Reviews Bido Lito! February 2015
as if he were one of the crowd, tonight those
assembled can count themselves lucky he’s the
one behind the decks.
Rob Syme / @rsx1989
THE CRAIG CHARLES
FUNK AND SOUL SHOW
Chibuku @ The Shipping Forecast
Perhaps better known by some as “that bloke
from Robot Wars” or, even more likely, “that
Scouser from Red Dwarf”, to the enlightened
Craig Charles is now, and has been for some
time, better known for his reinvention as “THE
bloke for funk and soul”. Thanks to his weekly
BBC 6Music slot and his quasi-legendary club
night, his name has turned into a byword for a
good night out. Indeed, amongst certain friends
of mine THE CRAIG CHARLES FUNK AND SOUL
SHOW has become something of an inescapable
tradition. Even for those who prefer their beats
mechanised and their vibes decidedly darker,
there's something undeniable about the joy
Charles manages to bring to dancefloors that
keeps bringing them back. Maybe it's his
well-documented (just have a quick YouTube)
enthusiasm behind the decks, maybe it's his
encyclopaedic knowledge of the genre or
maybe it's just his knack for pulling out just the
right song at the right moment. Whatever the
case is, it's not often an opportunity gets passed
up to see him perform.
Despite Charles being a frequent fixture on
the club circuit in Liverpool and Manchester, the
popularity of his night is unwavering and they
usually sell out well in advance – many is the
time I've been left ruing my slow trigger finger.
Fortunately tonight, armed with my reviewer’s
credentials, I've managed to wangle a spot
aboard the funk and soul express.
The Shipping Forecast is packed to the rafters
by the time we arrive but, thanks to the space
offered by both floors, never feels overcrowded.
Allowing the occasional breather when things
get a bit too hot on the dancefloor is much
appreciated, unlike many of the sold-out nights
in the underground stage. This being Boxing
Day, the atmosphere is decidedly festive from
the get-go but that certainly doesn't stop Charles
trying to turn it up a notch or two. Armed with
his collection of well-known favourites, rare
edits and remixes, the dancefloor is in the thrall
of his bass-heavy set. Mixing things up between
the more familiar – Marvin Gaye, Jackson 5 –
while throwing in a few more obscure choices
means there's enough to keep everyone happy,
from the ardent fan to the casual listener. It
may not be DJ Harvey, dropping obscure psychdisco from Japan, but Charles has a way of
wringing something new out of even the most
overplayed classics, making them sound fresh
and enjoyable to even the most cynical of ears,
keeping people coming back year on year. If he
keeps up his enthusiasm, I certainly know I'll be
back for more.
Dave Tate
JEAN JEAN
Chasing Traits - We Could be
Astronauts - Singapore Strategy
Monster Sound Collective @ Maguire’s Pizza Bar
Mathcore
fans
rejoice!
Toxteth-born
promoters Monster Sound Collective aim to
promote alternative, experimental and hungry
new sounds in Liverpool, and their regular
night Chaos goes a long way to achieving this.
The group are fast earning recognition from a
new legion of fans of anything from metal to
mathcore, prog to post-hardcore. There could be
no better place for this gig than the basementparty-esque confines of the backroom in
Maguire’s Pizza Bar. With a line-up that boasts
artists from across Europe, what new noises are
we about to be treated to?
First up are SINGAPORE STRATEGY, fresh from
a twelve month hiatus. These guys can be
regarded as one of the very finest of their genre
in Liverpool, and many in the crowd are here
to see what changes have come about since
23
their break. It has to firstly be said that they are
much, much tighter than a band should be after
such a long absence from the live scene. They
manage to expertly switch between blasting
Maybeshewill and Colour post-rock riffs with
the belting math-core beats we’d expect on the
night, and delicate, glittering moments of echoarpeggio guitar bliss. Emilio Pinchi’s admirable
ability to play bass with one hand and keyboard
with the other gives their sound a depth that
couldn’t necessarily be expected from a threepiece. Drummer Nathan Price deserves special
praise as one of the best live drummers we’ve
seen in a good while- and he clearly enjoys
every moment of the set as he drips with sweat
by the end.
Next on are the Leicester, Leeds and Liverpoolbased quartet WE COULD BE ASTRONAUTS.
Immediate comparisons to Blackened Sky
and Vertigo Of Bliss-era Biffy Clyro are obvious,
with tightly-tearing guitar and shrieking vocals
combining to give the unique and solid style
they describe themselves as having. Slightly
more embryonic and a little less fully-formed
than the previous act, these guys nonetheless
deliver a powerful and enjoyable dose of
alternative post-prog that keeps the crowd lively
and the heads banging.
Final support comes from CHASING TRAITS,
who take to the stage to much anticipation.
Arguably a more recognisable name than