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Mudhoney + The Gels, The Drones Enigma Bar, Wed 2 March  I
didn't see the Drones, but Mudhoney's Mark Arm did close the evening
by giving them a special thank you - bearing in mind the number of
support bands he would have seen over the years, that's a strong recommendation.If ever you wanted to explain to someone what a support band is, you could take them to a Gels gig. They are more than capable musicians, have a full, guitar heavy sound, move around with some energy on stage, and generally fill the time before the headline act comes on, so there's not a lot to object to in their performance. However, there's not a lot to get interested in either. Their set was a series of fast, raucous songs with little to distinguish between them, neither melodic enough to sound like a pop band nor with the aggression one would call punk. They're competent but lack any songs of real interest. Mudhoney have also been around for some time, going on 18 or so years, but age has not wearied them nor does their music sound any less exciting than it did at the get-go. Mark Arm's roaring vocals and Steve Turner's unmistakably fat and whiny guitar sound propelled the band through a set which presented a satisfying mix of old and new. They played some as yet unrecorded material such as On The Move which is not a huge evolution from the songs they played from their first album, but no-one seemed to mind. A highlight of the set, and a song that defines the band, was Sweet Young Thing Ain't Sweet No More with its dense, superfuzzed guitars and howling vocals. The crowd loved it, and older material such a Touch Me I'm Sick and Suck You Dry created a frenzy of activity amongst the audience in the front rows. The band restricted their interaction with the crowd to a few very dry remarks from singer Mark Arm, but one sensed their enjoyment of the show. They may not leap around the stage as they used to but they still have a commanding presence that is very watchable. Mudhoney encored with Hate The Police, for which Arm dispensed with his guitar and stood on the edge of the stage screaming the lyrics as a mass of punters flailed around in the moshpit. As the first breakout grunge band Mudhoney have gone from being one of the hippest bands in the world 15 years ago to dropping off the indie rock radar. None of this seems to have bothered them at all, and on the strength of their highly entertaining show at Enigma there are still plenty of people who are enjoying what they've got to offer.  |
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