Camber Sands, All Tomorrow's Parties 22 April 2005
I'd seen Blues Explosion the month before
supporting Razorlight, where the crowd reaction had alternated between
hostile and empty. Tonight, playing at the request of hip director
/ musician Vincent Gallo, in front of a pretty keen bunch of fans
on the Friday night of 2005's second All Tomorrow's Parties,
the bass-less trio of Judah Bauer, Russel Simins and
Jon Spencer played a less antagonistic set that focussed
less on lengthy jams and more on actual songs.
Despite some weekend-dogging technical hitches -
Judah looked to be having some issues throughout the hour-long set
- they raced through their set with barely a pause for breath. Spencer
and Simins are entertaining to watch with their intense energy and
flailing limbs, while Bauer barely seems to move a muscle as he
coaxes riffs and licks from his guitar.
Song-wise, I fared better than the previous concert
in terms of being able to actually identify the tracks they played
- they opened with a riotous '2 Kindsa Love', played a curt 'Burn
It Off' with more of a punk edge, and a version of 'Damage' which
really emphasised the chunky drumming of Simins. A DJ Shadow-free
'Fed Up And Low Down', with its slow and warp-speed passages was
a highlight, as was a heavy blues number over whose intro Spencer
said 'We've travelled all the way from New York City to play at
this here holiday camp...' with an earnestness that belied its clear
comedy value. The emphatic 'I got soul!' chorus was a moment
of rapturous gospel punk bravado that Spencer has made his own.
Bauer took the mic for a brief 'Fuck Shit Up', while
the Primal Scream-esque tortured country of Damage's 'Spoiled'
sounded more melancholy in a near-Joy Division style, finally collapsing
into a strobe-filled noisecore jam with mad theremin conclusion.
And that was it - they were gone (despite being billed for an extra
15 minutes), Spencer appearing to console Bauer as they left the
stage.
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