This night started very low key. When Betty and Hendrix entered the building at around 7.40pm there were very friendly bouncers (nah, really, BM means it) who dealt with the fact this was actually an over 16s / under 14s accompanied by adults gig – pretty unusual for the Art School and fair play to the promoters. It certainly meant that Hendrix could attend so thankyou very much (Hendrix is BM’s son btw, not her toyboy… you people…).
Getting there early also meant that we had the opportunity to hear Zyna Hel to full effect. Backed by a bloke with a laptop (sorry, you do have a name, but with no print interviews, thankyou Herald and rest of the morally and financially bankrupt Scotch press) doing some live stabbing, plus pre-recorded parts in the manner of Blanck Mass or FBs, (in fact just heard that BlMa may be producing or have already put in the can her debut album, which is some trick to pull off, so well done ZH!).
ZH prowled the stage quite theatrically and recalled such artists as Bush, Florence, Claudia Brucken and that is no bad thing. Most of the notes were reached, she emoted and there were some very atmospheric touches. It takes a lot of nerve to do this, and as a fairly stacked individual herself BM hopes that ZH does not mind BM saying that you don’t need to be a waif to be all woman, as it were. With regards also this week to Megan Traynor’s photoshopping meltdown: tell it like it is Megan, f888cking anorexic Nazi shape-ist police – stay curvy and beautiful, BM says. And ‘Catacombs’ is an absolute monster by the way…you will hear this and love it…
Sorry about that previous outburst folks, but sometimes a girl just has to say it like it is – anyway, to the main event.
Minor Victories have been tagged as a “shoegaze supergroup” – not a bad epithet but one that in no way does justice to this performance.
This could be gig of the year, certainly one of the ones so far for BM. Where to start?
Actually, with the most pleasant surprise of the night, BM had no idea who was gonnae drum at this gig, so the sight of Mogwai’s Martin Bulloch’s trademark specs and baseball hat combo looming onto the stage as they took up positions was most welcome – this was going to be a (central) belter…
With MB on the kit, Editors bearded behemoth Justin Lockey on geetar noises, his bro on throbbing bass, plus the not exactly lightweights Stuart from Mogwai on other geetar and only Rachel flipping Goswell from Slowdive, fronting proceedings this was always going to be good. In a very demure red number (although BM could not help noticing her very large arm tattoo under it, not perving Rachel and more power to you), Rachel’s vocals were sublime, while between songs just making sure all the boys were playing nice…
This combo made a glorious, sensitive, more caring, controlled and steady machine gun hand of a noise, melody and noise combined into something truly beautiful. There is an album, of which several tracks had been released on t’net at this point so Betty and Hendrix had heard a couple.
It was an explosive combination of people and their musical ideas and outlooks. It sounded good on paper but Christ so good good good live in the flesh. They had done a few gigs in England in the past week but still looked a bit nervous until various moments of emotional and physical release (like about 6 minutes into ‘Folk Arp’) eased the tension and they just went for it. Bulloch responded to Lockey’s pedal histrionics with some crashing beats, while Braithwaite provided some amazing guitar lines, eventually going through at least two sets of strings – hilarious really.
But it was the songs, they were incredible. Also honourable mention to BM godhead and Hendrix idol James Graham, who came on for an emotional and straight on the nail duet with Goswell on ‘Scattered Ashes (Song for Richard)’ – good luck with the Curetour James, you are almost famous and for all the right reasons.
Apologies if BM has got a bit overwrought on this one, it was just so good. Buy the bloody album, ingest the songs, track them down live, or in their hotels if necessary – supergroup of the year…
No encore, but what else could they do?