First off I need to explain the reasoning behind the lyrics as the title of this blog... after going to see Jet Heeled Striker last night Neil (guitarist in the band) asked if there would be a blog entry to google today. So I figured without any inspiration of anything else to call this entry, I would find some sort of lyrical link to Neil instead. There seems to be a shortage of songs about people called Neil, maybe it's a niche in the market JHS could fill..... The only song I could come up with is a shockingly bad Carol King number called 'Oh Neil' which she wrote in response to Neil Sedaka's track 'Oh Carol'.
Last nights gig was in The Railway Inn in Winchester. Saying it was loud does not even begin to explain the volume in that little black room. Saying it was lacking in audience numbers does not really do it justice either. I know it was a Thursday night, but come on people, make an effort, support your local bands!
We got there in time to catch the last 3 or so songs of a band called Mirrors. To say the lead singer was energetic is probably the polite version. By the end of the little bit of what we saw of them I found myself wishing he would knock himself out on the lights he was nearly headbutting every time he jumped. He seemed to want to be both the bands singer and biggest fan all at once which resulted in him pacing back and forth and jumping around like someone who wouldn't have been out of place in a room with padded walls and calming colours! It was a shame really because past that they actually had quite a good sound, but it was lost by the totally over the top nature of their singer. The first time he banged his microphone on his head in time to the drummer was quite a nice touch, the third time it was just dull. The potential's there, but for me they have a lot of polishing to do.
Jet Heeled Striker in comparison looked much more cohesive and comfortable in the stage space. They've had enough gigs now to get to that point where they have found the balance between being entertaining and over the top. Luckily Adam doesn't feel the need to pace around like a rabid creature!
Bare with me because I don't know the technicalities of what that man at the back of the room does with the table of buttons; but whatever he's meant to do, he wasn't doing it very well last night. The singing was largely swamped by the music - not because Adams singing isn't good enough to stand up next to the music, because it really is. Safe & Sound fared well with this distorted balance because of the style of the song. Its nu-metal feel works well with a heavy guitar sound and lyrics which are slower and more melodic. Other songs like First Gay President (forgive me if that's not the correct title!) where the singing is faster and much more lyric-y didn't stand up so well.
A lot of bands pay a huge amount of attention to the singer and use the music to back them up. Without the lyrical content, they don't have much to fall back on. Last nights unbalanced sound could have been a real issue if it weren't for the fact that Jet Heeled Striker aren't a singer with a back up band. Neither are they a band who have a singer because they have to. They pay as much attention to all parts of what makes them a band. Each one of the five of them complements and supports the other. Without being able to hear Adam so well last night was a shame, but it wasn't a bad performance as a result as the music stood up really well on its own merits.
To go back briefly to their stage presence, I think what makes them so watchable is that they don't look like they're trying to be a band, it looks like they are one. I love that Chris wonders about the stage to play with Neil or Gibbo, he just looks like he lives his life on a stage. At one point last night he and Neil were laughing together as they were playing; it's little things like that that makes them so enjoying to watch - their comfort and enjoyment in what they're doing really comes through in their music and in their performance on stage.
Looking forward to Talking Heads on 23 July!
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