LITTLE LEAGUES * CANALS * HARRY FRICKER * 5*BELOW
5° Below is a pub in Falmouth that’s fair to say, has become ‘the local’ to so many of the Falmouth students (probably because it stays open later than anywhere else). Although I preferred it back in the ‘any graffiti in the toilets is good graffiti days’, it’s had a bit of a make-over, or as some would say, a lick of paint.
Thursday 15th September. It was a ‘Your Habitat’ event and there were some new boys in town, ‘Canals’. Canals are a band from Canterbury who have just finished a reasonably modest South Coast tour of England with Falmouth’s very own ‘Little Leagues’.
Harry Fricker opened the night’s music with his acoustic-surf-chilled-percussive-tapping-innovative-capo-use-folk. It was again, a great set from him resulting in actual 'groupies' queuing up to chat afterwards wanting to get hold of his recordings… and probably a bit of him as well. (see previous posts for more on the Frickster)
Canals followed Harry and I have to say, I was mildly disappointed. The sound was pretty weak and the on stage banter wasn’t much better. Informing the tightly packed crowed at every opportunity of how drunk the drummer was became a bit boring and not very Rock ‘n’ Roll. I mean, isn’t that the unwritten rule for ‘Rock Stars’ that has been passed down for generations? The more fucked you get on illegal substances (preferably heroin, acid, cocaine and marijuana. All washed down with copious amounts of strong spirits and beer) the cooler you are? I’m not condoning the use of such drugs but c’mon have a few beers and enjoy your gig! Don’t stress about it!
Both Canals and Little Leagues are similarly matched in terms of genres. ‘Indie Rock / Math Rock’ seems to fit but neither one could be said to stick to the boundaries of such genres. Canals reminded me more of typically Indie British bands like The Young Knives, Hot Club de Paris and The Maccabees, with strong influences from bands across the pond in America such as Minus the Bear and American Football. The singer’s quintessentially English accent gives Canals that Indie-ness however the lack of guitar boost pedals makes the sound weak and weedy. I found the tapping sections throughout the set were at times inaudible and also a bit unnecessary. The possibilities of two hand tapping on a guitar is pretty insane, so to witness it being done without much imagination or any real conviction was a bit disappointing. Canals had some great moments live and their recordings are well worth a listen! But on the night, their sound wasn’t great and it was a bit awkward to watch.
With respect, 5° Below is at best a packed-out pub full of pissheads who really don’t care what or who’s playing. The layout of the place is pretty awful and the acoustics aren’t much better. So with no disrespect, I wasn’t expecting much from Little Leagues.
The sound they had was in a different league to Canals. Jo Bené Morris’ big punchy guitar riffs must have blown the cobwebs out of Canals’ amps. The vibe in the place was a lot more fun and lively and the combination of Sam Gillbanks’ vocals with front man and trumpeter Lawrence Willoughby was spot-on. The development of this band – like a lot of Falmouth bands this year – has been remarkable. They seem to have the ‘coolness’ about them… I mean, how many other bands do a dance-off for a free EP?!
Little Leagues with a big sound!
(Photo: Olivia Bohac)