Gig review: Saint and the Cynics / The Lurchers at the Head of Steam, Newcastle

Written for www.WoodenCauliflower.com

By Ryan Pilot

A clash between the artistic nihilistic noise-lovers The Lurchers and the highly polished, tightly delivered soul-funkers Saint and the Cynics occurred two weeks ago at the Head of Steam. Both fought their corner well and it’s hard to say who came out victorious. Then again, that’s not the point of a gig, is it?

The Lurchers have got a cool sound that comes from a mix of influences; you can get on the dancefloor and have a good thrash around to their songs, or simply appreciate them for their craftsmanship.

Front man Paul looked like a bit of an artrocker; with his black glasses, his bequiffed bonnet and his sharp dressing. His appearance seemed to promise some sort of spectacular, theatrical Nick Cave-style performance but he disappointingly never allowed himself to indulge in one. He contrasted with his band mates, who looked more like rockers than he, and apparently are. One guitarist laid a solid rock foundation and sported a moustache and mullet while the other delicately added a noisier guitar layer to loosen up the sound.

These two guitarists created diversity and built an interesting and creative set of songs, which were compiled of a variety of styles; including angular, awkward-sounding riffs akin to At The Drive In to droning trippy Queens of the Stone Age inspired rock grooves and even the tight rhythmic guitar elements of The Strokes.

Paul’s vocals flowed smoothly and blended with the voices of the instruments behind him. He was Thom Yorke at times, but mostly Josh Homme. In fact as the set went on the whole band become a bit too Queens of The Stone Age. They seemed to give up on their own creativity and lay back on rock conventions and formulaic QOTSA song patterns, which was a shame. Paul’s vocals did sound nicer in the second half though in a higher pitch, and it was a shame that mulleted guitarist Kenny’s microphone was not working so that the audience could hear his harmonising.

The Lurchers are a talented, thoughtful band, with an artistic and potentially highly original sound. But they should focus on the more creative and original writing that they are clearly capable of to become a truly head-turning outfit.

Saint and the Cynics have two of the best dressed front women you’re likely to see. They look like perfect soul divas, with sequined dresses and outrageously thick eyelashes. They’ve got spectacular voices too, which soar and quiver up and down scales harmoniously with confidence and ease.

The band have some very catchy numbers; all soul and funk based, with a little bit of rock edge at times. They know all the conventions and exploit them aptly to produce hooks aplenty pop songs that could probably penetrate the charts given the right vehicle. The confidence and competence of all the musicians shines with professionalism, which sort of makes you wonder why they’re playing this sort of gig.

Saint and the Cynics would be the perfect summer festival band and a great party band, but they’re a bit too good and a bit too polished to be playing gigs at The Head of Steam with grittier alternative bands. They’re almost certainly all music or performing arts students and it’s a bit cringe worthy when their straight-laced looking guitarist tries to pull of some rock moves during the heavier moments of the set.

Saint and the Cynics are great to watch and have a dance to and you may get one or two songs stuck in your head. If they get any outdoor festival dates this summer then make sure you’re there, in the sunshine with a cold pint of cider for a good bop. If you want an edgier, diverse and dirtier band, then get to a Lurchers gig.

End note: Although these ‘edgy’ bands don’t seem to get many gigs booked in comparison to these ‘professional’ ones. Check their Myspace pages:
www.myspace.com/saintandthecynics
www.myspace.com/thelurchers