O, The Bluesbunny! Home of the eclectic! At least, we like to think so. Choosing to take a step into unfamiliar waters, a great debate amassed in the head of this Bluesbunny: is noise a form of art? After much deliberation, I have come to believe that it is. At the most unlikely of venues this conflict came to an end.
Palace Ballet came on first. To be fair to the boys, Sleazys was living up to its reputation as one of the worst venues in Glasgow as far as sound is concerned. Well seeing the Guinness was avoided too. Those who doubt the thrill of the gamble will surely have questioned the impact of this act and their apparent lack of any such variety in their music. However, I feel this act have more to offer than tonight suggested and would be keen to see then once more in a more capable venue.
And so came the John Knox Sex Club. Hands down, they win the award for the best named act I've seen. Immediately erupting into the most abstract rendition of "John the Revelator" you're likely to hear, the first signs were all good. However, they persisted with a noise assault on the audience that, although well constructed and controlled, often failed to explain itself. Front man John Doe did his best to involve the audience by throwing himself in and out of the fans in the frontline. There's no questioning the fact that this act will have a decidedly narrow fan base, but what they do they do very well.
An intermission of sorts ensued, with an array of rap songs getting everyone on their feet. Don't know why but at this point I began asking people for drugs. All I got was friendly dismissals. Then, all of a sudden, a smorgasbord of well layered noise emerged from the stage. Indian Jewelry were onstage.
It didn't seem that they had any actual songs, so much as they had one titanic musical adventure just as the Velvet Underground did on "Sister Ray". It didn't matter that the vocals couldn't be heard for they would have been of little consequence. What this Texas quartet conjured onstage was a sonic noise bombardment as impressive musically as it was visually. The quartet would pause sporadically to swap instruments but the noise carried on regardless. Showing enthusiasm as opposed to desire for attention, this live show was a sight to behold.
Certainly, to some, Indian Jewelry will be little but an aural assault. However, in this day and age, a band that dares to test the adventurousness of the senses is a band worth exploring. Indian Jewelry know the thrill of the gamble, and the gamble has paid off.