This gig had a slightly surreal quality for me because I have been a devout Pavement / Stephen Malkmus fan for a decade now but this was my first opportunity to see the great man live. I couldn’t really believe that he was going to actually appear for some reason.

Thankfully, openers “Maths Class” didn’t give me a chance to get any pre-date nerves because they were very, very loud. In fact my girlfriend had to stick her fingers in her ears and screw her face up and look at me in a funny way they were so loud. This is a mark of success in my book. I have to admit I’d never heard of “Maths Class” so was slightly surprised to find they have had hundreds of thousands of hits on MySpace. But this increasing success is not just down to the volume at which they can play…no. And it’s not entirely down to the fact that they cut their own hair either. I suspect it’s mainly because they do a very professional line in Liars / Biffy Clyro style screamo. They wouldn’t describe it as screamo, because it’s not the Nineties anymore but that, to all intents and purposes is what it is. Some natty shouting, simple and effective choruses (chorus ?), sharp guitar and bass, clinical disco-punk drumming and obligatory electronics noodling all added up to a live performance that got me and a whole room of people from not paying a great deal of attention to giving them a fairly hefty cheer when they left the stage. The only fault I can find with the burgeoning Maths Class is that their recorded stuff struggled to keep up with the live sound. That said I would strongly recommend giving them a listen and lets see what they get up to.  When they start puberty they’re going to be even better.

When Stephen appeared he was welcomed like a shambolic religious figure. I could see that I wasn’t the only Malkmus worshipper, but we were all trying to keep our cool. Neither he nor the Jicks were overly chatty but (cliché alert) he used his music to do all his talking, and considering how complicated and verbose his music is becoming he probably needs the rest between songs. He gave Real Emotional Trash a good working over, playing nearly everything of it (particularly fine versions of Dragonfly Pie, Gardenia, We Can’t Help You, Cold Son and a hilarious stop/start attempt at Hopscotch Willie) and paid a healthy visit to his three other albums with brilliant versions of (to name a few) Dark Wave, Jenny and the Ess-Dog and Do Not Feed The Oysters.  A cluster of new tunes (well new to me anyway) sounded good but he doesn’t make music that is instantly appealing, it takes time and nurturing to make the most of his stoner prog.

The only negative mark on the whole shebang was when some pissed mod bloke felt compelled to shout “Play some Pavement…” which was roundly ignored by everyone in the room.  An excellent gig with a quiet but appreciative audience that made me feel even warmer towards Stephen and the Jicks, while Maths Class have now introduced even more shouty music into my life. Something I’m sure my girlfriend appreciates.

Daddy Tank