Gig Review: Wave if You're Reading This

Wave Machines, at Brighton Freebutt, 30th September 2009

They came on with facemasks. They left with a bang. "Are you going to dance with us?" the groovy girls asked.

Didn't everyone? Could it be helped?

If I'd have known in advance, I'd have jumped and down shouting "Yes. Yes. Yes." Instead, I yawned. Perhaps I blinked 'maybe'. I hope I showed an inkling of optimism. I blame the support act, the waiting and the toilets. Having a piss at the Freebutt is like signing up to a step aerobics class in a dirty gym. Up the stairs, down the stairs, to the flushable bowl of hell.

I want a black and white mask of my own face. I would wear permanent optimism. It would say "Yes!" for me. It would say "I like DISCO!" It would say "I like to DANCE!" "I like ‘WAVE MACHINES!"

Wave Machines do disco like an intelligent, introverted Scissor Sisters. Shy boys wear masks. Extroverts wear rubber wrestling singlets. One by one, they peel them off. The enticement works. The focus on real flesh, real wrinkles and real hair, has me spellbound. I'm glad of four faces. Eight eyes look back. They look happy.

The nightclub boogieman that is Carl Brown is amazing. You'd pass him on a supermarket and never know. He has the moves. He has the grooves. He's on fire.

Tim Bruzon should sing every song, every backing vocal and every accidental cough. What a voice: tamed, unstrained and achingly perfect, even the fragile falsetto.

A band of such talent should share. Of course, they should share. The Fab Four did. I, for one, love 'Yellow Submarine'. It's an uplifting joy of a number. In Wave Machines, even with four talented vocalists, Tim should sing every song. That's my live opinion. He's bloody brilliant.

"Did you like them?" their Manager asked, as I passed him £10 for a CD. "Oh yeah", I replied. "I’ve been loving the album since I stole it."

I got extra thanks for buying it. It pays to be a thief.

Fabpants Recommends:
The album 'Wave if You’re Really There', on which the above live show was based, is stunning. At The Freebutt the sound system automatically cuts out when ripples form in nearby cups of tea. It cut out during the encore for Wave Machines. That night, it heard music for the first time. Shock makes us all shut down.

Download MP3: Wave Machines – Punk Spirit (courtesy of awmusic.ca)




Download MP3: Wave Machines – You Say the Stupidest Things (courtesy of tsururadio.com)




RIP Beau Velasco, a founding member of the Death Set. He co-wrote all those tracks I went rabid for in 2008.
Emily Fabpants Predicts The Motherfucking Death Set will be Ace Live
Emily Fabpants says Listen to The Death Set
Beau wasn't there, but The Death Set WERE Ace Live
Thanks Beau. You helped to create all this. It made me very happy. It will again.


Download MP3: The Death Set - Negative Thinking (courtesy of trashmenagerie.com)