That Fucking Tank – Portland Arms, Cambridge, 08/09/07

An afternoon drinking in the sun. Honestly, it doesn’t get much better than this. As the British “Indian” Summer continues and the Rugby World Cup kicks off, what better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than sinking some light ales, watching some sport and then watching an awesome display of live music!

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As the bill was, unfortunately, shortened as two of the bands had to pull out, we weren’t quite treated to the full Half-Dayer as we’d been promised, but that didn’t seem to dull anyone’s spirits as the first act, Latahs, kicked off the evening. An odd proposition this. A ”solo” artist who had a table top full of peddles, loops plus the ubiquitous iBook. He also had a very “metal” looking guitar. As the electric loops and ambient mess spewed forth from the laptop, charged chords were coaxed out of the guitar. It was an interesting mix of power chord play and backdrop ambience. Almost like a more down-beat M83. There was also an element of The Knife to his live show. A hook-nosed mask was worn for most of the set which hid his face and, maybe, his embarrassment as the set of loops failed during one of the tracks and his guitar went eerily quiet. An intriguing propostion.

The evening continued with local favourites The Furious Sleep. Playing their own brand of punk-prog, led by the awesome guitar work of David Simpson, it was a high-octane set that rarely let the pace slip. The only band to feature vocals tonight, it didn’t count against them as the music drove hard through proceedings and meerily acted as another string to their bow. The yells and yelps of the lyrics barely audible, it didn’t count against them in this company. However, they were up against something very special with the next act.

These Monsters. Wow. That’s all I’ve got to say really, wow. These guys just completely blew me (and my ear drums) away. Reinvigorating the tired post-rock genre, they took the standard template and redrew it. The mix of guitars, bass and drums are all there but they’ve added an additional instrument; the saxophone. Not exactly something you’d associate with this kind of music, it added another dimension. Sometimes all you could hear was its rippled chords bubbling underneath the massive wall of sound created by their guitars, but it was another aural thread to hook onto and unravel. They also had an ear for a riffs to. The second to last track had one of the biggest riffs I’ve ever heard, the repetitive chords just drilling into my ear canal all the way through to my internal organs. And then, for their closing track, I bore witness to some of the most intense music I’ve ever experienced. I could feel each and every piece of their sound pierce my body, the noise so overwhelming that I thought I might have to leave for the pressure and noise. Immense.

My ears got a little break before the next onslaught by That Fucking Tank. Having sung the praises of their album in a past life, I’ve never had a chance to catch them live, but tonight I’m glad I did. As they set up their stage in the middle of the room, it dawns on you how stripped back they actually are. A simple drum kit and guitar, with only three peddles, and they’re done. Blasting through a high octane set full of melodic yet aggressive rock, riffs the size of anvils assault your senses leaving you breathless. There’s a danceable quality to these mammoth sounds too, the guitarist heaves and pulsates his hips, making aggressive love to his guitar as he crafts and contorts the weird and wonderful sounds from it. The only worrying moment was when they introduced their latest single and mentioned it was to have a vocalist on the recorded version. How this’ll change the dynamic will be anyone’s guess. But, for today at least, I just want to savour this moment.

Pictures courtesy of Jude [rhythm online]