When I got into The Lexington, BROKEN DC were already well into their set and the song I heard the end of sounded like The Amusement Parks on Fire. The only song I subsequently heard in its entirety had more of that sort of sound crossed with Atlases: a good repeating riff that built for ages and went off in varied directions before finally the front guy started singing. Then, the only words in the song were "So Long" repeated as they said goodbye to another relationship. I wish I had caught more of this band's set.
Next on were the 6 piece band, THE MURDER BARN, who thankfully lived up to the image I had in my head from the band's name, only surely this gig needed to be at the other end of Islington much closer to Highbury Barn. Never mind, the opening song had a chorus where the main singer and backing vocalists sang about wanting to "Wall Up The Family" over a keyboard led tune that as with most of the set seemed to be influenced by Grace slick and Shocking Blue, but they might just be the reference points the singer's voice recalled.
Still, having Walled Up the family on the first number, on the second song they wanted to Poison the lover that's broken their hearts. Hmm, they are not to be trifled with and as for what is happening in The Harvest, it's hard to say but it was dark and delicious and a very affecting song. Chesca really knows how to build the vocals and then let rip at the right moment.
When Chesca is singing that her lover is like a Jackal (at least I think that's what she was suggesting) you know you don't want to be on the wrong side of her. Still, the penultimate song of the set Stone Cold Heart was a real showpiece both for her vocals and the band's ability to play bewitching, slightly frightening music that has a bit of the Siouxie Sioux meets Nick Cave about it.
The closing song was about a Cruel Life and it would indeed be cruel if The Murder Barn don't become an awful lot better known than they currently are.
Before I went to this gig, I had already sorted out tickets to see GALLOn DRUNK again in April when they open for Martin Rev at Baba Yaga's Hut: a night they normally play as Big Sexy Noise.
It was good to see James onstage, tuning up two guitars at once before they started as it hinted at the astonishing levels of noise and distortion he was about to get from his two fretboards and keyboards - often played together while singing if Terry Edwards wasn't playing the keyboards rather than his saxophone. Indeed, when James spits "you've had enough" at us, we may think we haven't but aren't about to argue with him; certainly not in as packed a club as the Lexington was on Friday Night.
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The full on distortion and mayhem whipping us all into a frenzy and there was nothing plaintive about the way they played The Road Gets Darker From Here: ramming it into our ears as Ian White pummelled the drums to make it sound as disturbing as possible. James seemed quite talkative in-between songs which was cool. They did a super nasty version of Down At The Harbour which was one of several songs from the Rotten Mile showcased. It had such a dark edge to it and the nastiest sax break of the night while James was telling us how they were going to fall off the edge of the world. Whoa.
Things could only get louder and nastier and if they could have Just One More before The Big Breakdown things might be okay but, well, the level of commitment in this band is as intense as it's ever been and You Should Be Ashamed was as venomous as I've heard it and it really hammered home. So much so that Ian White destroyed his Kick-pedal playing it! After they found a replacement pedal, the finished the set with what I think was All Hands Lost At Sea but I'm not sure but it had more slabs of distortion and nastiness and the band looked a bit drained by the end.
They soon came back for an encore and hammered the hell out of Some Cast Fire and left us wanting more but knowing that once again Gallon Drunk had delivered as intense a set as you could posibly wish for.
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