Grammatics @ Bar 1:22 24th Sept 09

Before last night, I had never been to a gig where the support band was better than the headliners. I’ve come close a few times, with Frightened Rabbit springing to mind. Too bad the headliners were Death Cab. Last night, I thought that it had happened. At Bar 1:22, I was witness to two of the better support bands that I have seen. Admittedly I haven’t seen many really bad supports, with exception to YouMeAtSix and Amy Winehouse supporting Angels and Airwaves and Arctic Monkeys respectively, but two of last night’s ranked with the best of them.
Opening band The Bluelights, were not one of these bands. A local three-piece that reminded me of a kind of lesser, Yorkshire version of The Rifles. Giving us some fairly dull indie rock, and ending the set somewhat abruptly. With no clear sense of a proper finish, they said their final thanks, sounded like they would be doing one more song, but then just packed away. An uninspired end to a disappointingly uninspired set.
What followed was an individual by the name of Charlie Barnes, or should that be Chalie? Should you believe what promo posters tell you. Before he came on I was told that he is the human equivalent of Radiohead’s ‘Kid A’. Ok, I thought, some poncey indie boy playing a synth? Well, this was sort of true, but it was some poncey indie boy playing synth, and beat-boxing, and looping it, and adding some excellent vocal ranges to create something that is so much more than the human equivalent of ‘Kid A’. If I had any apprehensions about the ‘entertainment’ factor in watching someone sit at a keyboard and twiddle knobs for half an hour before last night, the excitement this guy provided soon eradicated these thoughts. The only worry is that his stunning live show won’t replicate on his E.P.
The night’s third band was probably the biggest surprise. A four-piece by the name of Trace, with a singer who looked at first, a little more than apprehensive, not to mention no older than 15. Once they began though, what came from the PA was a joy to the ears. A loud, technically sound, melodic slice of what I thought sounded like ‘pop-punk, but with piano’. With catchy melodies and epic breakdowns, this band is very good. Be sure to catch them next time they’re doing the local gig circuit.
So on to Grammatics then. In all honesty, before the night I wasn’t really expecting much, and after the excellence of Charlie Barnes, and Trace, I was expecting even less. I have been witness to Grammatics before, catching them at the early midday slot on Friday at Latitude last year, and I thought they were…ok. Nothing to get too excited about. However, in a small, intimate venue like Bar 1:22, they were in their element. Their blend of cello infused indie-rock-pop (if that’s a genre that exists?) completely changed my mind. A storming live set from the Leeds four-piece left me reeling, and they are definitely worth looking into further.
So, I said earlier on that before last night I had never been to a gig where the support band was better than the headliner. I still haven’t. It was a close call, but the quality of Grammatics even outweighed the brilliance of Trace. A fantastic night then, and for only a fiver, what could be better?