Underground Ocean + Lady Grey @ o2 Institute, 19th June 2016
The Brum Live team are all for pluralism, eclecticism and broad church inclusivity, and God knows we all need an abundance of those in these grim days of bilious tabloid intolerance. But a line has to be drawn somewhere and it begins when both reviewer and photographer have that uneasy, queasy feeling they may be at the wrong gig. Maybe the clue was in the emerging reality that the band assumed to be the supporting act to Underground Ocean were actually totally separate headliners — tribute band, Absolute Bowie. Depending on how finely tuned, or lack thereof, your subjective reality meters are set will be the measure of how much you appreciate sing-along tribute bands like this. At £16 a pop and a near capacity audience, plenty clearly do.
But what the Donald Duck is going on? The O2 Institute has some serious signage issues to address here! Rapid move to Blue Room to catch closing numbers from Lady Grey. As for catching opening band, Maybe Don’t, it was definitely didn’t on account of that dysfunctional space oddity. Lady Grey’s a bit of a fey name for a no nonsense pub rocker outfit with Simple Minds/Cult and U2 anthemic aspirations. Lots of swirling dervish drumsticks, smoke machine tantrums (see pix) and neon-bling flashing finger rings on the guitarists’ hands made for an entertaining set. Energetic, sweaty and fearsomely loud, reflecting the prospect of so many young people today ever even having the option of giving up the day-job worthy of the name — kick reality in the nuts lads and live the dream.
Unashamedly citing Manics and Foos as their inspirational oeuvre you know exactly where Underground Ocean are coming from. More’s the point, where are they going to? Later songs, I See Through You (out as single) and Not The End are clearly, seriously moving towards defining their sound. Those two songs set the bar high. The Message In A Bottle cover doesn’t really serve much purpose. However, a scan back to their 2014 single Get Me Out has suggestions.
Perhaps too rare are the moments of clean, sans-effects guitar that lend startlingly crisp definition and counterpointing to the ferocious jackhammer precision of Lee Evans’ drumming. Nevertheless, tighter than a sphinx’s sphincter in a Saharan sandstorm, they kick up a racket akin to a sack full of shagging spanners chucked free-fall down a mineshaft. About as subtle as Steve ‘Bullitt’ McQueen’s Ford Mustang nudging the hit-mens’ black Dodge Charger smack in to that gas station at 80mph, the consequences are remarkably similar — welcome to the wild West Midlands school of cranked-up Garage and bollock-slapping, rampant mechanical diggers with attitude Rock – Worcester style. Bring It On. Underground Ocean’s tsunami of subterranean honed-slick grooves is work in exponential progress. Ones to watch.
Set list:
Wasted Time
Save Me
Get Me Out
Broken Roads
Face Down
Message In A Bottle
Left For Nothing
Hide You
I See Through You
Not The End
Envy
Review: John Kennedy
Photographs: Ian Dunn