dive dive, winchell riots, minor coles o2 academy
For such a hot, sweaty day, Oxford truly turned out in force for this gig. Opening in shorts and t-shirts and adding some real passion to their set, Minor Coles have truly raised their game since I last saw them. More confident, rhythmically tight and energetic, songs ‘Black Hole’ and ‘Fortune Teller’ go down well. A more bass riff-driven sound, which is pleasingly similar to Foals, gives an optimistic preview of their June EP release.
Winchell Riots followed, and although I’m a fan, I didn’t really enjoy tonight’s set – it was too loud and lacked subtlety. They didn’t engage with the audience either, which resulted in it seeming like a practice session.‘RedSquare’,forme,was one of only a few which stood out from the noise.
Dive Dive have been around for years, and are probably better known as being Frank Turner’s backing band these days, but they haven’t yet gained the recognition they deserve in their own right.Tonight, reminding Oxford what rock music is, they play some blistering songs from recent album Potential as well as some old classics. Nigel Powell is one of the best drummers I have seen and the other members do their bit to drive the rhythm home. I watch with memories of moshing at Truck festival, and hear sounds truly in the same league as Foo Fighters and Green Day. ‘Liar’ is the best of their new set–Jamie Stuart’s vocal is in good form, and a hundred sweaty people leave the venue encouraged that rock music, thankfully, isn’t dead.
(TW) Published OMS 14
No comments:
Post a Comment