Playlouder - Music is the Network

It’s a little venue that’s filled with big ideas tonight. Both bands are packed with passion and the urge to experiment.

Soe'za are the larger of the two outfits, although with two drummers (sometimes rotating) that usually seem to be playing the same stuff, it’s occasionally in doubt as to whether everyone’s pulling their weight.

The song structures are occasionally what you might call experimental, but the confused and overly-busy sound often muffles what might otherwise be meaningful messages. Towards the end of the set there are flashes of danceable greatness, but overall the set feels long, plodding, and too often capable of slipping into dullardry.

What with the constant reshuffling of their capable but unremarkable orchestra, it feels like Soe'za are trying too much, too soon.

No rush goalies for Buttonhead; although the rest of the band mooch around stage fiddling with laptops, glockenspiels, guitars and violins, the drummer, a sort of manic primary school teacher / gladiator is the constant force behind the band, and is not only the most enthusiastic band member by a country mile but also has all the star quality the rest of the band eschew.  

That’s not entirely fair, actually; the bassist occasionally darts across stage to leap up and duel rhythms with her, and if the rest of the band are less than showy it’s probably because they’re so damn busy all the time.

Funnily enough, though having touches of Arcade Fire / Deerhoof style modernity it’s all a bit more prog than post rock and echoes some of the more wonderful excesses of the pre-punk Old Grey Whistle Test, yet without lacking the youthful exuberance of the best of the Annie Nightingale-friendly punk.

If they keep at it, Buttonhead could one day be quite brilliant.