Rebus + Elle Milano + Polar Remote + Libor Spacek @ The After Dark, Reading

Site updated:
02/02/2008

Rebus + Elle Milano + Polar Remote + Libor Spacek @ The After Dark, Reading - 9 March 2006

Mike: So, my normal reviewing partner AK didn't make it to the After Dark last night which means I have to write this review on my own. It came to me when drunk last night that I could still write the review in our 'conversational' format, but just write both sides myself. It was a good idea when I was drunk, and it's still a good idea now when I'm incredibly tired and hungover. Please don't tell me what I've done when I recover my senses.

Mike: Don't worry Mike, we'll keep this stupid idea to ourselves. The monthly Gimp/Blah Blah nights at the After Dark have been really good so far. It's a great venue and the line-ups have been really strong. Last night the line-up, with the acts booked in association with Rebus, was on paper the best yet. In the end, it was even better than I expected!

Mike: Yes. I have seen all four bands before, and last night I thought they all played better than when I'd seen them before!

Mike: First on the bill were Libor Spacek, 3 local boys who met/formed the band in Bath. Their A Series of Instructions EP, as heard on MySpace, reminded me of The Mars Volta, with the breaky drums, atmospheric effects and soaring vocals. Live, I got echoes of Muse.

Mike: I'd agree with that. Although Libor Spacek have been around gigging locally for about a year, and making enough of an impact to get booked for some high profile gigs like the Josaka birthday party I've only actually seen them once before so it was good to get another chance here. They have a very big sound for a 3 piece, I keep forgetting that there are only three of them. It seems like there ought to be more to make that much noise.

Mike: I had a discussion in the pub the other day about bass effects, in 3 piece bands and how they can help to fill out the sound. I have a kind of love hate relationship with effects. Theoretically I really like the pure unadulterated sound of instruments, but in practice, using loads of effects sounds great. Libor seem to have a good balance, they use some big effects, but normally only where it adds something to the sound not using the effects to hide a bit of the song that couldn't stand on its own without them.

Mike: Polar Remote were next and I was quite excited about seeing them. We booked them for the first Screwball Cabaret gig and they were absolutely excellent but that was last August and I haven't seen them since!

Mike: I tend to think of Polar Remote's music as beautiful soundscapes rather than songs and once again I kind of got lost in their set. It seemed like they'd only just started when they announced the last song which is always the sign that you've really enjoyed someone.

Mike: They do create great atmospheres but it's not just gentle moods, they also rock in an deep intense way and have strong melodies over the top. The greatest danger with this kind of music is that it can sound like a really self indulgent musicians jam, but they avoid that trap.

Mike: Elle Milano are creating a huge buzz at the moment. I've seen them twice before at Club Velocity, and thought they were good, but not quite as good as the quality of their demos suggested they would be. That was a few months ago and since then they seem to have improved massively. They are much tighter and coherent but they've gained without losing the edge which is so important to their sound. The singer made a joke about them nearly giving up after the Arctic Monkeys, and there is a similarity in their sound but as one of the Six Nation State boys said to me last night "Yeah, they sound like the Arctic Monkeys but much better!".

Mike: Musically they were punchy, punky and had great hooks but they also put on a fantastic show. I think the difference between a band making it and disappearing into nothingness is charisma and Elle Milano are hugely charismatic. They are brimming with cocky self confidence but not arrogant and they have a sense of humour. The crowd reaction demanded an encore and it saw the band put their instruments down, pick up the mics and get the crowd jumping to an incredibly fun drum and bass rap off. Great stuff.

Mike: It was up for the boys from Crowthorne, er.. that's Rebus, to follow the stunning Elle Milano. They came on stage to a remix of 'Sorry', their own song, and I can only imagine they had some clever intro where they played along with the remix until the real song kicked in but there was some technical problem and the remix crashed and died twice before could do whatever they had planned and they just started playing it normally.

Mike: You know that you are in for a good show when you watch Rebus and despite the technical cock-up at the start the crowd was dancing away from the beginning of the first song. Their set saw people hurled onto the stage, crowd surfing and what seemed like half the faces from the local music scene moshing away.

Mike: As time goes on Rebus are refining their brand of poppy danceable indy. Their disco beats, more popular now in the wake of Bloc Party, have, I think, a sense of more modern dance music to them, especially when combined with Chris's punchy basslines. The guitar and synth work is simple and effective but where Rebus have really improved in the last year or so is their use of vocal harmonies. Earlier Rebus songs would feature one or two of Alex, Chris and Steve singing sections of the song, and occasionally doubling parts but these days the vocal melodies are cleverer and catchier. 'Pop' has become a bit of an insult in 'indy' circles but to me it just means good catchy hooks and these days Rebus can really get a melody stuck in your head.

Mike: Apparently we have to wait until November to get another one of these nights at the after dark. If they are going to be anywhere near this good, I can't wait. I hope by the time they come round again I'll be in a band good enough to play one of the nights!