GIG REVIEW – Rabo De Toro, Cane Toads, Horse Spookers, Chris @ The Skerries, Bangor
A low-key, off-key birthday party for James Phillips [pic above by him!] – the man who maintains and oversees the music scene in Bangor. Make no bones about it… People like James are hugely important to local music scenes, equally as important as the people who come out to watch and enjoy the shows, and equally as important as the bands and artistes who perform (usually for free or just for expenses).
The Skerries, at the bottom of Bangor High Street is bustling, people are milling about with people involved in the scene, again, like I said, promoters, punters, performers… It’s a big family…
Chris Chadwick-Parnell is playing his idiosyncratic folk songs in his unique style, making unorthodox use of his cappo (I’ve never seen it that far down the neck of a guitar before). Chris is a blind busker who unfortunately made national headlines last summer when two utter wankers robbed him while he was playing; taking advantage of his disability. Thankfully, someone caught the act on camera and they were subsequently jailed. The community reaction; the reaction of ‘The Family’ was overwhelming and wholehearted.
It’s my party and I’ll sing if I want to… James Phillips assembled The Horse Spookers for a one-off set of Neil Young covers – it’s not my thing, but entertaining all the same. James cleared the way and left the remaining three band members to do their proper stuff as The Cane Toads – playing their pseudo-blues; plundering the distorted depths of guitardom to great effect.
The night was running late and few bods had grabbed the last bus home by the time Rabo De Toro alighted the stage. Although this allowed those in the bar to filter through. It was a short set, and better for it (not that you can better what Rabo do). A couple of new songs are thrown at you, as are chosen tunes from their debut album ‘Rabo De Toro’ that was released last year.
Tonight’s set is a warm up for the monster show coming up next Saturday at The Marine in Old Colwyn – and Rabo’s biggest crime is the gaps they leave between gigs…
‘I fucking love this band…’ I hear someone shout in his mate’s ear… My sentiments exactly as I join in the chorus (from the back of the venue) of ‘Allllll, I want to see…is the end of ideology…’ – Yeah, fuck the left and fuck the right…. I’ve said it before, Rabo De Toro make me want to pull down the rotten pillars of our rotten society and start all over again…
Viva De Toro..!!!
[other pics courtesy of rabo de toro]
