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Snow
Patrol launched into their easy hit for a continually
full Red Marquee, lead man Gary Lightbody 'uuh uuh oh'ing
a breezy summer pop chorus. It's easy enough, nice for
riding to the beach with a few friends and spacing on
the sea. And representing a half of what they do.
For next is "How To Be Dead", the other side,
rock for those who enjoyed the party but suffered it's
strange consequences: "Baby let me explain something
it's all down to the drugs... if the ecstacy's in, the
wit is definitely out." Mark McClelland's Bagpipe
guitars chime out the band's Scots origins over electro
interference, tossing out a more complex backdrop.
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And
then reverting to form, Snow Patrol is back in alternative
southern-American band mode with slow tempo songs that
encourage not much more than a slow sway and bob. A
stand on the drums that brings drowning applause heralds
nothing more than mincing keyboards that segue into
slinky lyrics of personal inertia, and maybe even armageddon.
McClelland's crinkly chords undercut the hopefulness
of "maybe I could do it if I put my back into it,"
as really there's no going anywhere.
Lightbody says "It's fucking wonderful to be here,
I don't know how to say that in Japanese, but fucking
wonderful" and the crowd responds, prepped and
ready for a hand waver, one of those slow songs which
gels through progressive repetition into a lamenting
McClelland solo, only resolving itself into the desire
to be 'right beside you, dear'.
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We
are forewarned of the end though with air sirens that
again mix in an electro element that saves. Over Joy Division
guitars an out-of-sync, prerecorded 'uh oh ah ah on' gradually
speeds up into a house-beat climax. A sqwacking voice
box turns "You won't be around forever girl, you
got to grab life by the hands" into a gleefuly house
chant to finish off the set.
If The Killers are the Red Marquee's amiguous Indies then
Snow Patrol are it's goofier side, showing their best
when they mix their natural sound with an injection of
last night's party. Once the sirens sound and the buzz
drones then the whole thing comes together, rock for the
post clubbers.
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Reported
2004.07.30 / 18:13
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