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Live Review
by SashaS
17-10-2003
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| Erase Errata: No pix policy so - artwork |
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Live: Erase Errata
Garage, London
Thursday, October 16, 2003
Erase Errata: an odd Garage gig
Having had a (mis)fortune not to be a woman with a contract in music business, although have witnessed plenty of female-dissing to know it is not pretty, it is still difficult to imagine Erase Errata’s state of mind. The reason being a peculiar gig by these San Franciscan girls, who have done something amazing – managed to perform a set that felt like they were resisting to let it go, or were too jittery to immerse into a choppy sonic wash they were unveiling. Confusing signals…
From the outside, all the broadening, experimentation and bravery contained on the new album ‘At The Crystal Palace’ [as well as their debut, ‘Other Animals’, (re)released on the same day as the newie], are bypassed for a show that is patchy, reserved and, damn it, civil: singer Jenny, with her thick-framed glasses that appear to be bought in the same shop The Offspring’s Noodles frequents, stands sideways to us and her patter is a tad too trad but silence is not easy for women.
Fans are left being spectators, there is no real participation; sure, for most part their songs are not of the moshy or, for that matter, singalongy types but there is a track on ‘Palace’, ‘Owls’, that has a potential to be a hit-single. No, I kid you not – these girls can pretty much do anything they want but prefer to be heiresses to avant-punk artistic freedom. With some very interesting FXs.
Tonight’s gig is mildly entertaining without knocking back anyone in spite of most of us being here because we like the albums. Bianca provides solid but basic drumming [she’s way better than Meg White but not a match to Ringo Starr], Ellie sounds like she’s learnt her bass-licks from Jean-Jacques Burnel (of The Stranglers), Sara is a guitarist whose older bro could be Andy Gill of Gang Of Four. ‘La. Viewing’ is a cross between Gof4, Devo and Captain Beefheart; other songs – ‘Go To Sleep‘, ‘The White Horse Is Bucking’, ‘Matter No Medley’, ‘Walk Don’t Fly’ – range from frantic rocking, layered arrangements that are minimalist but disturbingly detailed by Jenny’s blowing a dissonant trumpet.
The show is in part shambolic [initially marred by tech. probs with bass-lead] and yet less wild, less free and more emotionally restrained that the records. EE cover ‘Boris The Spider’ and it was interesting to note that The Who might be one of their inspirations. Still, not loud enough [the rock’s volume goes to 11, n’est pas?] and the presentation is semi-amateurish, timorous and courteous.
These sisters can swing their own way and you can’t but admire that in this ‘celeb-era’. The Strokes (their sophomore album is out on Monday, if you’ve managed to avoid the hype/media frenzy) are the history of rock, Erase Errata should be its future…
Rebelling against certain biz-norms they’ve created a new set of (live) rules whilst their songs have them breaking loose every which way. But, is music enough in our wide world? Still, no-wave tonight is less-of-a-way.
SashaS
17-10-2003
Erase Errata album ‘At The Crystal Palace’ (as well as ’Other Animals’) is available now on Blast First
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