Second time I've seen the Secret Machines now. They played our stage at Glastonbury last year, upon which I noted 'they make music almost scientifically designed to appeal' . That much hasn't changed.They have a new album out, which moves them into a slightly more poppy, slightly less belligerent mode, without deviating too far from their fundamental style.

One thing that does irk. When a band is touring in support of a new album release, I try to purchase it ahead of the show, so I can be more familiar with the new material that usually will make up the bulk of the set. In this case, the album in question, 'Ten Silver Drops' was only availble to purchase at that time as an 'iTunes exclusive'. I don't like buying albums on iTunes, I think that it's too expensive, especially considering the restricted nature of the files. I'd rather buy and rip a CD. In this case, fanboy that I am, I bought the download, and I expect I'll buy the disc as well. pwn3d. But slightly annoyed.

Another slight downer is the Bierkeller itself. It's a horrible hole, with murky sound at best. The layout is peculiarly flat, with a very low stage, minimal space for a lighting rig, and large open seating and bar areas adjacent to the audience pit. For no reason I can ever fathom, these seem to collect milling crowds whose persistent smalltalk reverberates, often audible over the sound of the band.

I can't really understand why anyone with little or no interest in a band would shell out ten quid or more to go hang around in a toilet and attempt to shout conversation, perhaps drinking expensive, poor quality alcoholic beverages. I'm obviously well on my way to being part of the older generation. Almost as puzzling, there was an indie disco night scheduled for after the gig, although this does seem to be the prevalent modern trend. Presumably all these hangers around had either paid silly-money to turn up early for this affair, or had managed to blag their way in free en masse, for the same. Whatever the reason, it seems to be a constant at Bierkeller shows, and it's a real spoiler.

The band had a very early start, hitting the stage for around 7:45pm, with no support. I don't know if this was the normal plan, or was scheduled to facilitate the disco shindig afterwards, but I think it surprised a lot of punters, as the place seemed half-empty for the first three or four songs. The sound was as murky as ever, which the band seemed to decide to attack with volume, which was probably a wise decision given the ambient noise and sound reflection.

I was never closer than about half way to the front, but although there was no real detail to the sound, it was an impressive racket, and combined with plenty of pretty colours and stobe lights to good effect. I even managed to grab some rather impressionistic photos on my Tesco Value digicam.

   

The band really put in the effort, with a long set. I would sum it up was an enjoyable show in a poor venue, pretty much what I was expecting when I bought the tickets. Much as I dislike the Bierkeller, when a band I admire is coming over from the US to play a show in my home town, it's very much a case of beggars choosing gift horses. I think on balance this was one of the most enjoyable performances I've attended there. Certainly cheaper and less exhausting than making the run up to Shepherds Bush. 

posted by cms on 2006-04-04 17:18:56