The Next Big Thing

So what validates the “brand” of a band for you? I’m talking about a combo who meant something in a previous dimension that maybe disbanded, or didn’t play for a while or well, just about any combination of all that. For me, I think that at least two previous members should be involved. If something is particularly good with just the one then I’d let it slide but that is almost never the case. I bring this up because I saw “The Saints” last night and to be honest, it wasn’t very good. It didn’t outright stink but it was very pedestrian. Had it been billed as a Chris Bailey show then the low expectations may have been ratified. He’s a disarming enough performer but his “band”, nice guys as I’m sure they are, just don’t cut it. “I’m Stranded” was the second song in the set and it appeared to be set on muffle. In fact, despite the guitar wrangling aerobics of Chris’ axeman the sound was decidedly fluffy. The loudness usually associated with The Saints clout just wasn’t there. And it wasn’t the club PA, because earlier The Primevals kicked up a gutsy, strident traipse through their not insubstantial back catalogue in readiness for a collection that should be out on Last Call in May. The Primevals always existed outside the axis of Glasgow pop and were somewhat more successful in Europe than they ever were in the UK. The straddled a kinda Gun Club meets Radio Birdman terrain with a soul bravado that sounded really sharp last night. If they can do this after two rehearsals then two dozen shows down the road, they’ll take your head off. This manifestation of that “brand” consists of people who have been involved in and around the band for a while. Their contributions allow the material to breathe and take on additional matured shape. The shapes that Chris’ most recent Saints throw are altogether more superficial and I don’t get any pleasure out of saying that. When you see Bailey with a real band like The Nomads, hammering out his “I’m Stranded” hymn then maybe it sets the bar too high. What can I tell ya? Mr Spence told me that they were better than they were eight years ago. There may be some solace there but not for me.