dea Lesson No.1: July 2011

Thursday, July 7

BIG CAT DIARY



Hi all! Welcome back to this sparsely updated 'weblog', on which I am going to make a note of a show we have... tomorrow. Maybe you've seen me pimping it on Facebook, or flyering people.

Anyway, here are the facts. It's upstairs at Buffalo in Cardiff on Friday 8th July. It costs £5 to get in, on the door (no advance tickets). It starts early, at 7pm, and finishes at 10pm - because Friday night is, for many people, club your troubles away night. I'm one of them. (Pro tip: after this, go to the Obey night in Undertone, it looks like it'll be deadly.) It is presented by me, Lesson No.1, and The Joy Collective, which is two or three or so people depending on which way the wind blows, and who I put on the totally great KELLIES with last month. There are three bands playing and these are they.

From Brighton, Cold Pumas play madly repetitive and shiny guitar abuse, locking down riffs that are both loudly motorik and shimmeringly melodic. They have releases on Upset The Rhythm and Faux Discx and make a hypnotic racket that fans of ABE VIGODA, BOREDOMS and SONIC YOUTH will lean into.

Friendo are another three-piece, this time from Calgary, Canada and featuring current or ex members of a million other bands (notably WOMEN, but also Azeda Booth, Topless Mongos, Puberty and more). Their scrappy rocking fits a band who started as an experiment in playing unfamiliar instruments: charming, dreamy home-recorded gold that might make you think of SEBADOH, VIVIAN GIRLS or early PAVEMENT.

Having just released two records on the exciting 10” format – one a split with Exeter band Kids return, one a five-tracker all to themselves – Welsh quartet Saturday’s Kids, who are in fact suitable for any day of the week, have ample evidence out there of their rampaging evolution. They still sound like a slashing noisy punk band a lot of the time, but are also indulging their taste for tricksy instrumental bits and quiet, measured guitar parts that fans of SONIC YOUTH, MOSS ICON or CODEINE might eff with.