Video Nasties have the unfortunate task of opening on a quiet Tuesday night, which doth not deter them from force feeding those in attendance a shock dose of Arcade Fire meets At The Drive-In post hardcore. To have a group of five guys exude so much energy and get nothing but golf claps in return is a sorry sight, especially that by the end of their set that band are falling all over each other, their equipment and the stage. If aggressive, dynamic, post hardcore is your thing check them out.
Thank god for Threatmantics. if you haven’t heard of this act check them out. It’s like Frank Black and Nick Cave jamming the blues. This is the whole reason you come to Tuts. You want to see something new, unique and different. Boy, do they deliver on different! Without a dedicated bass player, the low end is supplied on and off with a drummer who you’d would be too busy to do so. Great Fender springy guitars are married to viola played so violently one would think it could summon demons, while the vocals add a touch of shoe-gaze to this sonic adventure. It’s so energetic and well achieved that the loneliest merch guy on the planet suddenly gains a few friends looking for CD’s of this trip to strange-lands. Worth the price of admission alone.
Which takes us to Swanton Bombs. A two piece drummer guitarist combo whose studio efforts are really sweet and touching modern alt pop with cute arrangements complete with violins and great harmonies make them one of the few myspace pages I visit often. Herein lies the rub, when you strip these songs down guitar, drums and vocals something really bad happens. You realise there is nothing to these songs without studio trickery. There is something to Swanton Bombs, just check out their myspace, however it just can’t shine without the production value of their studio efforts. Even a singing bass player would make all the difference to this act.