CMW Day 1 Inward Eye, Songs From a Room @ The Tattoo Rock Parlour
I have to admit that I had never been to the Tattoo until last night. I was impressed. It’s a nice open room with lots of space for the sound to go and unlike similar rectangular venues where the stage is facing a wall, there was very little bounce back. The sound guys did a really good job working with acoustics that must have been tricky. Kudos to them.It was also good to run into some friends I hadn’t seen in a while and to also bump into the guys from October Sky. They are in town checking out The CMW’s. They are currently in the process of booking a tour due to start later this year. I would advise everyone to keep an eye out for them and if they come to your town definitely go and check them out. You are guaranteed to have a great time. They are also in the planning stages of another album so that is something else to look forward to from these talented guys.
The Tattoo hosted the CMW launch party with bands Bury the Bully, Isle of Thieves, Songs From a Room, and Inward Eye providing the music. I missed the first band but caught the rest, and of the three I thought Songs From a Room were the best. They played a rocking set of good hard rock with a sometimes classic, sometimes country feel to them. To me the sounded a bit like The Trews at times and a bit like The Band but not consistently like either. The vocals on one song would remind me of Colin MacDonald or the bass on another, Rick Danko. “Believing” was a catchy punkish tune that had me tapping my toes and the audience head banging. All in all they were a good, tight band that played a strong set of rock songs that kept the crowd moving. You can visit Songs From a Room on their MySpace page.
Believing by Songs From A Room
The first band I saw, Isle of Thieves, didn’t fair as well, in my opinion. The singers voice reminded me of Liam Gallagher, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the songs didn’t quite measure up to Oasis standards. In fact, for me, the songs didn’t measure up to anything, they were just another pop/punk Fall Out Boy-ish band adding nothing new to the musical landscape. Not to say they weren’t a good band, just not my cuppa. They played their songs enthusiastically enough but the smallish crowd didn’t seem all that engaged by them. After about four, however, all the songs started to sound the same and I found that I just stopped paying attention. They were competent enough musicians but I think they need a bit more experience and a few more years to really come into their own. You can hear Isle of Thieves on their MySpace page.
This brings me to the last band of the night, Inward Eye. I had been hearing a bit of buzz about them and they have a song on light rotation on the radio so I was looking forward to seeing them live. I must say that these guys have a lot of charisma on stage and give 100%. They left nothing on the stage, ending their set dripping with sweat. The energy they expended could have powered a small town. For only having three guys in the band they had a much bigger sound than the previous two five-piece groups. They really filled the room and the crowd of about 250 were very appreciative.
Inward Eye are a very tight, crisp band with solid songs and great musicianship. However, after a few songs I had this creepy feeling that I had heard all these songs before only done better. And then it dawned on me, all the songs sounded like someone else’s from the Devo-like “Second Class Citizen” to the Green Day-like “Shame”. They also had a song similar to U2’s “Stay (So Faraway, So Close)”, a song with the drum beat ripped right out of Dave Clark Five’s “Bits and Pieces”, the obligatory Ska song, a song that started out remarkably similar to Bo-Diddley’s “Hey Bo-Diddley!”, and a revisit on Green Day. That being said, the crowd ate it up and I guess that is what is important in the end.
The three guys ended the night with a cover of Smokey Robinson’s “Tears of a Clown”. They really did rip it up, complete with a murderous guitar solo that took no prisoners. Normally that would be a good thing but it didn’t really fit into the song. Of course I’m a purist when it comes to classic songs and have a lot of trouble with covers that deviate too much from the original so that is my cross to bear.
Inward Eye have a new EP coming out, apparently, they kept repeating that the next song would be on the EP which kind of had me thinking just how many songs they were planning on putting on it. All in all, I wasn’t sold on them and would probably not see them again. That being said I would recommend them to anyone who wants an energetic show that will get you moving. Check them out on their MySpace page.
Tonight I’m off to see The Framework at Wrongbar and after that off to the Horseshoe to catch We Are Wolves and Malajube. I may also try to catch Andy Stedman at the Cadillac Lounge. I’ve seen the Framework before and really enjoyed them so I hope they don’t disappoint me. Andy Stedman writes wry, often witty, folkish tunes. He is very entertaining and I would highly recommend catching him if you like folk/rock with a bit of a twist.
Typo in “The first band I saw, Isle of Thieves, didn’t fair as well, in my opinion” — the word is “fare”…
That said, useful reviews. Thanks.