The Great Escape - Day 1 - 13 May 2010

I’m finally at home; my musical odyssey began 5 days ago with a trip to Brighton for the Great Escape; I only stuck around for the Thursday as ATPavement beckoned (which I endeavour to post about later). I think I only saw three bands at TGE, one of which I can’t recall the name of and Wild Palms I just remember moonwalking to after a million free shots of Relentless. Embarrassingly enough there is video footage of this floating about. In fact, the only band that really sticks in my mind is Dead Wolf Club…and fortunately, this is a good thing:

Dead Wolf Club’s tunes are laden with epic explosions of noisy, axe grinding brilliance. In their thirty minute set they performed an array of dark, brooding pop songs that burned with snarling riffs and groaned with lyrical eloquence.

In News at Ten vocalist John spat out heartbreak and despair, whilst desolate reverberations and disconsolate drones amalgamated with blustering drums to produce a pocket of radiant, defiant, serenity. In a similar vein Radar created blow up waves and dirty, rushing, gnarling squalls; brash, urgent and intense and an instant crowd pleaser.



Pensive with anguish, Creatures was yet another sinister offering; presenting moody and atmospheric romanticism, with stark, fragile harmonies and infectious soaring sadness.

The band finished with the subversive, face jarring Alison. Throughout the prolific whirlwind of a song, the intensity was almost tangible; it was only defused by a spectacular guitar smash that literally tore the plaster from the walls (seriously it did).

Bone shaking turbulence juxtaposed with intricate, fluid melodies typify the kind of stuff DWC do best. This band have managed to create a stylistically mature soundscape that very few have the ability to pull off. They are definitely on the up and up so catch them while you can.



http://www.myspace.com/deadwolfclub

(Sorry for the terrible pics – my good camera is broken...)