Drawn to witness iLiKETRAiNS by a jolly tirade of abuse masquerading as a review in another place, and encouraged by an invitation from said band to attend their next public performance, I found myself on a fine night at the end of April bundling into The Vine: Leeds' sparkiest new music venue.
Pushing down the long thin bar to the stage at the end of the room it felt appropriately akin to that shove and squeeze ritual getting to the right end of Coach C for my reserved APEX seat on the GNER Leeds to Kings Cross Express. 'scuse me … sorry … err … "
I find the band already tapping the wheels and generally tinkering about with flags and so forth. As you'd expect, iLiKETRAiNS have proper British Rail jackets with shoulder flashes and silver buttons. Ashley Dean, the cornet player and projectionist also has a signalman's cap over his long curly hair. His projector lurches about like a DMU from the 1960s, emitting almost lifelike moving images of railway trains and psychedelic eyes, as if to say "Train Spotting is Freaky!" Which, let's face it, is true enough. I think this is where British Sea Power got it so badly wrong. Advised by proper costumiers they would surely have gone for admiral's jackets, with stripes, rather than the twigs and leaves (which, most of us realise, are not usually found on board ships).
So, it sounds as though we're in for some extended metaphor abuse, if nothing else. Off we jolly well go then.
David Martin acts the leading role, carrying the songs in a hairy-looking summer job kind of railway employee demeanour. His voice is warm, friendly and tuneful, so obviously he wouldn't be allowed to use the Station Tannoy. No matter, his true vocation is in the singing and guitar playing business, and it suits him well. He holds his head up and doesn’t mumble, pout or apologise. This is good.
Alistair Bowis does bass and Guy Bannister pings and surges away at the keyboards. Simon Fogal hits drums. They all do these things as if they have rehearsed together and with every sign of listening to each other's music as the journey progresses. I've already mentioned the broodingly versatile presence of Ashley Dean. For tonight's gig, there's also an unnamed passenger on board improvising some well toned and surprisingly audible flute. It all cooks very agreeably.
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The set of seven songs chugs at first, picks up momentum and builds to something pretty full-on loud and Sigur Ros-like, with bowed guitar and thundering on all other instruments by final tune" Happy song".
Starting with "The End" (what else?) all the songs have a delicacy that will work best in recorded format. But the sheer strength of "You're Not Human" in the middle of the set makes it dead clear that iLiKETRAiNS have the rare luxury of good songs on board. On this showing, "Oh the Humanity" and "She Read the Bible" are outstanding, having a hauntingly understated power that will allow them to grow as the band steam into their full incarnation. They’re adventurous with the instrumentation too, going into acoustic, full powered electric, or stripped back mode as and when the songs demand it. Guy Bannister and Alistair Bowis swap instruments as required, heightening the sense that the band are there to communicate some moods and a clear aesthetic with whatever it takes. The instruments are well played, but they're not the barriers to communication that novice bands so easily make them into.
By the time the set's finished I have that strong disappointment of a journey ended. I just want to clutch my ticket and go back round for another trip. With no CD to buy (yet) there's bound to be another gig along before too long.
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