BlackBud - Moles 12/11/05
Bath belongs to Blackbud and Moles is their turf. Tonight they're set to dominate this small yet seminal club. A plethora of people flood George Street, all greatly excited at the homecoming of their three local heroes. Passers-by make comment on the unusual enormity of the queue and the die-hard fans swarm the bandmates as they head outside. Their set commences at eleven, but by nine the queue is huge...
The first band on however is another bunch that are revered in Moles, Fortune Drive. Their music is quirky and catchy, a chirpy expanse of sonic sound-blasts and inventive rock-out schisms, lovely licks pulled from the guitar with ease and a vocal sound simply gorgeous, worthy of nothing less than a 10/13.
Then the stars of the show come on, surrounded by a camera crew, an ecstatic crowd, hysterical girls falling in love with them and getting up on stage they appear all very rock 'n' roll. The first song is the brilliant new single, Zane Lowe's fave 'Heartbeat'. It's great live, a much more present energy than the EP version and with the crowd's backing the words are lifted up and out of the confines of the sparseness of one lonely voice and into the full euphony of a heartfelt improvised choir.
People pushing forward, trying to get past to the front from every which way, no one any longer at the bar, full to the brim with fans there solely for them. And why? you ask... well, because they're an awesome live band. Joe Taylor is an astronomical guitarist, he really plays it live! On the records it's a far more restrained affair, but get this man in front of a room full of adoring people and he whips out the most superb little flicks and flutters to have hit you in a while. A Hendrix tremolo here, a Page pull-off there, a Matt Bellamy bend appearing from nowhere and a Morello bombing thrown in for good measure.
They play 'Steal Away' and as ever the brilliant pop flows out of it with ease, an eminently cool song full of feeling and splendid charm. Blackbud hit every gear in this short performance, from full on rock to a quiet, lilting emotional bit, from psychedelic swinging to soft serenading, it's all there. A spectacle certainly worthy of an hour or two of your time should get the chance to see them...
They leave and are demanded back onstage for an encore, which they command with mastery, giving the audience just enough to be satisfied but still biting their nails in the vain anticipation that they'll come back and reward them with yet more orgiastic aural pleasure.
'Forever' is certainly the highlight of the evening; it's mesmerisingly glorious proportions filling the crowd with elation and an excited shiver running down their spines. A fine performance by these three good-looking young local heroes and in the right place at the right time. A group to look out for, the one to watch, they play it live!