Oomph

Was out reviewing Sunshine last night at the Liverpool Barfly, in their support slot to the Bellrays. Very nice stuff from a band doing the rounds in the Czech Republic for years and now getting some attention over here.

It was never my intention to stay for the headliners, due to tiredness, a need for dinner (having not been home prior) and the new CD backlog mounting (so soon!). On top of that, saw 'em once before at a festival, and wasn't gripped, nor was I by their 'Meet The Bellrays' collection, particularly. However, while I was there I thought I'd watch em for a bit.

When I was managing (badly) the wonderful 16 Bronsons at the turn of the millenium, the advice from our sven gali was to run two tunes together at different points in the set, to add a gloss of professionalism and up their already remarkable intensity.

I was reminded of this last night as the Bellrays ripped through 6 songs in about 15 minutes with about half a second of pause in amongst. Amazing stuff, which proves first impressions aren't always the thing. That said, a full set, rather than my quarter hour experience, may have dulled the impact. Better to quit when you're ahead.

Shorter gigs with punch should be encouraged. If the band don't self-edit, then pull yer own plug.