Maps and Atlases – The Regal, Oxford 13/10/08

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Maps and Atlases polaroids by Alan Campbell, taken in Glasgow.

The Regal is a reconditioned cinema that is now being used for live concerts, a late addition to Oxfords musical geography. With a large main hall quite awkwardly partitioned off for tonight’s gig, it feels a bit like it’s still trying to find its feet as a music venue, but given as it’s been open a matter of weeks, the owners and promoters can easily be forgiven, especially when they put on a show featuring 3 top quality acts.

The evenings proceedings opened with Ute, who managed to deliver a set that balanced all-out spiky guitar bravado with stripped down experimentalism. Songs like ‘Panic/Float’ showed that they could keep a song at a slow burning pace without it becoming tedious, with clapping and strong backing vocals complimenting singer Ollie’s vocal melodies. Their drummer, Joe, also was playing a piece of ‘custom’ percussion, which appeared to be a baking tin perched on a small pot, but sounded great nonetheless. This was followed by the dark, brooding, almost waltzing ‘Airborne’, a piece that showed off the trio’s knack for diversity and power, with bassist Mike mixing pounding rhythms with distorted riffs that wouldn’t be out of place on a six string rather than a four. Their set i’m sure wasn’t the tightest they’d ever play, but their mix of influences and sounds wrapped up in an accomplished package certainly entranced the audience, and paved the way for Colour to take the stage.

Opening with ‘Shamu’, Colour instantly grabbed the crowds attention and refused to let it go throughout the duration of their set. Drummer Trood’s (he even took the time to tell us that ‘he is the drummer’ over the microphone, cheers mate!) technical rhythms played with an almost mathematical physicality complimented Lewis (bass) and George (guitar), who were whirling and kicking, throwing obscene fingerboard shapes on their guitars, providing a veritable musical tornado around the calmness that was frontman Alan who stood his ground with soaring melodies and virtuoso guitar lines. They fired through their new songs with passion (‘Unicorns’ showing that they have a knack for a twisted pop hook), yet still played their old songs with conviction enough to put across the fact that they still love playing them as much as the audience loves to hear them. Colour put in a solid 30 minutes of musical wizardry, touting their own brand of fractured music compiled together to form an alternative, alien vision of a popular structure and sound that is even more satisfying than the one we currently have here on earth.

Headliners Maps And Atlases were always going to go down well in blighty, thanks to the recent Foals-esque math rock band uprising, but they clearly have a solid following all of their own here in Oxford, evident by the cheers that erupt from the crowd on the singers first word, which just happens to be a softly spoken ‘hi’. Mild mannered, clearly appreciative of the large gathering infront of them and very friendly, the band clearly have a great time playing through their diverse, nay eclectic collection of songs. Dave Davisons vocals and his guitarwork are almost symbiotic at times, brash yelps matched perfectly with staccato rhythms, and drawn out phrases complimenting long tapping sections. Indeed, the band does tapping very well, with Erin providing an able sparring partner at stage right. Opener ‘Witch’ is a happy happy song, bouncing along at a mid-tempo gait, setting heads nodding throughout the building. Bassist Shiraz wields his instrument to great effect, from high-neck riffs through growling basslines to even using the body as a form of percussive instrument. By the fourth song, ‘The Most Trustworthy Tin Cans’, Maps And Atlases sound straight from the current British underground post-math scene, throwing out tapping parts and a guitar refrain that is almost like an ambulance siren. By now the crowd is dancing away, totally enveloped in the music. Dave steers the band through the rest of the set, his voice swaying between sounding like Menomena, then Kings Of Leon, and even crossing into Macy Gray territory. All crude and jokey comparisons aside, the vocals are a band highlight, distinct and individual, they easily cut through the music, which sounds like it could unravel at any moment, if not for drummer Chris providing a thumping, stable backdrop to the scatterbrained guitar lines and slingshot bass sections. The guitar neck snapping furore of Artichokes brings the set to a close, and the audience slowly departs, after several loud conversations about how technically gifted all three bands have proved themselves to be tonight, and hurried exchanges of band and song names for future reference. A good impression was made by all it seems.

Maps and Atlases on MySpace