On the back of a couple of well received singles and a pretty intensive tour of the UK, London-based rockers THE CONWAY STORY certainly seem to be putting themselves about a bit, making all the right noises with their Smashing Pumpkins inspired sounds. Tonight though, we’re treated to what seems like ‘Conway Story: the abridged version’ – they take the stage, deposit a healthy wallop of guitar noise, and then they’re gone. Job done, as the taxi drivers out on Highbury Corner might say. Bish bash bosh.
Still, this short set does manage to confirm whatever benevolent gossip you might have heard about the band. From the lofty, Zeppelin-maned frontman Nik Owens back to Chilean-born drummer Lenin Alegria, they certainly look the part and they’ve got the tunes to match. The sexy opening peal of previous single ‘Lunatic Perfume’ is a head turner for a start; it’s a randy little number, powered by Owens’ driving rhythm, an all-inclusive chorus and some heroic work as high up the neck as guitarist Jimmy Kerr’s sliding fingers will allow.
‘Even When The Wind Blows’ follows in the same vein, but it’s Alegria’s drumming and a chiming keyboard line that really come into their own on this song. It takes you back to Radiohead’s user-friendly days; it’s their own Paranoid Android, a comparison that seems all the more applicable due to Owens’ anxious yell that ‘the monsters are coming.’ The song has a nicely protracted ending too; an eccentric, pounding piano complements Kerr’s fuzz and the unruffled thudding of bass player Russ Dyer.
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Next single ‘Ghostwriter’ has some satisfying tempo changes but seems to lack some of the urgency of its predecessors. The audience accepts it warmly enough though, perhaps it’s a grower. Anyway, it doesn’t really matter because set closer ‘Pencil On Paper’ is potentially the highlight of the evening; again, Radiohead spring to mind as the Conways bow out on a lingering riff-mix of a high.
But then it’s over, and that really is all folks; before the enthusiastic applause has even died, the next band are on the stage sorting out their gear. Nevertheless, we’ve seen enough; the gig has served its purpose, with the band’s name, faces and songs now sealed in the minds of a few more approving punters. It may only have been a foreword, but it was an introduction just long enough for you to draw the conclusion that The Conway Story has every chance of a happy ending.
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