OBEY CONVENTION 2010 - Noyes Records Showcase

OBEY CONVENTION 2010
Noyes Records Showcase
@ the Bus Stop Theatre

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Charles Blazevic was up first. A one man storm of bleeps and beats, the music was at times washy, ambient times sound scape, morphing into catchy electro beats. A digital control station light up and swept patterns across a row of buttons that seemed to summon unlimited sounds and beats with various finger combinations. A lot of 'one man and a laptop' shows aren't that interesting to watch, but Blazevic seemed to at least be interested in his own music, moving and bobbing to the beats and sounds. The music was very relaxing and melodic, not harsh and dissonant like one might expect at an Obey show.

Long, Long, Long were up next, and a crowd gathered very quickly at the front of the stage as they began to setup. Despite a few technical and sound issues, the band plowed through a set full of material from their album (reviewed here!). The vocals were pretty high in the mix, which was beneficial for a vocal band band like this, and the vocals and harmonies sounded tight. The rest of the mix was a little off balance though - unmiked drums were the loudest element, despite the stripped down 4 piece kit (no cymbals to wash out the vocals). The guitars and bass were a little weak, and the intense nature of the bands single note riffs would have been felt a lot better had they been piped through the PA (which was clearly adequate for more than just the vocals and kick drum it provided). None the less the band put on a great show and were well received by the audience.

Omen Ra II took over a rearranged stage soon after. I was excited by the well balanced line up of drums, guitar, bass, and keys, plus male and female vocals. Unfortunately I felt like the band was underutilizing their strengths - where I expected some strong, rhythm heavy psychedelic rock with searing guitar solos, there was only generic punk rock - complete with Ramones cover. Bassist Chris D'eon definitely helped push the band in the right direction but the drummer looked like he was in the wrong genre - I could tell from his warm up licks that he was a competent drummer but the steady rushed 8th note hi hat beat didn't seem appropriate for his style. None the less the band put on a good show and put a lot of energy into the set - I think it was the first time I've ever heard a live cover of Louie, Louie at a Halifax show.

Play Guitar were the finale, and technical problems unfortunately plagued an otherwise excellent set. With an additional guitarist (and even some guitar licks from behind the drum kit), the band promised to play the entirety of their recent album. Lead guitarist/singer Christian Simmons seemed to be constantly fighting with patch chords and effects pedals, plugging and unplugging his guitar several times. Despite that, once things got working for a given song, the band sounded in top form - dual guitars really rounded out the sound, and the vocals were clear and strong. While Simmons’ songwriting has never been in question, the band and especially the bass playing have improved greatly since I first saw the band many years ago. Touring and recording a record always seem to be sure fire ways to keep a band tight in the lives shows, and these guys are no expectation. Look for the full review of the record here soon!

Photos & Review by Daniel Nightingale
Photo editing by Tiffany Naugler

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