Silo Halo - This local three piece features a guitar, bass, and guitar/keyboardist. All three add lead and harmony vocals with one female voice in the mix. The first song compares shockingly favorably to Fit & Limo which I don't say too often. The quality vocal work and the easy mannered warm psychedelic feeling is the key. As the set progresses they vary the form a bit more with early Banshees guitar and varying degrees of heaviness. The keyboards were good but drum machines are not my favorite forms of percussion and they were a distraction on the lesser songs. The better songs were heavy on atmosphere and/or drive. This was an effective set.
Ceremony - Diamond blades cutting through sheet metal with a rhythm section is how this set begins. Actually it is merely a couple of guitars blazing an urban trail on the downstairs stage of the Black Cat. The dreamy shoegaze vocals are a bit too British, which normally I don't mind but seems a bit too obvious here. I was expecting them to 'stop the world and melt with you' in one song, but they sang in a different direction beyond the melody, thankfully. There is also some really annoying feedback during the quiet moments, few that they were. But with the negatives out of the way, the positives easily won out tonight. Electrifying song structure and amazing sound brought smiles throughout the club and to my face as well. There is a load of talent here and a growing cult following it appears, so it will be interesting to see how they do over a few years.
Screen Vinyl Image - This wonderful local duo stayed with the tried and true approach using a light smoke machine, full projections and the keyboard banks, two guitars and one vocal. They also have a thick, powerful sound that merges melody and psychedelic overtones quite majestically throughout the set. The vocal work is moody and assured and they use percussion very well by adding sequencers and less obvious drum machine programs. The sizable crowd tonight is into it and this band seems to have firmly established its place as a pivotal area band. At least they have with me, as I enjoy them more every time I see them. Often a 40 minute set from the third band is enough, but I would have welcomed more. They are a hard band to pass on, even when my schedule gets busy.
Quote of the Day: Quiet day for me, so I again I go back to my favorite soccer/media column from Football365 for this quote from a Chinese football club owner...
Persistence: Always Works
Curious logic from Shanghai Shenhua owner Zhu Jun when discussing his club's moves for Didier Drogba.
He said: "It's like flirting with a girl. Perhaps she will resist you at first, but if you continue to ask her out, it always ends well. Never give up."
Really? In Mediawatch's experience if you 'continue to ask her out' it never, ever ends well. In fact, it ends in a slap in the face, a request along the lines of 'Text me that picture again and I'll call the police', a restraining order or a visit from a burly relative with threats to remove limbs in a less-than-friendly fashion.
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