I can say with absolute confidence that I've never seen a guy play guitar and sing with a cardboard Rubik's Cube for a head. The result was rather muffled vocals, but in combination with the off-kilter, detuned clanging, clattering racket that Undersex produce, it wasn't all that much of a problem. The two-piece certainly have an angular, abrasive edge to their sound, and it was a pity they only played two songs.
In a change from the advertised line-up, Ishtar had been replaced by The Falling Spikes. This initially came as rather a disappointment, as I'd been looking forward to experiencing their skull-crushing brand of post-rock prog-metal again after they impressed me in the summer. Still, The Falling Spikes proved to be a more than worthy replacement. My first impression of their sound was of psychedelic rock with a baggy sort of edge to it. However, as the set progressed, they built their sound into a shimmering wall of noise, adding layer upon layer to a singe repetitive riff. The ten-minute closer, 'Shiva (The Creator') is a truly epic construction, and shares more with The Black Angels and Velvet Underground than anyone else. It is, in many ways, their own 'Sister Ray.' Yer average indie crap it ain't.
Headliners Honeytone Cody definitely favour the gothier end of the New Wave spectrum, but avoid any of the cornier cliches that are the obvious pitfalls in doing so. For a start, there are no dodgy theatricals, and there are hardly any vocals: instead, Elle grinds out spine-shivering basslines Peter Hook wishes he'd written, and is as cool as you like as she does it. If anything, the attitude that emanates from the stage is more NY punk or No Wave than anything else: aloof, and totally in control. The music does the talking, and it's the percussion that dominates.
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Martell James is a powerhouse percussionist: his inventive, dynamic rhythms are delivered with pulverising force and absolute precision. When Eliot switches from shearing shards of glacial guitar sounds (rarely have I witnessed such stunningly effective use of a ring modulator) to battering a second set of drums, the tribal beats combine to forge a pounding barrage of skin-beating that's nothing short of awesome.
They close with forthcoming single, 'Radioactive Tease.' There's nothing teasing about it: it's a full-throttle, balls-out punch-in-the-gut blast of adrenaline with a kicking beat and driving bass. No two ways about it: art-rock par excellence.
The Falling Spikes on Myspace
Honeytone Cody on Myspace
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