing as gamely as ever), the classic punk tunes keep rolling out. The mass pogoing that breaks out down at the front makes it a little risky up there. The band are beaming smiles over the mostly young hordes, though peppered with greying heads from the old days. The odd new number is thrown in and goes down as well as the golden oldies. What was always interesting about the Buzzcocks was that for an original punk band, their subject matter rarely strayed from teenage romance. Perhaps only Ulster's Undertones of all other punk bands concentrated on this area. Of course, the Buzzcocks were far more X-rated with their lyrics. There being no back room to exit to, the band announce a virtual encore "Right, this bit's the encore so just imagine we've gone off and come on again." A few more 70s punk classics and then the great "Boredom" and they're off, through the crowd and upstairs, leaving a heaving sweaty mob roaring with appreciation. --- REVIEW: Hobex, _Back in the 90's_ (Slash) / Collapsis, _Dirty Wake_ (Cherry/Universal) - Jon Steltenpohl It was a strange debut. Nearly a decade ago, I remember getting the first Dillon Fence album from Mammoth at the college radio station I was a DJ at. I put it in and listened. "Southern white boy pop funk" was about the only way I could describe it. Dillon Fence was irresistibly catchy and a little odd at the same time. As the years went on, Dillon Fence got signed by a major and drifted away from that initial funk sound towards a standard alternapop genre. Yet, they were never really as appealing as those early albums. In the mid 90's, they quietly broke up. Today is a different story. Recently, two phoenixes have risen from the from the ashes. One phoenix, Hobex, is fronted by Dillon Fence's leader, Greg Humphreys, and the other phoenix is Collapsis with Dillon Fence drummer Scott Carle. Hobex takes all of the bizarre bits of funk that made its way through the early Dillon Fence releases, and fleshes them out into a great, unique sound. Collapsis, on the other hand, is a classic example of modern day "dirty" alternapop. Hobex's _Back in the 90s_ isn't exactly the album for every person, but for those who are interested, it's very good. Fans of the early Dillon Fence albums will "get it" immediately. New listeners might take a bit to catch on. Mainstream alternative music combines punk, rock, and hip-hop, yet few bands, save possibly for Young Fresh Fellows, have delved into funky disco beats and falsetto. Humphreys lives and breathes it. "I Was Wrong" sounds a bit like the slower funk-alternative bands of the 80's like Tackhead, while other tracks make you think of Van Morrison's unknown American cousin. The opening track, "Groove, Baby", has a nice hammond organ, a laid back feel, and Humphreys' slightly gravely, but oh so smooth voice. "Am I losing my Mind" features a "wacka wacka" guitar break out of Starsky and Hutch, and horns from some of the Squirrel Nut Zippers adds a bit of authenticity to the funk to "Comment Tu T'appelle" "Back in the 90's" isn't quite as successful at the funk, but fortunately there are other tracks like "My Moonshine" which sounds just like classic Dillon Fence songs. Another Dillon-esque song, "Windows", was even featured in the Matt Damon movie _Rounders_. As for Collapsis, well, despite having Dillon Fence's old drummer, they're really fronted by Mike Garrigan. They've got the classic alternative rock sound in the style of the Gin Blossoms, Buffalo Tom, or a harder edged Matchbox 20. It's typical "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek" soundtrack music. (In fact, after the first draft of this review, I did some final research on their website and found out that "Radio Friendly Girlfriend" has already been featured on "Party of Five".) Anyway, "Radio Friendly Girlfriend" is pretty good stuff. It's a little bit overblown with the angst at times, but _Dirty Wake_ definitely has potential. And the label must agree. _Dirty Wake_ was supposed to be released last year, but has been delayed until February. The most likely theory is that Cherry/Universal is gearing up to make Collapsis the next big thing. Expect a massive onslaught. In addition to "Radio Friendly Girlfriend", "Two Egrets", "Superhero", and "Automatic" all have the definite potential to break out. "Two Egrets" probably requires royalty checks be sent to the scattered members of the Gin Blossoms, and "Automatic" has such a great alternapop sound to it that you'll have a tough time recognizing it from any of the other bands in this genre. As for "Superhero", well, it is just a great driving pop song while "Wonderland", with its lazy arpeggios, sounds a lot like The Samples. Which is actually all a good thing. It's a relief to have an album from the faceless "Party of Five", one hit wonder crowd, which actually has some depth and some decent melodies. And, unlike, say, Sugar Ray, Collapsis and Hobex are real bands. You can listen through their entire album and enjoy them. Collapsis and Hobex are both decent bands that, despite their pop appeal, still have some of what it really means to be alternative left in them. Both albums have the distinct feel of being recorded by actual touring bands. There are just enough rough edges here and there to let you know that they actually sat down and played these songs. So many current bands have their vocals spliced in one phrase at a time or gratuitous samples thrown on the top of the mix. When Beck does that, it's cool. But, when it's done on a pop song, it sounds like paint by numbers. Collapsis and Hobex are the real thing and are worth a listen. --- CONCERT REVIEW: Marc Almond, The Bowery Ballroom, New York City - Wilson Neate Marc Almond made his first impression on most of us at the start of that decade horribilis known as 'the 80s'. Bearing that in mind, it would probably make sense to situate this review by talking a little about hearing his work with Soft Cell for the first time, about being 16 and proudly sporting a 'wedge' haircut, experimenting with eyeliner, and trying hard to look like Simon Le Bon. It would make sense to recall wearing baggy black, pleated trousers along with those embarrassing black suede ankle boots, and trying hard to smoke and drink a lot at some dreadful, sweaty adolescent disco. Above all, it might be appropriate to mention failing miserably to cop a feel - let alone cop off - throwing up a great deal and trying to kid myself that I was, indeed, having fun. But of course none of that entered into my experience. And besides, as Marc Almond told us last night, he'd rather forget the 80s too. Still, despite what he says, Almond's tongue is firmly in his cheek. At the start of last night's show he remarked, albeit with a staged grimace and a wink, that 'that song' he recorded with Soft Cell had brought him the terrible curse of fame and that he'd like to put it all behind him now. But of course he delights in an ambivalent relationship with the decade of his rise and fall from mainstream pop stardom. He wants to distance himself from his past glories--in particular, the song that dare not speak its name - yet, at the same time, he's clearly proud of that personal flock of brilliant musical albatrosses that hang around his tattooed neck. This fraught relationship with the past is absolutely crucial to the cultivation and perpetuation of his own personal mythology and to his performance of Marc Almond. And it's no surprise that his website is called The Theatre of Marc Almond ( http://www.marcalmond.co.uk ) since, on record and on stage, he's consistently acting out the story of the star and all of its possible narrative variants. His recordings are littered with the human detritus scattered in the wake of fickle fame: the drug and booze addled burn-out, the forgotten icon, the fallen star, the idol fallen on hard times, the self-destructive celeb and the former child star. In equal measure, Almond focuses on the stars we are - to coin his phrase - that is, the camp notion of everyday lives as performances and the possibility of a fleeting moment of glamour and accomplishment amid the banalities of the quotidian. On stage, in addition to his ambivalent lyrical and musical mapping of the tumultuous geography of stardom, he weaves those myriad identities together in his banter with the audience, metamorphosing from one character into another, in high dramatic style. At the start of last night's show he hammed up the part of the needy, faded star, promising to play our old favorites as long as he felt waves of love and adoration floating up to him over the footlights in return. After that, he became the rock and roll cliche for us, attributing memory lapses in the 80s to "too much acid". He acted out - with supreme irony - the part of the arrogant, bitter star contemptuous of fame. Later, telling us about some of his darker days, he took on the guise of the post-fame crack-up unable to venture beyond his squalid room and away from his supply of alcohol. But the best role that he performed for us was that of the star fallen to his absolute nadir, clutching his trusty "carrier bag full of tranquilizers". Pure Judy Garland. Beyond the verbal dimension--the story-telling and self-mythologizing--he translated those identities into dramatic physical gestures during the songs. He became the reluctant star refusing to come into the spotlight, finally yielding to imagined beckoning; he became the conquering hero kissing members of the audience, allowing himself to be pawed; and finally he was the genuinely flattered star clutching at the rose and the boxer shorts thrown on stage for him at the end of the evening. How the gentleman standing next to me managed to get them off without my noticing is a question I'm still at a loss to answer. Almond is a masterful showman and his performance is total theater, a perfect combination of voice, gesture and music. And it wasn't just the quality and variety of that performance, but the sheer quantity that was impressive too. Without a dull moment--backed only by Rick May (keyboards/synth/bass) and Neal X (guitar)--he played a two-hour-plus set of more than thirty songs that sampled his entire career and foregrounded the rich and diverse texture of his oeuvre. His post-Soft Cell years were represented by material drawn from almost every period. From his Marc and the Mambas albums we were treated to "Untitled," "Black Heart" and "Catch A Fallen Star" - the latter being his own nervous breakdown set to music, as he informed us. From _Stories of Johnny_ he played the title song and from _Mother Fist_, "Saint Judy," the bleak, harrowing tale of the martyred star. From _The Stars We Are_, Almond revived his late 80s pop hit "Tears Run Rings" and from _Enchanted_ he gave us "A Lover Spurned," the song whose protagonist makes Glenn Close in _Fatal Attraction_ sound like one of the sisters from The Waltons. From _Tenement Symphony_ he did a vibrant high-energy, house version of "Jacky" (during which we all got to sing the last line of the chorus) and from _Fantastic Star_ the thumping, glam influenced "The Idol," the epic chronicle of the horrors of stardom and its shifting fortunes. There was, of course, much much more but I haven't even mentioned the new material yet. Almond's performance of tracks from this year's _Open All Night_ attested to the fact that he's at the peak of his creative powers. Among the offerings from this record that he regaled us with were "When Bad People Kiss," "Black Kiss," "Bedroom Shrine," "Sleepwalker" and the real winner, "My Love." _Open All Night_ emphasizes the richness and diversity that has always characterized his music, incorporating white soul, synth pop, trip hop, jazz, Latin beats, tinges of drum and bass, doomy torch songs and dark ballads. Amazingly, this depth and range were underscored last night, even though he was backed only by two musicians. Almond's epic performance took us on a musical odyssey through his own personal city of night, his vision of a world after dark and a dark inner world. His is a well-trodden physical landscape of streets lit only by neon signs, back alleys, seedy clubs, squalid rooms, louche strip bars and an emotional landscape of doomed love, misery, betrayal, loss, melancholy, lust, desperation, self-destruction, and excess. The characters who people this noir terrain are brilliantly drawn, evocative of the characters of Brecht and Weil, Genet and Rechy and, indeed, as memorable as any literary personage. They stay with you long after the songs are over--although, in some cases, you'd much rather they wouldn't. In the theatre of Almond last night other actors were enlisted to further flesh out his unique vision and to bring his world to life. Sporting nothing but a white thong and running shoes, a youngman named "Ivan" worked it on a podium at the back of the stage as Almond sang "Lonely Go Go Dancer" to him. Later, an enormous drag queen named "Perfidia," dressed in a beautiful scarlet gown, played Almond's muse while he sang "Champagne." With her boa draped around his neck, Almond gleefully buried his face in her impressive cleavage as the song reached its conclusion. Toward the end of the evening he treated us to the oldies "Sex Dwarf," "Bedsitter," "Seedy Films," and "Say Hello Wave Good-bye"--during which he climbed into the audience sans microphone and encouraged a round of community singing. In the final round of encores, having re-emerged wearing a _Hustler_ T-shirt, he called out "Oh no, oh no . . . what's that sound?" as the opening chords of "Tainted Love"--the song that dare not speak its name--finally and inevitably rang out. At first he reeled with his hands over his ears in mock confusion, shock and terror and then did a perfect imitation of the way he used to dance in 1981. On stage at least, Marc Almond is looking disturbingly good at 42, still apparently fresh faced, youthful and sprightly. In fact, he looks exactly the same as he did when he shot to stardom nearly 20 years ago. Somewhere in an attic in Southport there has to be a portrait of an aging. grotesque Almond propped up alongside the one of Dorian Gray. And his voice is as strong and as full of character as ever, even unaccompanied: at the conclusion of one song, a member of the audience was so moved that he called out "Diva!" in appreciation of Almond's vocal performance. As a songwriter there are few to challenge him these days. While he's on a par with Nick Cave in the word-heavy, story-song category, Cave is often hoist by his own petard, length and absence of (intentional) humor being his lyrical stumbling blocks. Almond, on the other hand, communicates a consistent sense of play and irony which always bails him out. Marc Almond turned in a performance that left you with the word "genius" on your smiling lips. It may have been completely polished and scripted, right down to the banter, the jokes and the raised eyebrows, but it was carefully and lovingly crafted for our pleasure and therefore completely sincere. Best of all, he served up a rich, camp pastiche, effortlessly shifting in and out of musical and lyrical identities. He was part Norma Desmond, part Jacques Brel, part Judy Garland, part Pee Wee Herman and part Tom Jones, but always Marc Almond, Fantastic Star. --- REVIEW: Another Level, _Another Level_ (Arista) - Franklin Johnson The story has been heard before: superstar act discovers an unknown act, cultivates and nurtures them, and soon the new act achieves the goal: success! And if I told you that the superstar act was multi-platinum rapper Jay-Z, and the unknown act Another Level, you'd think street-smart lyrics, right? Wrong. Though Jay-Z found the group and brought them to his British record company, NorthWestSide Records, _Another Level_ really has nothing in common with "Jigga My N***", "Hard Knock Life", or any of the other songs which spoke to his listeners. Instead, think Will Smith and R Kelly's style as seen through the eyes of four young (early 20s) men - Wayne Williams, Dane Bowers, Bobak Kianoush and Mark Baron. The #1 UK hit "Freak Me" is ripped right out of R Kelly's catalog, right down to the suggestive lyrics. "Be Alone No More" includes Jay-Z making an ill-suited appearance, but other UK hits such as "Summertime" and "Guess I Was A Fool" fit much nicer into the album's laid-back, suave image. Although the album has been available elsewhere in the world for more than a year, and the band toured Europe as Janet Jackson's opening act, the American market wasn't targetted by the group - until now. "I'm very excited about breaking into the U.S. market," reports Kianoush. "It's the birthplace of great music and you definitely have to prove yourself there. But I do feel confident." Rap fans drawn in by Jay-Z's association will likely be disappointed by _Another Level_. But fans of R Kelly, Keith Sweat, and the 'new' rhythm and blues will definitely find this disc well to their liking. --- REVIEW: Yellow Machine Gun, _Spot Remover_ (Howling Bull) - Andrew Duncan With monumental women rockers like Babes In Toyland's Kat Bjelland and Bikini Kill's Kathleen Hanna now taking on the world with a quiet angst, it's time to look east for the thunder. Yellow Machine Gun may look like just another Shonen Knife with a pretty face, but looks can be deceiving and these girls will rip your throat out. You might even go so far as to say that these girls rock with a vengeance. With the opener "Again," the power that guitarist Kyoko Moriya, bass and vocalist Kaori Okumura and drummer Tamami Ohkado generate is as much a shock as when Michael J. Fox hit that guitar chord in the movie Back to the Future. They have had plenty of time to develop there skills. As a band, these ladies have been regulars in Osaka, Japan since 1993. Their fan base grew rapidly throughout the years having such credentials as giving Limp Bizkit a run for their money and performing in front of 30,000 people at Japan's Air Jam. Thanks to Howling Bull's newly domestication in California to bring Yellow Machine Gun to the states. And rare is it to have a band create such a full-and-rich sound, generating a fury that is fast and precise. "Something Enormous" and "Hip Tail" has impressive syncopation that takes Helmet to court, while "In A Box" challenges any Slayer song. The finale, "Eat Hat Fat" slows down as Okumura takes a moment to sing instead of growl with tremendous proportion. Sounds mellow but take Black Sabbath and have Grace Slick sing with a broken English accent, a shocking but wonderful result. --- NEWS: > On January 25, Clash fans will see a digital remastering by Epic Records of much of their catalog. Included in this will be the first U.S. release for the original U.K. version of the debut _The Clash_, _Give 'Em Enough Rope_, _London Calling_, _Sandinista!_, and _Combat Rock_. Along with these are a new compilation _The Singles_ which is the band's only single-disc hits set. > Everclear will be releasing two distinct albums in 2000. April will bring _Songs From An American Movie Volume 1 / Learning How To Smile_ while November should mark the arrival of _Songs From An American Movie Vol 2 / Good Time For A Bad Attitude_ > Green Day have recently returned to the studio to begin recording a follow-up to their double platinum _Nimrod_ album. > Groove Radio ( http://www.grooveradio.com ) , an exclusive electronica dance music format, has recently returned to its loyal core of fans on the Internet. The programming will be headed by the Groove Radio founder, Swedish Egil (aka Egil Aalvik), who in the last two decades was responsible for successful radio programming on KROQ-FM, MARS-FM, and Groove Radio on 103.1 FM in Los Angeles and much more. > The Jayhawks have announced the latest addition to their ranks: keyboardist/vocalist Jen Gunderman who began performing with the group in concert in November. Jen was previously a member of the group Dag. > Musicmusicmusic.com, inc., the world's first Internet webcaster granted a license by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), has launched the world's first branded satellite Internet radio services providing complete programming offering music chosen by the host site from the company's Internet broadcaster, Radiomoi.com. > The Musician's Atlas 2000 guide has been released. The ultimate music industry resource lists more than 10,000 music business contacts easily divided into sections including record labels, clubs, radio, publishers, publications, lawyers, interviews with music execs such as Al Teller and Chuck D and much more. The book is priced at $20; further information can be obtained at http://www.musiciansatlas.com > Poptopia 2000 will take place February 1-6 in Los Angeles and February 2-3 in Portland, OR. This 5th Annual celebration marks the first time Poptopia will be held in Portland. Confirmed headlining artists at this time include The Mr T. Experience, Jason Faulkner and The Cowsills. Exact information regarding bands and their venues can be found at http://www.poptopia.com > PreviewTunes.com ( http://www.previewtunes.com ), an online jukebox, has premiered and offers listeners the newest music from the labels of Warner Music Group. The jukebox offers full-length videos and will feature up to 90 new releases at a time. > Seminal punk rock band X will reunite this winter for a headlining show in honor of the 8th annual Noise Pop Festival, to take place in San Francisco on March 1-5. The band will headline Slim's on March 1; Bob Mould will be the highlight of the March 3 activities at Bimbo's 365 Club. Tickets have just gone on sale for this event. --- TOUR DATES: Anthrax Jan. 25 Baltimore, MD Daytona's Jan. 26 Cleveland, OH Odeon Jan. 27 Detroit, MI Harpo's Jan. 28 Chicago, IL House of Blues Jan. 29 Milwaukee, WI The Rave Jan. 31 Denver, CO Fox Theater Feb. 2 Los Angeles, CA House of Blues Feb. 3 Santa Ana, CA Galaxy Theater Feb. 4 Las Vegas, NV House of Blues Feb. 5 San Francisco, CA The Warfield Cravin' Melon Jan. 28 Atlantic Beach, NC Ziggys by the Sea Jan. 29 Greenville, NC The Attic Feb. 5 Savannah, GA Riverrox Robert Cray Jan. 27 Visalia, CA Fox Theater Jan. 28 Stockton, CA Fox Theatre Jan. 29 San Diego, CA 4th & B Jan. 31 Flagstaff, AZ Procnow Auditorium Feb. 1 Tucson, AZ Music Hall Feb. 3 Anaheim, CA Sun Theatre Feb. 4 Santa Cruz, CA Catalyst Feb. 5 San Rafael, CA Marin Center Dismemberment Plan Feb. 3 Carrboro, NC Go Lounge (w/ Alkaline Trio) Feb. 5 Tallahassee, FL The Down Under/FSU (w/ Alkaline Trio) Feb. 6 Winterpark, FL DIY records (w/ Alkaline Trio) Julia Greenberg Jan. 29 New York, NY Knitting Factory Guided By Voices / American Flag Jan. 24 Orlando, FL Sapphire Jan. 25 Gainesville, FL Covered Dish Jan. 26 Tallahassee, FL Cow Haus Ben Harper & Innocent Criminals Jan. 27 Charleston, NC N. Charleston Performing Arts Center Jan. 28 Greenville, SC Peace Center Jan. 29 Charlottesville, VA Traxx Jan. 31 New Haven, CT The Palace Feb. 3 Northampton, MA Smith College Feb. 4 Burlington, VT Memorial Auditorium Feb. 5 Utica, NY Stanley Performing Arts Center Feb. 6 Ithaca, NY Cornell University Richie Hawtin Jan. 29 Park City, UT Sundance Closing Party Feb. 3 Ottawa Atomic Feb. 4 Montreal Sona Jimmie's Chicken Shack / Sumack Jan. 25 State College, PA Crowbar Jan. 26 Detroit, MI Shelter Jan. 28 Cleveland, OH Peabody's Jungle Brothers Jan. 25 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom (w/Alex Gifford of Propellerheads) Jan. 26 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre Jan. 27 Los Angeles, CA Vynyl Live Jan. 25 Lycoming College Lamade Gym Jan. 26 Ottawa, ON Robert Guetrin Arena Jan. 27 Montreal, QC Molson Centre Jan. 28 Toronto, ON Maple Leaf Gardens Jan. 30 Quebec City, QC Colisee De Quebec Feb. 5 Niagara, NY Niagara Univ. / Gallagher Center Feb. 6 Coblleskill, NY Suny Cobbleskill / Bouck Gym Aimee Mann / Michael Penn Jan. 25 San Francisco, CA Bimbo's 365 Club Jan. 28 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater Jan. 29 Seattle, WA The Showbox Feb. 6-7 Annapolis, MD Rams Head Tavern Pretenders Jan. 27 Jacksonville, FL Florida Theatre Jan. 28 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Sunrise Theatre Jan. 29 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall Jan. 31 Orlando, FL House of Blues Feb. 1 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle Feb. 3 Austin, TX Music Hall Feb. 4 Houston, TX Aerial Theatre, Bayou Place Feb. 5 New Orleans, LA House of Blues Feb. 6 Dallas, TX Bronco Bowl Squatweiler Jan. 27 Baltimore, MD The Vault Stroke 9 Jan. 24 San Diego, CA Cane's Jan. 25 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour Jan. 26 Santa Ana, CA Galaxy Theater Jan. 27 Scottsdale, AZ Cajun House Jan. 31 Fayetteville, AR Dave's on Dickson Feb. 1 Jackson, MS Hal & Mal's Feb. 2 Memphis, TN Newby's Feb. 3 New Orleans, LA House of Blues Feb. 5 Fern Park, FL The Station Feb. 6 St. Petersburg, FL State Theater Feb. 7 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Fu Bar Stereophonics Jan. 30 Chicago, IL Double Door Feb. 1 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre Feb. 2 Montreal, QC Molson Centre Feb. 3 Quebec City, QC Le Colisee Feb. 5 Sudbury, ON Sudbury Arena Feb. 6 Thunder Bay, ON Fort Williams Gardens u-ziq Feb. 2 New York, NY Bowery Feb. 4 Detroit, MI Shelter Feb. 5 Chicago, IL Metro Feb. 6 Minneapolis, MN Ascot Room Young Dubliners Jan 27 San Luis Obispo, CA Mothers Tavern Jan 28-29 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern --- Founded in August, 1993, Consumable Online is the oldest music reviews publication on the Internet. To get back issues of Consumable, check out: WWW: http://www.consumableonline.com To subscribe to Consumable, send an e-mail message to consumable-request@westnet.com with the body of the message stating "subscribe consumable". To unsubscribe, send a message to the same address stating "unsubscribe consumable". Web access contributed by WestNet Internet Services (westnet.com), serving Westchester County, NY. Address any written correspondence to Bob Gajarsky, Consumable Online, 409 Washington St. PMB 294, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030 ===