Die a little more each day, need a vision or a tourniquet

Friday 9 September – and the first musical outing for me in a long time. The Summer festivals mopped up a lot of the good acts from the gig circuit this year, but the closing months look as though they are going to be busy as I took the opportunity to get tickets for no less than four dates over the next two months.

We met up at the Black Swan on Peasholme Green, all of us reluctant to pay the exorbitant prices charged in Fibbers these days. When we arrived at the venue the audience was very thin on the ground even as the support act kicked it. I assumed that the majority of punters were coming along later. All of which is not to say that the support were poor, because I for one really enjoyed them.

David R Black hail from Manchester and consist of; David R (guitar/vocals),  Sarit Black (bass/backing vocals), and Paul “Pai” Williams (drums).  David R himself looks a bit like Heath Ledger's The Joker, but without the makeup, so Heath Ledger with The Jokers hair I guess. I haven’t heard any of their material before. David's vocals started off sounding a bit like Brian Molko but seemed to get stronger as he went on. By the time he got to Signals, a brilliant track off their Heart And Stars album, he was sounding like Peter Gabriel. I caught the names of a couple of other tracks; Ezra (from Secret City) and No Code (also from Hearts And Stars). Sarit provided a very heavy line of bass riffs and backing vocals that were a tad too indistinct in the mix for me, I would have liked to have heard more of her voice. Meanwhile, Pai thumped out a rich mixture of rhythms, sometimes simple, sometimes complex, that drove the songs along.

As the introduction music started for Panic Room I took a brief glance around and was amazed to note that there were probably no more than 40 people in the room, a very poor turnout for a Friday evening. Panic Room, whom we’ve seen a couple of times before, are; Anne-Marie Helder (vocals, rhythm/acoustic guitars), Paul Davies (lead/rhythm/acoustic guitars, backing vocals), Jonathan Edwards (keyboards), Yatim Halimi (bass), and Gavin Griffiths (drums). I’m not completely au fait with PRs material but did recognise; I Am A Cat, Dark Star, Satellite, Sandstorms, and Bitches Crystal (a cover of the ELP song). There was a new track, I think it was called Promises, that will feature on their third, as yet unnamed album.

Anne-Marie vocals were on top form, justifying her winning “Best female vocalist of 2010” by readers of Classic Rock presents Prog. Paul noodled effortlessly, his guitar looking minute in his huge hands. The highlight for me though was Yatim and his superb bass playing. His style reminds me of Pino Palladino or Mick Karn, coaxing a fretless bass effect from a clearly fretted, six-string bass. Top music, but a shame that more people didn’t turn out to see them.