Muso-bable
The thoughts and ocassional ramblings of a 30-something muso.
Hello, I’m a muso. I'm one of those guys you see digging around the racks of vinyl in London's backstreet record shops. I'm not addicted, I can give it up whenever I want. I just need to find that limited edition 7" single that the NME made single of the week. Maybe you've bumped into me in the queue for the bar at The Academy or The Astoria. There are thousands of us in London - I've seen all the regular faces in the record shops and at the gigs.

This blog is my attempt to write about the records that I love, the gigs I've been to and, well, anything else to do with music. Hopefully you'll find something here that makes you nod in agreement or rant in disagreement or maybe even laugh.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
 
Echolyn / Strangefish, Mean Fiddler
Prog Rock – Don’t’ Do It.  This is a warning to anyone thinking of getting involved with Prog Rock.

It all started innocently enough, I booked tickets to see Echelon a band that we saw supporting a few months ago and were keen to see again.  Unfortunately I was a bit click-happy and actually booked tickets for Echolyn who are a whole different prospect.  A little perturbed we decide to head off to the gig anyway – I mean, how bad could it be ?

Oh Mama, were we in for a shock.  For a start the doors were really early to allow the Mean Fiddler to squeeze in a club night after the gig so we turn up pretty late and half way through the set of support band Strangefish.  Thank god we were late a s they are appalling.  

Imagine a band that play 10 minute songs (at one point they started a song, I went to the toilet, visited the bar and they were still only half way through the damn song) that sound like Genesis or Mike And The Mechanics but have a front man like an annoying Bruce Dickinson.  A few examples of how annoying he was.  He tried to crack jokes with the audience after every song – not to bad when a venue is full but not to 10 people in the Mean Fiddler.  When not singing he antagonizes his band mates leaning on them dancing around them (see the picture on their home page for an example) or just being a twat. For the last song (an instrumental I seem to remember) he brings on beach balls and starts having a game with the audience – basically he has no respect for his band mates.

The music is so bad.  They play a song that is supposedly about a man who has it all but decided to gamble and looses it all.  It is very, very long and very, very dull.

In comparison Echolyn are reasonable.  The songs are shorter and tight and they are a lot more professional.  But it’s too late – we’ve had enough Prog for one evening and we decide to make a quick exit and find something else to do with our evening.Of course, this is just my opinion. Other people seem to have enjoyed the gig.

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