Dead Fly Buchowski / Kain / Multiplies / The Grease Monkeys
Barfly, Glasgow
23/07/04
Due to both future musical hopes and past experiences I had entered the Barfly in a positive state of mind for this interesting line-up. It was no wonder, with four very reputable Glasgow bands grouped together, and headliner Dead Fly Buchowski - the newest members of the Beggars Banquet roster - are already well-known locally for their great shows and wall-to-wall rock screeching.
But starting things off were The Grease Monkeys, a new experience for me at least, and I am afraid to say they failed to make much of an impression. Admittedly I was fairly hopeful after their first couple of songs, which had come across as a sort of West-coast American stoner punk-rock. The main problem with their style, however, was that they then subjected the audience to what felt like a 30-minute rehash of those first two songs.
Next up were Multiplies, a band I and many others have already heard great things from, and tonight they made my night. Armed with mainly instrumental songs, the audience was barraged by an assault of electro, post-punk, rock, and even pop, and then kept on their toes by the continual instrument changes happening between the members in the middle of songs. Eventually, they closed their glorious set with ‘Everything Is Everyone’s Fault’, typifying Multiplies’ performance, and as a final fitting closure, the bassist and guitarist joined the drummer for a three-member assault on the drum kit, rounding off what was frankly the performance of the night.
Yet rockers Kain still had to follow. In the wake of some recent good press in the UK after releasing a single on Fiction Records, hopes remained high for this group who are often being touted as dirty rock ‘n’ roll, or even “the next Libertines.” However, I was left disappointed by the reality of their showing. Perhaps my hopes had been raised too much from recent reviews and the experiences of others who have seen them previously, so I was shocked to witness less dirty rock ‘n’ roll and more country rock in its place. Kain do put on a decent show, though, but plenty of nods to blues rock could not disguise the overpowering signs of the country rock that were appearing.
Finally, last but not least were Dead Fly Buchowski, who I was quite curious about having just announced their new deal with Beggars Banquet in London. It gave them yet something else to live up to but they didn’t disappoint anyone. Their show was one of good and steady classic rock ‘n’ roll, aided by the howling vocals. In fact, this performance was much improved from the last time I caught them live, as they have also added a selection of calmer songs to their setlist too, which brings extra depth to their music, and I’m sure it will help make their upcoming album one to look out for nationwide.
Ian Robinson
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