Right now I’m just perusing from shots of a Box Monster gig where I tried photographing outside of my comfort zone for once. Usually you get used to using certain settings and a shooting style, but shooting at a purpose-set venue isn’t the same at shooting in a back room at a sports bar, that said, something for a later blog entry.
That aside I still have a little buzz from listening to the Haggard Cat vinyl that’s on in the background at the moment and it’s making me feel a little nostalgic for all those past gigs I've been to where only a couple of people can make a hell of a lot of noise. MK used to be a melting pot for those kind of bands and I do kind of miss those days, those who used to regular the Talk Amongst Yourselves gigs will probably have seen quite a few of these, with extra emphasis on the noise, though I remember seeing a few at the other venues like the Pitz and Craufurd too.
Alongside MASK who played in MK with Haggard Cat, I perused through the old hard drives and found a couple of other bands that definitely left an impression and fit the bill of being small in number but big in sound.
First of all we have Just Friends who had a very theatrical vibe going on at the Acid Ballet gig I went to, and also did some clothes designing on the side if memory serves right, some bands sell t-shirts but these two went the extra mile and I always have a lot of respect for people who can design and make their own clothes, I can’t find too much on them now, but drop me a line if you have any of their recordings.
Talibam! from across the pond are also worth checking out if you like your experimental stuff and were quite a force when it came to their visit at a Talk Amongst Yourselves gig. Based in NYC currently and apparently still active at the moment, you can also check out their backcatologue on bandcamp, pretty niche material but all the same worth a listen
As for MASK they seem pretty active at the moment, lots of heavy bluesy riffs but gloriously noisy too (Imagine Royal Blood, but heavy, as they put it themselves), with some theatrical touches of course, boiler suits covered in tape being a uniform of sorts. They are based in Brighton but you can also catch them down in the MK/Northampton area every now and then, but whatever you area chase them up for gig dates, and if they are in your area go see them live and support your local music venues!