Captain / Chutes

The Classic Grand bears more than a passing resemblance to the sort of Chicago speakeasy that was so socially important in Prohibition Era America, in more ways than one. The innumerable stairs leading up to the 250 person capacity, theatre-esque live venue (which just has to be right at the top of the building) lend the feeling of 1920's socialite secrecy. The palm trees which flank the stage, the drapes which frame the bar, it's enough to get, 'Singin' the Blues 'Till My Daddy Comes Home' racing round my head. Not for long, however.

Edinburgh five piece Chutes, who, on their myspace describe themselves as indie/new wave/lyrical, are playing to a half empty room with as much conviction as any local band playing a packed King Tuts Wah Wah Hut would display. In truth, the sound is so loud as to swallow any and all nuances of subtlety David Ross (drums), Adam J. McMillan (bass and synths), Stuart Brunton (guitar), Craig Ross (Guitar), and Daniel James Abercrombie (vocals) may -and by the sound of their Chem 19 recordings - do produce.

It's so loud, in fact, that getting a beer requires either a monks patience or a knowledge of sign language. The band (with the aid of Captains' drum kit) are tight despite that, and possibly through sheer will-power are able to convey their drum-lead, synth'd-up, 80's-nostalgic, Biffy Clyro-guitar'd, poetic-pop with a measure of clarity.

A glowing review in the national press and previous gigs at Rockness, T In Park, and supporting Vampire Weekend, show that these chaps are on a little drive with destiny. It's just a damn shame that a carefully weaved vocal section (an emotional climax at the end of their last song) is marred by a terribly weak stage sound. The small room, acoustically unsuited to decibels of this nature, is awash with muddying bass frequencies and feedback, drowning Chutes' (almost) a cappella vocals. I certainly feel that I will be seeing this band again soon, hopefully with a competent sound-man at the helm.



At half past nine Captain grace the stage and illicit a hell of a positive response for a band who seem to generate rabid praise, indecision, or disgust. I cite one review of previous single 'Keep An Open Mind', from the NME website, which stated "Their new single's called 'Keep An Open Mind' as in, "Please don't instantly judge us too harshly kind folk, we know we sound like Scouting For Girls, but listen a few times and maybe you won't want to kick us in the throat as much as you thought." -SH".

Thankfully, Captain sound absolutely nothing like the uber-wet Scouting For Girls, but this kind of dismissive press appears to be a relative constant for Captain. So, it's no surprise that lead singer/ guitarist, Rik Flynn, carries an air of subdued disappointment to the stage. Whatever his state of mind, new track 'Echoes Of Fashion' sports enough sunshine and glockenspiel charm (supplied by multi instrumentalist/ vocalist Clare Szembek) to induce a smile in every member of the band, except, lead guitarist Mario Athanasiou who must be focused on his NASA endorsed pedal board. Smashing Pumpkins are considered to be one of their many influences, however, I would be inclined to say that they sound more like the Pumpkins short-lived sunnier incarnation, Zwan.



Moreover, Flynn is obviously a long time fan of Mr Corgan and sometimes, just sometimes, when he leans away from the mike to pitch a loud, high note, looks almost exactly like Mr Corgan does when doing the exact same thing. If anyone has seen both Captain and Smashing Pumpkins (which judging by the number of attendees tonight must be a microscopic percentage of the population) you will be aware that Flynn, as a singer, is superior to Corgan. That is, until the fuzz boxes switch on and the hook laden vocals transmogrify into a new form of expressive rock mime. It's not until the band have complained enough (and we're a few songs in) that we can consistently hear any lead vocals, never mind backing vocals.

Once it's sorted, the crowd stop being lukewarm and start to open up. 'The Gamble' is the first song of the set to receive anything but modest applause, 'Keep An open Mind', the video of which has Flynn wearing the same stripy top as he is wearing this evening, reigns the set as an infectious, bouncy, and hard pounding pop song. Rueben Humphries (drums) and Alex Yeoman (bass) are a solid, percussive, rhythm section. Countering guitar parts and complimenting the synths, yet never getting in the way of the melody or overplaying to impress. 'Glorious', is one such example. 'Animal', which is as epic as anything available right now, is another. Where some bands struggle to overcome lackluster audiences, Captain manage to succeed. The crowd, regardless of their size, manage to create a convincing enough noise for an encore to be necessary.



'Build A Life' displays the bands philosophy of 'collective creativity' to the fullest. With Szembek on acoustic guitar and duel lead vocals in quiet moments contrasted with Flynn leading the band in the loud sections, it's quite an adventure in sound. "We haven't had much luck on this tour" says Flynn, and that's a damn shame, because Captain have something that Scouting For Girls don't, and that is depth.

FUTURE GIGS

sorry, we currently have no gigs listed for this act.