The Club That Cannot Be Named presents: The Rock of Travolta Kids Near Water - Dustball - Caliber 11th August 2001 - £6 adv / £7 door review by Claire

Much has been made of the support slot The Rock of Travolta played for a certain other band that hail from Oxford. Quite how they landed it if this is their "biggest headlining show to date" is less of a mystery when you see the listings for the city - punk grrlies Caliber appear on at least two other bills this month and open the evening if not with a bang then a spirited pop. They handle their set of safe three-minuters with energy and capability.

This is a gig-centric town - plenty of small venues with gigs though the week, and Dustball are also playing numerous other places this month. Within 10 minutes it's obvious why they have endeared themselves to the powers that be - an impressive grasp of dynamics stylishly adds a new dimension to the usual "alt/indie" drag. The front man banters with the crowd, wryly demanding they "Respect [his] artistic integrity!" during one piece from "a trilogy about male pregnancy". Such subject matter is carried off with a gentle confidence, sighing melodies and artfully layered guitars never overstepping the line between imitation and influence.

Kids Near Water have been shipped in tonight from Exeter and I can't think of anything much to say about this group of wired twenty-something's except that they shout. A lot. They play loudly, furiously, with a measure of chaos that probably comes across well once it's been fine tuned, whittled down and refined in the studio, but right here and right now, they fail to deliver. It's a little too far on the side of noise for the sake of noise to be really satisfying.

And now the moment you've all been waiting for (possibly). The subtle-as-a-brick Fitter Happier pisstake has been forsaken, and grins spread through the audience as "Staying Alive" slinks through the speakers. We can't tell if it's at the band's request or the DJ is having a laugh, but as the short interval draws to an end, a slide projector kicks in and the Rock of Travolta take the stage. Literally. Every single square inch of it is filled with keyboards, stringed instruments and Guitars, Guitars, Guitars. Moving quickly through their set, you come to realise that although at first cursory hearing they may appear to repeat themselves, the instrumental six-ish-piece have developed some killer hooks that'll be lodged in your head before you know it. Lead is supplied not by voice, but by trumpet, violin or simply a storming chord sequence... a wall of sound that never resorts to losing itself in distortion. Visually pleasing - sharp dressers to a man, a little choreography thrown in here and there - The Rock of Travolta sound slick, look good and are surely destined for great things.

A single, "I love it when a plan comes together" is released October 22nd.
Album "My Band's Better than Yours" is out now.


LINKS
www.therockoftravolta.com www.truckrecords.com