Worcester Music Forum

29/02/08)

No I haven't forsaken you Hereford - it's just that I can't get to gigs on Sundays (Pencil Toes and Dandelion Killers) or Wednesdays (Joe Schiavon's excellent Jailhouse promotions) - but hope to be over again real soon.

So we had to make do with a mix of home and bussed-in talent over the last week at the Marrs Bar in Worcester - kicking off with Beyond This Point Are Monsters - a jazz-stoner rock outfit from Derby with a spacey Tangerine Dream-ish extended jam set - spoilt a bit by the ear-splitting feedback at the end. Londoners Lights And Sound I'm afraid didn't fare much better - their extended sound check lasting longer than the actual set of mostly formulaic emo-jangles - but there were a couple of hummable numbers that'll make me check out their myspace for a swift download or two

I'm still trying to persuade Worcester bands to play Hereford and vice versa but it's great to see one of Hereford's finest - Brandon Steep - who seem to gotten themselves a bit of a residency down at Pierpoint Street. Great harmonics and sparkly effects work from the vibrant five-piece with favourites like 'Louisiana' and 'Hiding In The Undergrowth'. Not the finest put-together set I've seen from The Steep but always worth a shufti.

Radical stuff a few days later with Meteor Street who I've seen a few times in the last year but who seem to be evolving into a different species each time. This offering was the Syd Barratt/Planet Gong incarnation - tonight sponsored by the chord of G and the letter 'M'.

Deconstructed stuff from Worcester's own Arcade Fire with the smallest playlist I've ever seen (not stuck on the stage but fished out of a pocket!). 'Malicious Metallics' is a stand-out number from this fast-improving outfit.

A few namechecks in the crowd - Emma and Kieran from Cobweb Dilemmas, George Clarke, Chris (Not Just Sauce) Bennion, Adam from Zebedy Rays and of course the AWWBLOT combo who promote these always-breezy monthly Little Hellfire Club nights at the Marrs Bar.

Perhaps there's hope for London as the Indelicates are by far the best visiting outfit I've seen for a long time - bar some pretty naff lyrics mixed in with the mostly cynical - but wrapped up with a 'Thunder Road/Jungleland' coating to ensure palatability. Probably also the best-looking outfit I've seen in many a moon - sorry about that George!

They used to hail from all over the two counties but now Gamble Gamble only cover Worcester, Malvern and Kiddy - that's still good going mind you! This was supposed to be a new mp3 launch gig but that's been held over for a few weeks - great technical stuff from the cosmopolitan outfit who throw in a few Pencil Toes techno-touches to the mostly Doors-ish stoner metal content. It's hard to pigeonhole outfits like Gamble Gamble but that won't stop me trying!