Ideal Surreal and Howlback Hum's Xmas Party
It is my last but one gig of the year and it is off to the Owl Sanctuary for the Ideal Surreal and Howlback Hum Christmas party.
First up, Mega Emotion take to the stage, robed like some weird cult. Opener Grace is all percussion, harmonies and loops. Previous singles City In Shapes and Brains are highlights of a strong set whilst new song Prime shows how the trio are developing. Set closer - and next single OK Maybe OK deserves special mention, ramping up the industrial element and coming on like Throbbing Gristle meets Young Fathers. I have always thought that Mega Emotion have great songs but sometimes the live show has been a bit shambolic. Tonight, everything came together and this was the best show I have seen from the band. More like this please.
A significant proportion of my favourite music has been released on Glasgow's mighty Chemikal Underground Records and I have lived in Norwich - on and off - since 2000. Magoo released a couple of LP's on Chem and are from Norwich so how come I didn't see them until earlier this year? I dunno but I have certainly missed out because Magoo are simply magnificent. As Outline colleague Stuart says they are a perfect combination of punk and psyche. That is not all. There is a beating krautrock heart underpinning the songs and the likes of Hell's Angel and Ice Cave have urgent pop melodies. How Magoo have not been part of my musical life for the last 20 years, I shall never know but it has been my loss. Tonight they were bordering on perfect.
With a few technical gremlins, for me this was not a classic set from BK & Dad. That said, even a slightly below par BK blow away most other bands. Loggerhead is a storming opener. If anything, Train and Old Land ramp up the intensity, whilst Runaway is becoming something of a crowd fave. I always say Leo and Pip make a glorious noise but there is melody there and some fantastic playing. Like I said, for me this wasn't classic BK but I may be alone in thinking that - a mate who had never seen them before was left in awe and Stu thought they were on fire. Whatever, they are a great band and can be awesome - in the true sense of the word - live.
