For my sins, I found myself back at Zula on Friday to catch Red Tape Riot and McCree, both for the second time, and Bed on Bricks for the first.
I had contemplated staying at home; it had been a hard week (not in the usual over-worked sense, but genuinely horrific and emotionally draining) and I was exhausted, but figured carrying on with life was probably a better idea than wallowing.
So, because I had a lot on my mind, I confess to auto-piloting my way through most of the night and only really being aware of extremes – like my continued dislike for Zula as a venue, and the fact that even though, overall, the sound and lighting were better than I’d previously experienced, the smoke machine seemed hell-bent on proving its abilities by pumping out formidable fog banks at least twice a minute.
Last time I saw Red Tape Riot I stayed for 3 tracks (not because they were bad, but because I wanted to see the band downstairs). After a full set, they were neither awesome nor terrible, and fell into that grey area my distracted mind was unable to identify and process. I did get the sense that they were better, but only their encore of Kaiser Chiefs’ Everyday I love you less and less and the catchy Decay stand out in my memory, and probably because I know and like both songs.
McCree weren’t really my cup of tea last time I saw them and the same went for this time round. I struggled to pay attention and often lost track of where one song ended and another began. One or two tracks are cool, but more than that in one sitting and they’re just a bit too plodding and samey for my liking…
My knowledge of Bed on Bricks songs was limited – I knew 3 and only really liked one, (Funny) but they have a good reputation and though it wasn’t packed, there was a significant enough number of diehards in the crowd to make me excited and curious. I dunno what I was expecting but they exceeded it. Loads of energy, really cool tracks and a pretty unique funk rock kinda sound, they were great and I really enjoyed watching them.
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Bed on Bricks’ website & Facebook page
