standard. especially the McCartney gone punk For all the Cows and the neatly Indie - Live revolving Good Grief. Big Me could have been the Lemonheads (in the week they were any good). X Static is based on a bloke in The Clash tour shirt...) but we’re drone and delightfully pre-Grunge. Foo all here for the same reason- the Nirvana Fighters are certainly reminiscent of the connection, because Foo Fighters is the pop side of their leader’s former band, but band led by Dave Grohl, drummer of the its also obvious that Grohl didnt spend his last great rock trio. time behind the kit just hearing the sound On the upcoming Foo Fighters album of his own drums. These are well struc- Grohl plays all the instruments, and rather tured and imaginatively melodic songs. well too, but on stage Grohl is now up He’s got a voice too, a bark like a friend- front, singing and playing guitar, with sup- lier Cobain if you want, which puts some port from Pat Smear, second guitar in bite into the sound. Nirvana’s late touring incarnation and And he knows why people are there, and drums and bass from William Goldsmith is prepared to face up to it with some wit and Nate Mandell, both of still extant viz his first words ‘none of the songs are SubPop act Sunny Day Real Estate. I about Kurt...I wouldn’t even embarrass dont envy the drummer. Playing behind him like that...this songs about ...nothing Dave Grohl must be like coming to work at at all.’ Right. So now we know . We also some third division football team, and find- know that we’ll be back again because ing the new boss is Diego Maradona and Foo Fighters are just one hell of a good he wants to see you go through your band. See you at Reading. FOO FIGHTERS tricks. Perhaps he was the only man brave Kings College, London enough to audition Whatever. JIMMY BLACKBURN They’re good. This is a real working band, At last the post Nirvana generation gets a getting experience the right way, touring PAVEMENT/ DEUS/ BLUMFELD night out. Who’d have thought that so with underground legend (read, has a lot Brixton Academy many hacks could get into one place at of famous mates, but not much success once. How many similes could have been himself.) Mike Watt in the States and sure- saved from torture by a well placed bomb ly impressing people with this excellent set Incredible! Who’d have ever thought that tonight. Damn. Half of the audience, look of pure pop punk rock. arch shamblers Pavement, once mainly like they haven’t got to university yet. The opener This is a Call , the first sin- known for getting one of their tunes cov- Come to think of it, some of the crowd gle, can only have been heard by a hand- ered by the Wedding Present, a kind of don’t look like they’ve even got to sec- ful of people here but it’s greeted like an fame that the average government minis- ondary school yet. There are T shirts old favourite.Come to think of it, it sounds ter would baulk at these days, would end being worn that are older than some like an old favourite, like all the best songs up filling the joint at one of the capitals of the kids in the moshpit (thats you, do. Amazingly the set keeps up the same biggest venues. With a reportedly lucra- tive trip round North ous’ show. Here’s a question. Name a long knockabout AT & T and this years C America on this years Lollapalooza to fol- famous Belgian. No, make that name a & W tinged favourite Father to a sister of low and every major label in the world still famous Belgian comedian. Ha! Gotcha thought. Hell, they’re just lovely, and when sniffing around. This is now a band who there!... the set ends up with the bands musical can call their own shots, and the sight of a But all this Eurorrificness is forgotten handyman, and centre of their soul Bob few thousand people ,singing along with when the truly wonderful Pavement make Nastanovich wearing a schwa (faceless every twisted and unlikely word, is a showing. People are smiling, babies alien) mask and yelling backing vocals ( strangely heartening. Not a sign of whiffy are being made, the vibe of love and all with a bit of curly hair poking out in the so-called Brit Pop in sight. peace is in the air. Even journalists are collar area) as half the crowd giggles you Which is some of the problem with the first dancing. How five fairly nondescript look- just have to wonder if live music gets any part of the evenings bill. Hamburg’s fan- ing Americans should have come up with better than this. All the time undisputed tastic Blumfeld do their bit for pan- the most appealing sound of the moment band leader and handsome WASP prince European unity by being as fantastic as is something of a mystery. This is after all, of American alternative rock Stephen usual (see elsewhere for full review of a band whose members don’t even live in Malkmus looks on, indulgent and self pos- their show a couple of days previous.) but the same state, let alone town, and sessed, like he’s brought some new and unattractive Belgians Deus, makers of a whose records are clad in the shabbiest exotic animal back to a gilded medieval promising if worryingly wacky album last sleeves since the Fall signed off the dole, court. And thats the appeal, the wild and year, do their level best to destroy the but who have twisted various strands of cerebral in the same unit. As the encore warm Euro feelings circulating in the alternative and native American music into sees Malkmus on drums while both sticks- room. How much do I hate you, bass play- the finest body of work put together by a men reel about the stage yelling the er in a black vest and harem pants. You US rock band since Husker Du. Nirvanaesque Flux=Rad, Steve West in a deserve to get beaten up by ugly, cherry As you can tell, I like Pavement quite a lot, firemans hat and rescue workers luminous flavoured beery men as you pluck your not least for the wilfulness that makes cape, the whole thing seems the most log- naff looking, chest height, Level 42, their music sound initially unfinished and ical thing imaginable. Absolutely fucking spawn of the devil bass runs (I take it you yet, leaves you discovering new depths wonderful. don’t like this man then ? - Ed). Buy the long after better made, more fashionable bloody thing or leave the shop now. And stuff passes its sell by date...like say, the JIMMY BLACKBURN as for the violinist... Gah! You’re meant to Smashing Pumpkins who got a good kick- be inaudible, as you hack away on ing on Pavements best loved tune , the TEENAGE FANCLUB/ ROYAL TRUX Paganini’s satanic tool. Pulp worked this slack country number Range Life. In fact Empire, Shepherds Bush out years ago. Appearance first, sound tonight it’s AC/DC who get a mention optional. Did the Velvet Underground lie to bizarrely enough, but that’s only one high- us all these years (answer : yes.) Did we light of a set played by a band at the It’s not that the new Teenage Fanclub grow out of it? (Answer : yes, but not in height of their powers. Mainly based album Grand Prix is good or anything, Antwerp, Belgium.) And as for the rest of around their last two albums, and first top but if anyone tops it this year then I sug- these sad Zappa loving Flems, thanks for 20 hits, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain and gest, a trip to the bookies to bet your destroying the good bits of a promising this years Wowee Zowee the top tunes house on England winning next years record with your heavy handed, just keep on coming from semi-hit Cut European football championships with quirky (spit!) , annoyingly ‘humor- Your Hair to Best Friends Arm, the singa- Elvis Presley scoring the winning goal. It’s also true that Simtek, the Sparky’s Dream. the logical next step, and go back to col- motor racing team credited for use of the But moaning about a lack of style at a lege... Formula 1 car on the sleeve are going Teenage Fanclub show is like complaining bust in a hurry. Hope thats not an omen that the local football team don’t play JIMMY BLACKBURN for tonight. Certainly it’s as likely that most rugby, or that the pub sells bad wine. It’s of the audience tonight have seen just not why you go. In this case you go to BIG CAT SHOWCASE Scotland’s finest pop classicists play a see a great band playing great songs, Dingwalls, Camden stinker as a blinder. Consistency has something they do better than ever with never been their strongpoint. the steady presence of new drummer Paul Still, the sense of anticipation is obvious. Quinn keeping it tight. Three great Talk about a non paying audience... I The band who made Rolling Stone’s singers, no song weaker than excellent, doubt if anyone here paid the advertised album of the year of 1991 have seen a and a general atmosphere of good times ticket price, but then this is just a chance whole host of lesser,but more astute rivals and impending chaos make up my idea of for burgeoning label Big Cat records ( best shoot past them in the intervening period.