11.24.08
It’s not for the cock, it’s for being pulled apart then blown away
Dananananaykroyd/Pulled Apart by Horses/Calf by Calf @ The Harley, Sheffield
With Youthmovies playing at Sheffield University, Death Cab for Cutie at the Academy and Fucked Up and White Denim also playing in Sheffield, there was an abundance of live music on around the city tonight. However, it was a small pub, The Harley, that would boast one of the finest line-ups of the night.
With one on the drums and the other on bass, local duo Calf by Calf start the proceedings. They begin their set with a version of The Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me”, stopping suddenly to shout the chorus before taking up where they left off. Then seamlessly flying through their set, Calf by Calf manage to create a wall of sound that bands with 6 or 7 members struggle to achieve. With outstanding technical ability and flawless timing, Calf by Calf caused people who weren’t even fans of their music to pay attention.
From the moment the first chord is played, Leeds band Pulled Apart by Horses appear to be a volatile, fast-paced, guitar thrashing four-some. Mix into this elaborate solos, catchy hooks and a live set so energetic that three quarters of them remove their shirts, with guitarist James also doing away with his trousers, and you have a band that are producing some of the most exciting music around at the moment. Finishing triumphantly with single “Meat Balloon”, Pulled Apart by Horses whip the crowd up into a frenzy as crazy as themselves, before marching through the crowd semi-naked.
Dananananaykroyd having been storming around the UK on their first headlining tour and, if hearsay is anything to go by, they have become one of best live bands around. Tonight they play to an already sweaty, sold out crowd who are waiting to see if all the hype is true.
As they burst into their first song, lead singer Calum is already running through the crowd. Their energy never wavering, Dananananaykroyd set about burning the next hour into the minds of everyone present. As they explode through their set, the baying crowd laps up every song they play. With both vocalists, Calum Gunn and John Baillie Jnr (also a member of INFTC favourite Dolby Anol), running in and out of the crowd continuously, it’s rare that all six members are seen together on stage.
When ‘Chrome Rainbow’ kicks in, Dananana already have the crowd clapping along and it becomes apparent that they aren’t as hardcore as they seem on record. As the band chant the intro to ‘Pink Sabbath’ they take this further; forming a path through the middle of the crowd, they start a ‘wall of cuddles’, where, like in a ‘wall of death’, both sides run at each other, but instead of kicking the shit out of each other everyone is instructed to hug the first person they get to. This attitude is taken through the whole show with the band wanting everyone to “just be friends”.
This however didn’t seem to rub off on everyone. Well, one person anyway. After continuing to dance on bassist Laura’s peddles, after being asked to stop, this dick then tries to start a fight with one of the DJs and in the process nearly ruins the gig for everyone. With Dananananaykroyd returning to the stage for an encore, everyone is told to “calm down” and move back from the stage. This doesn’t hamper their performance, but leaves everyone slightly more sullen then they should be.
Despite all this, I am in no doubt that this is one of the gigs of the year and I am looking forward to seeing all three bands again.
What makes Dananananaykroyd stand out is that they don’t just perform their music for us to stand back and appreciate from a distance. They perform it in your face, they get you to shout, they get you to scream and they get you to dance along with them. They make their music your music and it creates one of the best, if not the best, gig experiences ever. Shit, even thinking about it is making smirk like a little boy.
Pulled Apart by Horses have got various gigs in various places coming up in December and Dananananaykroyd have just finished a Headlining tour but you can catch them at Bonefest in Leeds on 6th December.
Calf by Calf (myspace):
Pulled Apart by Horses (myspace)(website):
I Punched a Lion in The Throat
Gav said,
November 24, 2008 at 4:13 pm
I want Dana in my pants.
If that Leeds date was a bit later, I’d be there eager beaver style.
Phil said,
November 24, 2008 at 4:30 pm
You seen who else is playing? Tubelord, blakfish, that fucking tank, grammatics… I’m already there waiting outside the doors. Leeds is a lot closer to me though.