Vanilla Pod, Norwich Waterfront
*This show took place at The Ferryboat*
For Gary, Vanilla Pod’s drummer’s penultimate show the Norfolk heroes rolled into the tiny Ferryboat and proceeded to blow the roof off. First up were FALL BACK THEORY, a band I had never even heard of but apparently they’re mainstays of the local scene. They started extremely promisingly, with energetic blasts of melody with enough punch behind the guitar lines to more than impress, but as soon as they tried anything a touch more daring their shortcomings were exposed. Striving for a bigger sound with more variety in style they did, at times, seem in control but the overall impression was of a band not fully at ease with their music. When they played fast and hard they really did rock, with enough catchy riffs and hooks for even the most fickle of fans, but the set tailed off towards the end and didn’t seem to have a great deal of focus. I’m going to keep my eye on this lot because at times they sucked but more often they rocked bigtime (6).
The thing about TWOFOLD is that you could easily say that the style of music that they play is exactly the stuff I hate. But they are so damn good it’s untrue. Why they were only second on the bill I don’t know, but the young band simply laid into their set with ferocity and enthusiasm. Here and there you could find snatches of At The Drive-In or perhaps a bit of Fugazi, but it would be lazy to call them a rip-off band. True, the screaming does grate at times but it’s never used as a cheap tactic or bolted on, and the musical proficiency is staggering yet understated; no show off solos or drum interludes here. Instead, you get a half-hour set of adrenalised, jagged punk rock that leaves a ringing in your ears for days. Go see them (8).
THE KAOTIXX strode onstage next, another local band with a fairly sizeable following. You’d be forgiven for thinking you’d stepped back in time about 25 years, since they blast out the most old-school of old-school punk, with more than a touch of abrasive street in there for extra bovver. With a supremely talented guitarist we were treated to several lightning solos as the rest of the band admirably kept the pace up to the Olympic standard, but to be honest there wasn’t really much else about the band to get you excited. At times the hardcore sound kicked in and heads nodded, but you got the sense that The Kaotixx were running out of ideas and retreading the same old structures and riffs. I really wanted to like them, and I was expecting a bit more energy – it’s worth noting that the frontman had a bastard of a cold – but I just wasn’t set alight by them (5).
But the mighty VANILLA POD on the other hand – bloody hell they rock. Playing to a pretty rammed venue to pure adulation they ripped out the melodic punk rock anthems hardly pausing to take breath. OK, maybe that’s not true, because towards the end of the set Rob kept collapsing on the floor between songs, but the energy that the band both got from and gave to the crowd was astonishing. They played a selection of songs from (I think) each of their releases and got the crowd singing along and dancing like loons – always a good thing. None of the band members were ever static, bounding around like hyperactive kids who’d forgotten their Ritalin and they still managed to be passably tight for a band who appeared to be pissed as farts. With their newest release garnering rave reviews across the board you’ve got to ask yourself if VP have ever found themselves in a better position – fine, matured songs, excellent live…they deserve to be big (9).
Ben
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