w/ The Moderns, Argentina, Dunes
This lovely, rainy Thursday evening brought the Cobra Kai Chrismukkah party to Oh Hello. The festivities were celebrated though a diverse array of bands, as well as some liquid Christmas presents distributed by the venue.
First up for the night were Dunes, and to tell you the truth, the most interesting thing about the set was when Gotye's film clip for “Heart’s a Mess” was projected up on the side wall. It’s not that the band was bad, it was more that the sound was so mucky that you could distinguish nothing from a mash of sound. This made them sound so generic that it was a little bit painful.
I don’t know what was going on with the sound tonight, or who the sound guy was, but Argentina's set was the complete opposite to Dunes’. Everything was clearer and more defined, and it made all the difference. It probably also helped that the band had some really great tunes that were each unique in their own way, with no trace of generic material. It was interesting to hear the front man, Alex Ritchie, comment on how surprised he was to be playing for so many people. I can’t imagine why he said this! I do believe this new band are really something to watch out for!
With The Moderns, it was back to that mucky sound we had been privileged to in Dunes’ set. The Moderns are an interesting band. After hearing them a couple of times live now, I still can’t work out what niche their music fits into. There was lots of rock, a tiny bit of indie-pop (they probably won’t like me for saying that), some funk, and also some twelve bar blues. But there was nothing that really said to me 'this is what the band is all about'. Their cover of “Burning Down the House” is always a winner, yet is easily their best song. And it’s a cover. That’s not really the way it’s meant to be. With their final song, I thought I had finally discovered something of solidarity for the band. They played an awesome song utilising a twelve bar blues kind of form, but then mid song, they changed it up to a generic rock number! Why!? The song was so good, and then I lost all interest...
Hey Geronimo are nothing short of a brilliant new band. However, this venue, I believe, is not the place for them. The sound is bollocks! So, so bad. Having seen them only a couple of weeks ago at The Zoo, there was no comparison! Their songs were all amazing, but their harmonies were a little off tonight, due to the fact that after each of the first couple of songs they would say time after time, “more vocals on stage”. The sound was also a bit of a mush, however not as bad as some of the previous bands. This band are incredible, and given a decent venue, they will bring the house down!
All in all, a pretty decent gig. Despite the terrible sound, there was some amazing talent playing, and I am always pleased when there is something that leaves me wanting. This band tonight was Argentina. They are awesome. Look them up.
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