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 Café Stella, Leigh
Thursday June 22nd
Though much has been made of the resurgence of live music in and around
Wigan over the last few years, the usually boisterous town of Leigh has
kept quiet, remaining pretty much off the radar when it comes to
showcasing top talent from the borough and beyond.
Yet in recent months all that has begun to change. Suckerpunch
Promotions set up shop at Hogans, Bolton boys Death 2 The DJ are making
themselves at home over at Deejays, and now, somebody has had the good
sense to take a bunch of musicians, put them in Café Stella and have
them pack the place out with a wealth of good tunes.
As the masses (and believe us, we do mean ‘masses’, the place gets
packed!) arrive, they are welcomed by the smooth and soulful sounds of
London singer/songwriter, Sam Isaac.
In a world where acoustic guitar toting soloists are ten a penny, Sam
Isaac stands out from the countless Bob Dylan clones and James
Blunt/Katie Melua styled chart-botherers with sprightly, intimate vocals
and chilled, sunny guitars.
Like a cross between the Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz and Nizlopi’s Luke
Concannon, Isaac plays tracks from his new ‘Compass Scattered Love EP’.
Its a mature, warm and delicate disc that makes for perfect Sunday chill
out music, yet live, doesn’t sound out of place in this dark bar on a
Thursday night.
If Isaac broke the crowd in gently, then Only One Mammal’s energetic
stompers arrive as a shock to their collective system next.
Though the term ‘Dance Rock’ has, over the past few years, come to
describe the sort of dance floor-friendly indie being touted by the
likes of Franz Ferdinand and The Killers, this Manchester outfit are
here to claim that title for their own spirited, psychotic blend of
demented dance and rambunctious rock.
Like The Prodigy having it large to Primal Scream’s ‘Get Your Rocks Off’
or The Chemical Brothers mashing up hip-hop covers of some of Kasabian’s
more rowdy moments, Only One Mammal shake the venue with some big-beat
rock ‘n’ roll that surely steals the ‘dance rock’ title back from the
likes of FF & Co.
This certainly ain’t the first time we’ve caught Wigan’s finest
purveyors of quality garage rock, and it probably won’t be the last. Yet
if there’s one thing you can always rely on, it’s that every time you do
catch a Moco gig, there’s something completely different going on.
Sure it’s the same dirty, fuzzy garage blues, the same MC5/Stooges
comparisons, the same guitarist with the overwhelming hair and the same
eccentric frontman, but there’s much more to it than that. Every time
you go see this crazy collective of retro-clad glam-punks, all those
aforementioned familiar elements are rammed together to create a one
off, unique performance.
Currently promoting their new mini-album ‘Twice Bitten, Once Shy’, the
lads launch into favourites old and new with a frenzied energy and
fervent excitement that drags the crowd to the front and forces them to
strut their stuff.
All the while, lanky lunatic Steve Jones flaps around like a
hyper-active Weeble; wobbling from side to side yet never falling down.
Unless of course it’s on purpose, in which case he’s writhing around on
the floor, crawling into the crowd and generally acting like the madman
we’ve come to know and love.
Then he’s off, out of the club and on to the streets of Leigh, leaping
around in front of the windows to the delight of the audience and the
bemusement of passers-by.
It could be all to easy to let Jones’ mental antics distract from the
equally mental music being played by his companions. Thankfully though,
it doesn’t. Each riff, bassline, beat and boom sounds sleazy and groove
and altogether brilliant, coming together as a strong reminder as to why
Moco are so popular.
During a quick trip to the gents during the change over, we overhear an
enthusiastic chap recommending tonight’s headliners.
“Yeah, The Randoms. They’re good, but they’re just normal blokes.”
Whilst this is undoubtedly true, if the reaction to tonight’s storming
set is anything to go by, this five ordinary blokes will soon be
propelled to the level of superstardom they unashamedly crave.
Kicking off with the lairy, exuberant ‘Freak Out’, frontman Greg leads
his band of ‘eccentric attention seekers’ through a high-octane
performance of pop rock ‘n’ roll that has the enlivened crowd dancing
and shouting and singing along, loving every minute.
An up-tempo version of debut single ‘Two Stripe Trainer’ follows,
electing a big grin from drummer Sam, who earlier confessed to being
knackered yet now looks as if he’s having a grand ol’ time of it all.
After a run through of fan favourite ‘Taking Your Best Mate’s Girl to
The Pictures’ , The Randoms break out uber-new track ‘The Earl of
Lancashire’.
When we arrived earlier that evening, Greg was still writing down the
lyrics for this track, and looked ever-so-slightly anxious as he studied
them in the moments before taking ot the stage.
Now though, with the show in full flow, he breezes through with
apparently little effort, displaying the same cheeky, northern
conversational lyrics that made ‘Taking Your Best Mate’s….’ such a hit
whilst Al, Rob, Tim & Sam let rip with the sort of electric, eclectic
upbeat rock that have earned them such a large and devoted following.
The band launch into another relatively new song, ‘Namco Dreams’, and,
despite some total muppet who tries to hijack the mic’ and big up local
Kasabian clones Dirty Circus, the atmosphere is positively jubilant.
The band pull in tight around the mics for the chorus, hitting each note
and chord with aplomb and sweeping the crowd along.
But they’re not done yet. The lads try to down tools, but are coaxed
back on for a rabble-rousing rendition of ‘Bar Music to bring the night
to a close.
Leigh may not be as well known for its live music scene just yet, though
if tonight is anything to go by, it soon will be.
Recommended Links:
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www.myspace.com/randoms - The Randoms @ Myspace
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www.myspace.com/moco - Moco @ Myspace
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www.onlyonemammal.com – Only One Mammal Official
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www.myspace.com/samisaac - Sam Isaac @ Myspace
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