The Michael Hex Memorial Concert: Substandrd, Minisnap, Drawing Room, The dialtones, Eskimo, The Undercurrents, Into the Void, Dragstrip, The Media Club, Christchurch
Its hard to make comment on a gig like this, where its more about sentiment than showing of musical prowess. That said, pretty much everyone was brilliant that night, yes including Dragstrip- the soloist I didn’t think highly of when he supported Sleepers Union, perhaps it was the atmosphere, perhaps its a change in my attitude towards certain musical expression, but his set brought a smile to my face, and a little giggle here and there. He in fact, was one of the highlights of the show.
The Drawing Room project which David Kahn is the man behind was pretty great, perhaps a little loud for a starter, but then again i guess you’ve got to attract the attention of 300 people crowded round the bar somehow!
Substandard showed a new side to themselves with a cover of Sonic Youth’s The Diamond Sea. Adding a vocalist and extra guitar gave Substandand something different, and it worked-i want to say “new lease of life” but they’re pretty fucking awesome anyway.
The dial-tones made a return performance, with a lot of energy and love in Fleur de lis’s vocals. It would be nice to see the Dial-tones play again sometime, not being limited to the 20 or so minutes each band had. Minisnap had arrived and took the stage. Not quite on their best form but still with their hearts in the right place.