JUROJIN, PRETTY NOOSE, CITY OF ASHES AND SURVIVING SILENCE
LONDON PURPLE TURTLE 31/05/10
I like the Purple Turtle. There’s no fuss. I’ve always found the atmosphere to be friendly, the price of beer is acceptable for these parts, it’s easy for me to get to and they advertise when everyone’s going to play. Tonight Glasswerk Promotions staged a show for Jurojin to launch their mini album “The Living Measure of Time” and while they were at it, gave three other bands the chance to present their music.
First up were Surviving Silence. What I heard at first was uninspired Hard Rock. The singer threw himself about a bit but whilst it undoubtedly rocked, I couldn’t really distinguish it from my mate Shaun’s band who always give us a good night down at the local pub in Biggleswade. When I thought it was heading to Hardcore, which I thought would have made it more interesting, we went back to the solid rock guitar formula, but at least with impressively crashing drums. The frontman’s delivery style didn’t help at all. Mumbling stuff just doesn’t advertise the band. In fact the drummer apart, there was a self-consciousness about the appropriately named Surviving Silence. If the lead man had apologized for them being there, I wouldn’t have been surprised. By the fourth song I was becoming overwhelmed with sameness. I think the next one “We Will Rise” was supposed to be anthemic like the Arch Enemy version of the same name certainly is, but it just didn’t have the desired effect. Surviving Silence are not going to be the next Arch Enemy, Oasis or anyone else without better fringe presentation and attention to detail. I’m pleased to say that the last song “When All is Said and Lost” from this likeable bunch proved the band’s potential to surpass simply good technique. In spite of getting a little lost in the lyrics department, there was great movement and more than a touch of Killswitch Metalcore, giving the guitarist the chance to showcase his skill. The drummer provided the punch as ever. My conclusion was that this band is much better when they’re heavier but they do need to deviate from the norm of Hard Rock. They also need to look at their presence on stage and the presentation of what the band is about. Until the final song, this was ordinary.
I wasn’t expecting to see City of Ashes as they weren’t on my listing but here they were. After a promising psychedelic beginning, I started to have doubts as like Surviving Silence they took us into another Hard Rock cycle with indistinct vocals. It all changed after the first song. With the aid of bright, audience-friendly presentation from the lead singer, the band launched into “In the Cold Light of Day”. This one featured a nice acoustic line supported by a heavy underscore and – wonderful – a short solo post-metal section. The direction changed on the next song, which specialized in good acoustic touches and feeling. I was beginning to see that this was a band with ideas and a range of individually crafted songs at its disposal. “Road Less Travelled” took us in an Indie direction. It had a punk feel about it but too much of a melody range for that. “This Letter” was, as our guide from the band put it; “one of those heartfelt songs”. I didn’t enjoy that one so much but at least they weren’t frightened to give everything a go. I was coming to the conclusion that the band’s undoubted technical abilities could take them in any direction they wanted, but in this live setting they were more suited to playing livelier material. Right on cue, they addressed my wishes and finished the set with “Beggars and Thieves” and “Between a Rock and a Razor”. It wasn’t just the energy and life which impressed me. The constant movement up and down, the colourful instrumentals and the combined authority and power of the vocals told me that City of Ashes is a band to be reckoned with. “We’re here to have a good time” announced the vocalist. The fast and catchy riffs and the virtuosity of the rhythms ensured that we did too. Well done, City of Ashes. For me, they were the find of the night.
Pretty Noose came on next. This three-piece knew exactly what they were about and had a very self-assured air. Playing heavy, at times booming, old school Rock/Metal, to their credit they allowed themselves the time and space to indulge in long drum-driven guitar passages. Accordingly they only played four tracks, including the appropriately titled “Heavy Duty”. The guitars were deep and purposeful, indeed the band oozed purpose. I am aware there’s a Soundgarden track called “Pretty Noose” and I sensed a similarity in the deliberate delivery. Rage Against the Machine was also suggested to me as a possible comparison. Pretty Noose’s music had good progression and got some members of the increasing audience going, but I’d say they were solid rather than spectacular.
When a guitarist and a tabla player are warming up together, it makes for a strange, exotic mix. This is Jurojin, and their time had come. Some 70 – 80 spectators were present as the band launched into the funky rock/metal number “The Scars”. The sound mix didn’t help the vocalist who was drowned out by the guitars. Even so there was plenty of energy, and the jazz bassist meanwhile added a special dimension. As we moved on to “The Liar”, the next song on the set and the next track on the album “The Living Measure of Time” which was being launched, I was concerned that the sound mix might spoil the effect of this highly personal and fiery track. The sound problem was resolved. The singer delivered the level of scorn and bitterness which are at the heart of this song. I felt he missed a trick though by having his back to the audience as he growled the punch line “You just fucking left me here”. To this point the singer looked accusingly into people’s eyes as the theme of the song demands. As on the album, the pause following this definitive line wasn’t long enough to create maximum impact, but overall the band succeeded in getting across the point of “The Liar”. It had all the right ingredients: power, heaviness, melody and passion. In the latter part, the tempo slows down and this gave the guitarists the opportunity to take us into a Jurojinian fantasy land. “The Dreaming” came next. Heavy funk guitar, interspersed with the subtlety of the jazz bass and powerful drumming, generated a crunchy beat. Intensity simply poured from the drummer’s face. The groove was massive. There was nothing pretentious about this. As on the album, I found the impressive mix of sounds and heavy beat had a strangely comforting effect. This is a band of professional musicians playing top quality music. But he hadn’t hit the heights yet in this set. The vocalist exhorted us to “cheer, clap, whatever you like”. I didn’t know what to make of him as a frontman. As a singer he was excellent but as a presenter he lacked the warmth of the guy from City of Ashes. Coming across as a Southern English Noel Gallagher in appearance as well as demeanor, he seemed to have a bit of an attitude which for me distanced him from the audience but here it wasn’t so important. Jurojin is a serious musical project and the material isn’t pink and fluffy. The tabla player was introduced. There was even beauty in his warm-up, before we were then treated to “Equinox”. The acoustic guitar, so reminiscent of Opeth’s “Damnation”, mixed with the tranquility of the tabla to make a dreamy and mellow combination. The effect was divine. Unbelievably, we were barely 30 minutes in, and the vocalist announced the last track “Joyti”. To add to the panoply of instruments, a violinist came on stage. To start, the bassist played a funky little solo, extracting depth and feeling while giving rein to his immense talent. We were then transported into a deep Eastern atmosphere as “Joyti” developed its full, rich range. There was such a blend of musical flavours by now that I didn’t know what part to listen to. The answer is to listen to all of it. The electric violinist was imperious, firing up the senses and making the nerve ends jangle. The tabla was ever calming and delicate. The guitarists and drummer provided the power and the backbone. Meanwhile I imbibed the full-on emotion which the vocalist was effortlessly adding. It was spellbinding. A tabla solo followed this majestic passage. It was like a cool drink during a heatwave. Throughout this set, each of the musicians was given the chance to display their immense talent individually and collectively. The tabla led into a heavy section and finally a tumultuous and powerful ending. Sadly, “Joyti” is not on Jurojin’s spectacular album “The Living Measure of Time” as the rest of the set was, but overall this was a breathtaking and brilliant interpretation of what they do. My other regret was that the set, like the album, was short, but on the other hand it was bursting from all angles with quality. By the end, I felt excited and elated. Jurojin had done their job well.
Andrew Doherty
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