Bizzare and Dirty
Wandering around the rather disgusting and shambolic catering area of the Leeds Festival, I'm beginning to feel a little bit down. The recent toilet experience does not sit well with me either (It didn't sit well with the previous occupant either). However, I am instantly buoyed by the sounds from the BBC Introducing Stage. The rather amusingly named "That Fucking Tank" have taken to the stage and their sound can only be described as Dirty Indie Instrumental.
Yup, this band has only two members; a drummer and and bassist. Their sound is like nothing I've ever heard before. The songs are standard rock fair. They are slow and heavy but at first glance they sound awful, disjointed, out of key. But on closer inspection, these elements are being used, rather skillfully to create a sound that feels unique. The feedback off the bass, for example, was used carefully to create a note that formed part of the song. Sure, this happens somewhat in other bands but not as subtlety and as smoothly as this.
Don't think that this is all electronica. Sure, the bassist has more effects and gizmos than Q in Maplin but the overall sound is quite hard, pleasant and interesting. It's catchy and when "Dancing in the Dark" comes on, it's just fun. The drummer was perhaps the weaker of the two. At times I wasn't sure if he knew when his entry should have been. Occasionally, he seemed to loose the tightness and just stop playing altogether but nonetheless, a solid set. I think, when the band gets a bit more stage presence and tightens up the screws, there's a new instrumental band with an original sound in the making.