Frog Stupid, the Astronauts, the Coquettes, Grubby Mohican @ Hitchin Club 85, Sun 29th May 05

This ‘Eclectic Mix’ night rarely varies much in musical scope, but does shake up the usual Sunday night fare. Bands old and new are given the chance to play to a captive audience, since chairs and tables are laid out, and who would forego a front-row seat with such a view of talent? It’s easy to be cynical, but is it always worth it?

The very male trio called Grubby Mohican actually have plenty long, long hair to shake about, and shake away in baggy T-shirts and plaid, instantly recalling the early 1990s. Their sound, however, sits somewhat uncomfortably between garage grunge and stadium rock. Those throwbacks who know a bit about such things can fight between Mudhoney and Pearl Jam. I was more interested in their closing number, a discordant shamble reminding me of Sonic Youth, though I’m not sure whether this was deliberate…

Next, an all-female trio named the Coquettes, all the way from Welwyn Garden City and with a more English take on garage-rock. Quite pleasing, quite promising, finishing with a quite cute take on the PJ Harvey classic ‘Dress’. While a cover can often be a rousing finale (see the indie-rocked-up version of ‘Devil Woman’ by Redmaxx), it can sometimes make the preceding set pale in comparison. A change in running-order might be advised. However, the choice does indicate good taste, and if the band keep on listening to early Polly, loosen up, speed up and keep up their gig schedule, it could soon be time for the Coquettes to stop flirting, and really get down to action! Boom boom.

It’s easy to be cynical about music, and indeed about most things, but if you can’t make something good out of your anger, then nobody will want to listen to your complaints. Jokes and quips aren’t hard to find either, but often just cause groans (too much used by every rock critic). There are some writers, though, who can lay into any target and raise both a righteous temper and a wry smile. Mark Astronaut is one of these authors, a man of many albums and lots of hair. He also has a knack for assembling a powerful band. The Astronauts are comparable to long-standing legends the Fall, in that their only real constant is a singer named Mark, their music is by turns awkward, accessible and all points in between, and they both let loose their quarrels with the world while musicians have a right good laugh behind them. While Astronaut’s lyrics are more decipherable than Smith’s often drunken rants, their attitude is no less cutting.

Tonight’s rare outing for the Astronauts begins by asking, ‘Is the Revolution Coming?’, a question they’ve been asking for at least a decade, which has no indication of an answer, and which is just as relevant as ever. Railing against the people in power, and those that lamely protest against them; those that can’t be bothered, and the busybodies who want to bother us all... the advice of the “gentle” song ‘Lonely and Loaded’ says “have fun, if you remember how”. ‘Getting Into Books’ leads only to terrific self-obsession, while “the fourteen-year-old anarchist” would sooner go ‘Donkey Riding’. And the folk-ish, psychedelic-ish, punk-ish sound reaches maximum ferocity on a track rightly called ‘Erupting’. “We don’t know how this song starts, or how it ends – a bit like life, really.”

Mark’s attacked so much in his lyrical oeuvre that you might wonder if there’s anything he does like. Of course, one answer would be “good music”. The Astronauts’ songs should be known as a local treasure. It should also be noted that the band don’t take things all that seriously, and the fiddler ends their noisy finale by handing his instrument out to be played by a random girl in the audience. Well done, all.

Finally, local favourites Frog Stupid perform a set greeted with approval by waving fists, and though tonight stripped down to a trio of acoustic guitar, bass and saxophone, they still inspire enough heat to have a group of boys dance at the front with their shirts off. With a name stolen from a Chris Morris sketch, one might guess rightly that Frog Stupid songs would contain a little political satire, and their chosen style of music, ska-punk, is quite appropriate for any angry jokes or slogans. They do tend to avoid some of this genre’s pitfalls, where the brass is often punctuation to a dilute lyrical message (this can be as irritating as lots and lots of exclamation marks! in the middle! of! a! sentence!), with band leader Chris Hollis both a glum Thom Yorke figure of the ska-punk scene, and the wide-eyed joker at the ‘topical affairs’ desk.

Their classic hymn to Stevenage, ‘Home Sweet Home (Fuck You)’, is appreciated by both residents and others; ‘I Don’t Want to be Like America’, though its slowly bouncing chorus starts to annoy, usefully explains its point of view, in contrast to the dumbed-down repetition elsewhere. Some new songs are similarly effective: empathetic, funny, catchy. “This man annoyed me… so I wrote a song about him” is one self-deprecating introduction. To shy away from such confrontation could be seen as defeatist, but it’s surely a good thing (for yourself as much as anyone) to turn irritation into entertainment, whether resulting in a song, a cartoon, or a gig review. In some small way, these things can make the world a better place. It’s too easy to be cynical and ignorant, when a bit of work can create something more.

www.welwynmusic.com / www.astronauts.org.uk / www.frogstupid.co.uk

home / reviews index

"I'm very cynical about cynicism"