(Review
by Ann Alex)
Forget about women
singing love songs, this was something quite different, intelligent songs about
life, with attitude, imagination, humour, all originals composed by the band,
and very good musicianship. Not a jazz gig but well worth reviewing for the blog.
The Iceni were apparently a Celtic tribe during Roman times, connected with
Boadicea, and Lindsay had dressed for the part, flimsy pale dress and golden
criss-cross sandals, plaited hair, a suggestion of the goddess, with a bass
guitar instead of a lyre. White fairy
lights round the bass drum added to the atmosphere. The audience stood in front
of the stage wowing the band on, knowing many of the songs.
Good harmony singing, sometimes wonderfully dissonant, the keys illustrating
the words, instrumental breaks, constantly repeated riffs such as ‘I’m scared
of my own genius’, drums commenting, and a steady effective bass.
Best heard rather than described, so I’ll
simply mention one song as an example. Thief And Fool (it’s on the EP – in fact,
not surprisingly, as this was the launch of the EP, they all were!) has Lindsay
as the main voice singing about an abusive relationship from which the woman
intends to escape, the keys reflecting the emotions with deep strong notes for
strength, and a spoken chorus (chorus as in rock song, not jazz) ‘realistically
he does it to be cruel’. A really enjoyable set and I intend to see them again,
and congratulations to the band for keeping up the pace on such a warm
evening. A review of the EP is to
follow.
I should mention that
the evening began with a young band, Three
Thousand Two Hundred Tigers, sorry don’t know their names, but there were
two guitars, a female vocalist with loads of spirit, and a DJ with (I think) a
small keyboard, drums and a cymbal.
Perhaps all DJ’s have this equipment as standard nowadays, I must learn
more. This band had an interesting sound
and was well supported by the audience as well.
Download Iceni single Trail of Dead.
Ann Alex
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