Dutch Uncles + Venkman @ Hare and Hounds, 11th November 2015
Did you know that Dutch Uncles are supporting Garbage on their current tour? That’s the Garbage of Vow and I Think I’m Paranoid; Butch Vig, Shirley Manson and all. Fantastic! Sometimes liking a band is like supporting a team. You want them to do well and get to know a lot about them, egg them on, hopefully to bigger and better things.
It was marvellous to see them in King’s Heath during a break in the Garbage tour. But at the last few Dutch Uncles gigs that I have attended at places like Hare and Hounds, The Sugarmill, The Temple or the Queens Hall in Leicester; I have fully expected them to be the last of that size for the band. They have to be destined for that bigger and better. I have to declare an interest here; they are one of my favourite bands of recent years – great tunes, great moves and tremendous musicianship.
That’s not to say that they have not had success. But it’s all relative, as shown by the Venkman’s bass player who announced that this was the first time that the band had supported anyone famous, where he had travelled all around to see them and bought all the albums. To be honest he sounded like a fellow afficianado.Maybe some of the Dutch Uncles vibe has rubbed off on the alt/funkers from Litchfield. Similar but different, they base a lot of their tunes on syncopation and really angular drumming that cuts across the more conventional vocal lines. They are probably more conventionally “funky” but attract the same admiration as our headliners for keeping several plates spinning at the same time.
A bit like when Duncan Wallis sings and plays two entirely different things at the same time, you find yourself asking “how can they do that?” The addition of the trumpet applied a really jazzy layer over the whole thing. That trumpeter may be playing in some Christopher Biggins production over Christmas, but I reckon he’s doing his best work right here.
I liked Venkman and I even bought a CD, which for anyone who knows my parsimonious ways is praise indeed. Not quite a Moon King moment but they got my attention and I will look for more of their stuff. As Duncan said at the end of the night both supports made a good fit with Dutch Uncles, which made it even more frustrating that I missed Flamingo Flame, due to the early start. I’ll have to look those guys up as well.
Dutch Uncles seemed a bit more laid back than usual. Maybe the prospect of playing in a venue like the Hare and Hounds pales a bit after a couple of nights at the BrixtonAcademy or Usher Hall. Or maybe they are comfortable with the changes that were forced upon then during the release of Oh Shudder with the studio band reduced by one to four members and the touring band augmented to six.
For the new members Neil and Henry, the last months must have been a lot to take in. The tunes are not straightforward, and there was new material on show: what sounded like Achimelea (also reported as Achimallon on some sites), which was very much in line with Oh Shudder material and The Same Plain Dream which harked back to the strident Indie feel on the first two albums.
Much of the set was based on the later albums but they still found room for the finger shredding guitars on Dressage, and Jetson and Steadycam from the mists of time and their eponymous first outing.
Duncan busted all the moves while Pete Broadhead orchestrated much of what went on, even getting into the crowd during Flexxin to make sure everyone clapped along. The rest of the band did what they do best, play fine tunes very well and make you feel glad that you are there.
Whilst my inner music snob keeps whispering that I would like these guys to stay as they are, accessible and special to me, I find my team supporter on the other shoulder is winning and I really hope that the Garbage tour gives these guys the boost they deserve. It happened to Elbow after four albums so why shouldn’t it happen to Marple’s finest?
Set:
Babymaking
Fester
Face In
Drips
Decided Knowledge
Cadenza
Threads
I should have read
Achimelea (-imaloon? Who knows it will all come out in the wash)
Jetson
Nometo
Upsilon
The Same Plain Dream
Flexxin
Dressage
—
Steadycam
Review: Ian Gelling
Photographs: Stephanie Colledge