Been a long time since I had a crack at doing one of these, and it's been a while since the gig. Still, let's give it a shot. I arrived with 27 on stage. First time I'd heard them, first impressions are always either difficult or misleading. Seemed ok, I think I could enjoy her voice, relaxed at times, building. The applause at the finish of their set suggests they may have one a few friends over.
Isis are a band which appear to have lots of people absolutely creaming themselves about. The second coming it would appear. Hmm. They're ok, not bad on CD, though I tend to find listening to an entire CDs worth of their stuff testing. I prefer the more melodic ambient moments, but that's just the way I seem to be moving in life. But still, the place is rammed like I've not seen it in a long long time if ever. With little fuss they take to the stage and the ear plugs go in. And the bass kicks in. Sorry, I don't know the names, but it's the same bassman as played for 5ive just before Xmas, and I remember enjoying his basswork then, and it's the same now. The whole band seems tight, the guitar, vocals and drums will capture many peoples attention, but for me, it was the night of the bass. Absolutely glorious. The whole thing worked well, the dynamics, the melody. A few of 27 join in for one of the Oceanic tracks, 7 people on the small stage, layer on layer of music, not fighting each other, co-existing. The Tower ends, a bit of a collosus I'll admit. Pleasantly surprised. Not going to turn me into a raving loon about them, but now the attention paid them starts to make a little more sense.