Major LeaguesTonight's line-up of rad new talent begins with Rinse, a band featuring members of Jonny and The Fembots, The Creases, Emerson Snowe and plenty of other up-and-coming local bands you should probably know about. Their sound is shoegaze done dark and heavy, though sometimes a more '90s rock sensibility slips in, probably thanks to Babaganouj's Charles Sale, who can't help but write catchy riffs. With this many conflicting schedules in one band, it'll be interesting to see if they can last the distance. If they do, you get the feeling that this band could be on their way to something really special.
Charles Sale is back on stage solo for Babaganouj's first song, gradually bringing the other members on one at a time. This band has really hit their stride since going from a trio to a four-piece with the inclusion of Go Violets' Ruby McGregor on second guitar, fleshing out their sound and providing a calm counterbalance to Sales' shred-tastic lead guitar.
Technical difficulties plague the band throughout (though they're much less obvious to the audience than the people onstage), but their frustrations just help to fuel these naively angsty songs, which are driven by a very grown-up understanding of the importance of a knockout chorus. Towards the end Sale dramatically declares this the worst set he's ever played; lucky for him, 'cause it was not bad at all.
Major Leagues aren't really the kind of band you can half-watch; there's a beguiling kind of dreaminess to their music that rewards close attention and complete abandonment. Which is a slight detriment in a place like Black Bear where, on a sold-out night like tonight, no one past the second row can see anything onstage, though the band still manage to pull off a set of sometimes sweet, sometimes snarly songs drenched in impeccable melodies that deliciously run their way through your brain.
Their cover of Splendora's You're Standing On My Neck (yes, the Daria theme) is a delight of drawling snark and a thrill for a crowd of '90s nostalgia junkies. The vocals are sometimes washed out in the mix, but this band seem to be more about feelings than words anyway and the levels are pretty much sorted out by the end of the set for singles Teen Mums and Endless Drain.
For the latter, which is being launched tonight, Jeremy Neale and some of Go Violets join Major Leagues onstage, lifting the fun factor by at least ten notches (it's doubtful anyone in history's ever looked as upbeat while singing “I'm a waste of space/You're an endless drain”). A great set from an endlessly interesting band headed for cool things.
