MBAF, Hypertraffic and Kobe

Crud World Domination Enterprises give you

MBAF
HYPERTRAFFIC
KOBE

Bar Blu, Rhyl
27.07.04

(reviewed by neil crud)

What a difference a real PA makes! Think of the bands, really good bands who’ve played at Blu over the last 2 years who have bombed out because the sound was shite. It has improved over the last year but compare it to last night and its world’s apart. The great sound was provided by touring German band MBAF with Kate Cassidy who were generous enough to lend their ware and soundman to the supporting cast. And if the sound tonight isn’t an indication to the Blu management that a little investment is needed then I don’t know what is.
With Paul Scouse on a mission to drown the fact he’s reached a milestone in his life we witnessed Bangor’s Kobe open proceedings. The sharper ones amongst you will notice I also saw them last Sunday at Hendre Hall when they followed on from a band referred to as ‘the D word’. No chance of being heckled tonight as ‘the D word’ are barred from Blu! Not that John and Kobe deserve any heckling (maybe a quick ‘show us yer tits’ or ‘you’ve got an Anglesey haircut’).
Kobe opened with a cracking number that either went into another cracking number or it was a very long song that mutated as it went along, with dirty great big riffs that are thumped out of that guitar.
Like I said last week, they do lack on the vocal front and need someone up there with confidence and attitude to deliver these nothing short of excellent tunes. But they’re carrying on until a replacement is found, and quite right, cos you don’t close a chip shop just cos your head fryer has walked out, no, you carry on and find another one. The song that was, I think second to last was the high point with a guitar solo from one end of the scale to the other that had me picking my jaw back up off the floor. They played it at Hendre as well and is absolutely superb, check ‘em out next time.

HyperTraffic’s beanpole vocalist with a John Lydon face was surprised by the number of people he faced – Blu was packed out – again.
This semi-scouse band, with their songs demanded your attention and that’s what they got. It was great to see people singing City Lights which I’ve been plugging on my show. I kept saying they’re like Joy Division and I got a resounding no from The Secretary and Dean Obscene. He said Stone Roses, she said dress them in black and think of early Bauhaus. I think all three of us had a point.
And just when you think you’ve seen some of the best guitar work for ages in Blu another one pops up! What a great guitarist – he doesn’t have to look at the frets he knows every inch and every sound. Fantastic stuff.
Adam announced before the last song that this was to be their last gig. He wasn’t lying; it turns out the bassist’s work commitments make it difficult for him to carry on and the other 3 want to move in different directions. A great shame, but what a swan song, what a way to go with a set that was moving, uplifting and damn fucking good!

Kate Cassidy and MBAF went on with her amazing voice, this Scottish lass is backed by a German band, who looked well fucking odd but were amazing all the same. The music was more suited to a bluesy jazzy rock club (anyone know of one round here?), but they had a lot of support regardless.
Steve Sync said they were the most professional band to play at Blu after his! And they had a bongo player that looked like Jesus of Nazareth. A stereotypical German with a bald head and broad smile playing a £30,000 vintage Gibson guitar. Steve Rastin insisted that they put the guitar in the office & not leave it backstage,
’You don’t know Rhyl mate, that’d be in a second hand shop or on ebay by tomorrow.’
Sync continued his descriptions claiming the bassist looked like a weirdo Hawkwind member or maybe David Wrench’s dad with a nazi flat cap on! He also said the keyboard player didn’t do much but looked like an elf. Although Danny Crud’s definition was he looked like a science lecturer off early morning Open University.
Rastin told them to play for 35 minutes. After an hour and a half the masses had drifted away, leaving the faithful and the bladdered to enjoy the music until 1.40am.

(I've got some great pics but dunno how to transfer them onto PC!)

Back to Gig Index

link2wales.co.uk

Visitors to this page

are zah schieben !