By: Andrew Zincke
 Tomahawk - Publicity photo by Dustin Rabin |
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I get to the venue early. Guapo are playing having only confirmed at the last minute and I'm really looking forward to seeing them on 'the big stage'. I've seen Guapo a bunch of times before but always in small venues. In a rush, I don't have time to talk to friends waiting for other friends outside and skip the sizable queue. No one bats an eyelid at that. As I get in I clock the shining gong on stage, a clear signal that Guapo are about to start. There's only a handful of people at the front when they arrive and start the big wind up but everyone seems pretty appreciative throughout. I know what we're in for. Guapo have been doing the same 1 song, 45 minute set going on for a year now. But it's great. Currently a drums/bass/keys 3 piece they sit somewhere between full on prog and the kind of metallic post hardcore that has found an audience with adventurous rock fans who came of age in the grunge era. It's instrumental, there are big rolling riffs from Matt, slightly spooky keyboard lines from Dan and some really brilliant drumming from Dave whoose skills are matched only by his scary/hilarious gurning. However, the sound mix is a bit tepid, a bit quiet and I figure that it will have to get louder for the main attractions. Turning around, the venue has started to fill up, I meet my friends and head for the bar.
A curious Norwegian called Kaada and his backing band is now setting up. The band has the same bass/drums/keys line up as Guapo but serve up a kind of mildly rocking avant pop. It's pretty ignorable, Kaada throws some glitter, but y'know I was here recently for The Flaming Lips and I'm not so easily impressed. Nothing musical grabs us and we stick to our equally forgettable and trivial conversations.
Tonight is an Ipecac night, so it's no surprise to find Melvins on the bill. Since kicking off his Ipecac imprint Mike Patton has given a whole raft of wayward and original artists a place to call home where they can pretty much do what they want. What better than having an artist for your boss? No one has benefitted more from this than Melvins. As far as I can work out just about half of Ipecac's releases have been for this lumbering, legendary beast-band. Melvins show no sign of progress or evolution, rather they continue digging deeper, refining the sludge with every release. The core of Buzz Osbourne and Dale Crover remain the engine room and Tomahawk bassist Kevin Rutmanis has been with them for over 5 years now (Melvins lose bassists like Spinal Tap lose drummers). The original grunge band take the stage and launch into the first of their dirge metal workouts. Buzz and Kevin are wearing the ugliest damn t-shirts I've ever seen. The original grunge band take the stage and launch into the first of their dirge metal workouts. Buzz and Kevin are wearing the ugliest damn t-shirts I've ever seen. Kevin has a big 'F' on his and Buzz a 'U'. Thus spelling 'FU', which is nice. Dale is wearing a rather fetching summer dress, in case you wondered, fashion fans. Melvins do as Melvins do. They have some great material and go down really well with the crowd. They drop the monstrous 'Hooch' and menacing 'Nightgoat' off the Houdini record, their ill-fated brush with a major label and whilst again underwhelemed by the now consistenly shite sound I'm glad that thanks to Ipecac, there will always be Melvins records for me to pick up from second hand record shops in the future.
Mike Patton's Tomahawk is up next. And let's face it, for 99% of the audience that is exactly how they think of this band. Patton is god to hardcore faithfull here. For the rest of us he's no less than one of the most original rock front men ever. Since leaving Faith No More Patton has tried his hand at everything from psuedo lounge, to hardcore noise, acapella opera to 30 second spasmo thrash. The results are never pretty and sometimes frankly crap but he has done some amazing stuff. Not trying to a contrary bastard but for me an equally big star is Duane Denison. The guitar player with the extraordinary Jesus Lizard, a six string rock genius with a love of Elvis' original guitar slinger Scotty Moore and a degree in music, Duane is one of my favourite musicians. He's still laying down his own brand of dirty boogie metal riffs and unexpected shrapnel-like runs, he's still doing the same hip-swirling dance and he still looks like Dracula. Tomahawk play a good selection from their two records, understandably leaning on the less rock and more eclectic (read: less Denison and more Patton) new disc 'Mit Gas'. And guess what, the sound in here still sucks. The room is just not designed for rock music. The ceiling is so high the bass collagulates in the alcoves and the guitar sails off to the back in an indistinct scree. This may be why the band are less animated than you'd expect. When Patton does start throwing himself about he limits his movements to swinging from his bank of keyboard and vocal effects towards John Stanier's kick drum behind him. The reason is simple, whilst billed as Patton's 'rock band' he insists on playing with the electronics that he's been so enamoured with in this middle part of his anti-career. On record Tomahawk deliver an original blend of twisted rock, voodoo blues and exotic atmospherics but unless they cut loose more live I fear this talented band will just become another Patton side project and not the alternative legends that seemed to beckon on their first record. Comparing the show I saw at that time (which really kicked off and included the memorable sight of Mike "pissing" on a security guard's head from the stage) with tonight's Forum performance compounds that impression.
Location Info:
The Forum
Artist Info: Guapo, Kaada, The Melvins, Tomahawk
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