Cage the Elephant
Sunday, 07 June 2009
They were described to us as one of the most energetic bands on the live circuit and they didn’t disappoint. Beyond boundless energy and a powerful live performance, these five young men, hailing from Kentucky in the US, actually have something to say. We were lucky enough to catch Cage the Elephant as they passed through Northampton UK and then we got our hands on a copy of their eponymous debut CD. While millions gawp at Britain’s Got Couch Potatoes, people are still producing fine music. There is still hope.....
BUICK MCKANE - A RABBIT, A WAITER AND A BIKINI
There’s something wonderful about ordinary people escaping the humdrum of everyday life, even if it’s for less than an hour on a local stage. Only a few days before the gig, I had the privilege to meet the Rabbit* at a trendy local emporium where he was working. I was writing an article about the environment and he was serving in the restaurant. Now regular readers will know that I hate rude customers** but I doubt anyone would be rude to this man as he went out of his way to be helpful (in a place which was to vegans what KFC is to animal welfare). We got chatting and I found out that he was in local band Buick McKane, due to support Cage the Elephant at the Roadmender in less than a week. Perfect.
The band describes itself as a loud alt indie rock 2 piece. For those who think that a 2 piece can only work in women’s swimwear, you really need to check these guys out. The Rabbit provides “vox, guitar and bass sounds” and the Box beats the skins. It was great to see the Rabbit transform from barista to performer. On stage he hit that fine balance between confidence and cockiness as the band played an all too brief seven song set. He seems to have a strong and flexible voice, and he’s well served by the Box’s tight, no nonsense drumming. It’s a partnership that works.
Opening with Nothing, a slab of raw rock, broken up by staccato moments with the Rabbit seeming to chew up and spit out the lyrics, the band grabbed the crowd’s attention. It’s rare to see a second support carry a crowd right through its set without getting restless but Buick McKane appeared to manage it with ease. For me, the highlights were Compliment My Intolerance and the excellent Systematic Anomaly. It was a fine performance from a promising band and I look forward to seeing them again. Doing what they do best – making music, not serving coffee. I wish them well.
Next up were Yeltsin. Rather lazily, I didn’t make any notes as Gary the Music Man had bought me a CD from the merchandise stall. Unfortunately it’s turned out to be blank so we all lose!
RELEASE THE PACHYDERMS!
Sadly we Brits tend to associate Kentucky with fast food restaurants which have a pathetic record on animal welfare and lurid stories about deep-fried rodents. Better news is that Kentucky has also produced a fine band in Cage the Elephant. Lead singer Matt Schultz is a good front man. He has so much energy and passion that it’s impossible not to get caught up in it. He appears to spend equal amounts of time on the stage and in the air.
Musically, Cage the Elephant cover a broad area with discernible influences ranging across several decades. It’s a potent cocktail of punk, metal, funk and pop. James Brown kicks off all Rolling Stones, Back Stabbin’ Betty takes the sound the whole way through and there’s a little bit of the Jagger about Schultz’s performance. Tiny Little Robots is a straight punk pop song until half way through when it goes a bit Led Zep. Back Against the Wall has shades of INXS but despite all these retro nods, the band sounds thoroughly modern and there’s a rich seam of funk running through the whole set.
Lyrically, the band is starting to stretch the boundaries of the issues US bands are allowed to mention. In a country where pacifism can be spun as treason, it’s only a few brave bands which are prepared to question the idiot agenda of US foreign policy. Lotus deals with ethnic cleansing and militarism (“manifest destiny is just another word for murder........keep droppin’ bombs until the whole world’s dead”) and Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked draws the obvious but controversial link between crime and poverty (“I got bills to pay, I got mouths to feed, ain’t nothing in this world for free”). Despite the forthright message, there’s no preaching from the band. They simply deliver the ammunition and let the audience take it away and think it through. I felt like I’d been at a gig rather than a political rally, but I felt that I’d been among kindred spirits.
The album is remarkable for its maturity. It’s rare for bands to manage to combine such raw energy with such a mature sound on a first recording. Outstanding track must be In One Ear, a revolutionary youth rant with the fine line, “it’s your tyranny that drives us, adds the fire to our flames”. Cage the elephant maybe but let loose the Kentucky boys to make us move and make us think. McDonald’s is shit but I’m lovin’ this.
*if we told you his real name, we would have to kill you or staple you to a local Conservative MP
LINKS
LINKED ARTICLES ON TAKE THE RED PILL
Loads more gig reviews and pictures in our Media section
**P.I.G.S. – Treat Your Servants with Respect!
