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Found under a pool table some time in the nineteen eighties, no one knows where this confused genius really comes from- some say space, some say a suburb in Salford...all they really know is that thei...[more]
The Irish Center, Leeds, Wednesday 2 November 2011 There's something about the prospect of seeing the Melvins live that causes a kind of barley suppressed excitement in heavy-rock fans. Most express this joy by beaming like idiots while staring adoringly at the band onstage and drinking copious amounts of ale, others lose the plot a little but more of that later. It's a heartening thought to think that the Melvins have been around since 1983 and that the two core members, King Buzzo and Dale Crover, still blow all the competition away. Tonight the Melvins signature sludge-rock creates an impressive wall-of-noise as they pile through an impressive set that clocks in fifteen minutes shy of two hours. I was initially disappointed about the lack of support , last time I saw them we were treated to sets from Porn and Big Business (both bands featuring Melvins members!). Any sense of 'not getting your money's worth' however quickly disappeared as the band came onstage. They walk on to what sounds uncannily like Morricone spaghetti-western music and there's a real sense of occasion; that sense of outsiders riding into town to settle old scores with rusty pistols. My friend, unfortunately lumbered with mild tinnitus, puts his ear plugs in and the band launch into their set. Of the nights many highlights I'd have to say that the material from their latest LP, The Bride Screamed Murder, stood amongst their choicest cuts. 'The Water Glass' with its barked, a-cappella verse and drum heroics was a mini sludge-rock epic. There's old favourites like the grunge-metal- classic 'Queen' from Stoner Witch and some great picks from the mighty Senile Animal album. I'll be honest, the Melvins have made a whole lot of albums and I've heard a relatively small amount of them but that really doesn't matter; you've just got to appreciate their abilities as live performers. The Melvins are definitely a band to see in the flesh. I felt a bit better about my lack of completism when King Buzzo himself at one point can't remember what album one of his songs is lifted from but reliably informs us that it's a good one. While the sets a pretty long one my eyes stay firmly gripped to the stage. Until that is I notice the crowd part and someone come stumbling out from somewhere nearer the front. The guys clearly had a few and manages to stumble into a few people and ruffle a few feathers before his friends and a guy from the Brudenell (who are putting on tonight's festivities) guide him out of the venue. He must have been pretty crushed the next day as there was still a fair bit of the set to go. This reminded me of the first time I saw the Melvins. Myself and a friend had got talking to a couple of guys before the gig and they told us they were going to 'go mental' (or words to that effect) when the Melvins came on. Halfway through the Melvins set Buzzo stops the gig and says he isn't playing another note until the two people he's noticed causing trouble in the crowd leave the gig. It's then we see our new acquaintances leave the venue, heads bowed. Who knows but maybe the prospect of seeing the Melvins live is just too exciting for some heavy-rock devotees. Anyway, I digress. The Melvins are bone-rattling, hair raisingly great tonight. The night is full of highlights. There's Buzzo's voice; huge and almost comically menacing. There's the now traditional two drummer's section with Coady Willis and Dale Crover in a friendly face-off come drum battle; an entertaining and powerful spectacle. Bassist Jarred Warren (also of Big Business) sings some tracks in-between shouting excitable yet indecipherable things to the crowd. The bands set comes to a close and I'm one satisfied customer. As the lights come up some Benny Hill, chase music comes on; like the opening Morricone music, this choice of exit music also seems fairly appropriate. The Melvins have never been ones to take themselves too seriously. Tonight The Melvins show that twenty eight years' experience really does pay off. Their a tightly knit unit; powerful, impressive and room shakingly heavy. The Melvins are the classic rock band for modern times. |
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bobdobelina on Wed 9 Nov 2011 @ 21:36 said:
I'm just listening to the Orb while thinking of Melvins and wondering what a combination of the two might sound like? Like the future of music I reckon.