The plan had been to take a proper night off and stay at home reading a book or watching television. Something was nagging me, though. The write-up for Thank You was persuasive. Ordinarily, I might have shrugged at 'A very rare opportunity to see one of the best bands out of the hip as fuck Baltimore noise scene. Awesome no-wavey, post-punk from a trio that really deserve more attention,' but I trust the promoter behind Please Please You. He knows his stuff, and his knowledge of the Baltimore noise scene infinitely outstrips mine. Plus, Honeytone Cody were on the bill. So I decided to go, but take a night off in terms of reviewing and just go for fun instead. Ah well. The thing about plans is that they can change.
'Yeah. So, anyone else like acid house? Yeah? This is a song about having really excellent holidays on a boat.' This is the kind of chat we get from CHALICES OF THE PAST. One guy with a Mac laptop and a keyboard, sporting a beard and dubious jumper (later removed to reveal a smiley face T-shirt). His performance was both confused and confusing, a weird hybrid that cobbled together chilled r 'n' b beats with phat grimy bass tones, overlaid with sounds like arcade games. He then proceeded to bounce around singing slightly off-key through an autotuner and infinite layers of delay to songs with titles like '2 Rude' and '$$INTERNET$$'. The man might be a genius, and his music the apogee of postmodern humour. Or he may be utterly deluded, a studenty type who's smoked too much weed and with his head so far up his arse that he thinks that this is genuinely cool. I'm not sure I'd like to guess which is the case.
HONEYTONE CODY never disappoint, and in my experience simply get better with every show. The songs that have been established in the set for a while, like 'White Queen' and 'Hey, Hey, Hammer On' have evolved, honed into tight explosive percussion-propelled parcels, while the newer material, including 'Radioactive Tease' and set-closer 'Which Hunt' are simply awe-inspiring. The synchronised drumming displays Martell and Elliot drive the set along with is something to behold and leaves a lasting impression, while Elle's presence is understated yet compelling as she knocks out some mean and seriously robust basslines. If ever a band deserved a huge cult following, it's Honeytone Cody.
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The preview write-up for THANK YOU was pretty accurate as it turns out. They're cool in a nerdy / hipster way: slightly awkward, somehow ill-fitting, and their demeanour and image reflects the music to a T. Quirky and energetic, their sound is built around see-sawing keyboards and guitars that shift from jangly to jagged, first to fifth gear in the click of a high-hat. They're not big on singing, but the instrumental passages are worked to give them maximum room for manoeuvre, and they twist and turn all over the place. Again – and here's where the choice of support makes absolute sense – it's the drumming that's their secret weapon: Emmanuel Nicolaidis is exceptional and hits hard and rather than simply rattling around in the background, his dextrous work with the sticks dominates the sound and pins the fluid, loose guitar style to a solid rhythmic spine.
The between song banter is lighthearted and builds a warm rapport with the audience – and for a Sunday night it's not a bad turnout, either – and it works, resulting in a performance that is, above all, fun. In short, just what you want from a night off.
Thank You on MySpace
Honeytone Cody Online
Chalices of the Past Online
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