Pretty Girls Make Graves
Melkweg, Amsterdam
23/08/03
People of all shapes and sizes came out to play for this ferocious bill at the Melkweg. Strange then that so many of them were walking around with a look in their eye suggesting that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or perhaps they simply remained permanently hypnotised by openers Orthrelm, who left everyone with a puzzled look on their face before leaving the building.
In an industry currently in love with minimalist two-piece blues rock acts, it’s certainly unusual to find a two-piece instrumental Prog Metal band. Still, that is what we were faced with, and the force of it was quite intimidating. If you are familiar with the guitar ramblings of Devin Townsend, simply remove the basic song structure, melodies and rhythms and what is left is the shredded city of Orthrelm. I will confess that the compositions they create are certainly challenging the boundaries of modern guitar music, but easy listening this was not. Still, I hate to write it off as bad. Perhaps “over my head” is more appropriate this time.
The Locust stood up next and were yet another lesson in extreme music. They stand apart from Orthrelm in that they use obvious blocks of noise as individual tracks, and that it’s occasionally possible to pick out riffs and beats to nod your head to without looking stupid. This was also my first taste of Moog Metal, as in amongst the static and fuzz was a little harmless Moog being held captive and clearly traumatized as it blasted out what sounded primarily like digitally distorted burps. As weird as that sounds, it added a new dimension to the audio and set The Locust apart from your average grindcore artist.
Let us not forget the anger and bile-spitting screams, though, and despite their hiding behind cloth masks, comparisons with Slipknot would be harsh considering they are no more than a comedy band with large flame throwers. No, The Locust is hatred and anger personified into 90-second bursts of noise. Even Atari Teenage Riot has mellowed lately and this lot may be the contender to challenge their crown of vitriol and win.
Pretty Girls Make Graves are the band on the verge of breaking into the mainstream, though, and this is made by possible by a very solid debut on Matador records, the vocals of Andrea Zollo and the musicianship of the entire band. The anger and attitude remains an integral part of their being, just like all the bands playing tonight, but melodically they are also the most accessible.
Starting off with ‘Something Bigger, Something Brighter’ their intent was laid bare. The edges were much rougher than the recorded version but all five members got their heads down and attempted to infect the audience with the same passion and energy they were displaying. Sadly, in this area the band failed. Not through lack of effort at all, but the audience throughout all acts resembled the Dead Sea more than people looking to have fun.
I personally was not let down though, as the band battled through a selection of numbers from The New Romance and their debut, Good Health. Their style of having guitars and bass almost duelling against each other, yet working in tight synergy with the drums, is reminiscent of Sleater-Kinney but mixed with some heavier elements of At The Drive-In. The boys on their own also like to get involved with the shouty stuff, but without Andrea on lead, the band could easily fall into the trap of just another bunch of emo punks. As it is, they all combine to create a mighty and complex sound with plenty of hooks.
The 40-minute set eventually ended with ‘Speakers Push the Air’, containing the anthem-like line “Do you remember what the music meant?” Every journalistic piece inevitably mentions this lyric and I hate to fall into the trap, but when it’s used so effectively to end the set, it cannot be helped. And truth be told, I do actually remember what the music meant, though I’m not sure whether the rest of the audience was left with any recognition. Perhaps all will be clearer once everyone is more familiar with The New Romance and the band return later in the year.
Steven McCarron
:: back to top ::