meat - first salford gig
Woah - start over!
Meat. Meat! MEAT!!!
Tried to write this review last night in the full high of enthusiasm - but fuck it was boring. Meat though were fucking magnificent.
You don't need no background (1), no context (2), no nothing except ears and a feeling (3).
No sound check except setting up before they played. And then it started. Steady pulsing bass rooting the sound to start with. Scratching swooping and juddering sonics from guitar and synth sometimes hard to pull apart.
That said the first five minutes felt kinda messy. But then SNAP - it pulled together.
I don't know what happened - I can't describe it. Except like I said on Facebook - lifted out of body out of mind - danced like it was the end of time.
The band just came together like a single mind - rhythm and surging, elbows and knees, bass, beats, glittering highs - time contracted, dilated, and
held still.
The nearest comparison is Womb - but still way off. With only three members Meat is a lot more intuitive responsive nimble (4). There's a lightness - of touch and to the sound generally - that wasn't there before.
And while Womb was physical in a slightly bludgeoning way Meat gets into your skin your muscles your brain and your sex. The sound is fucking sexy - horny - in a really intense way.
Some sounds here - but trust me when I say what I heard last night shimmered and span was a lot less chunky.
I had to dance - it would have been too messy otherwise. You know that moment when you're coming up and you either panic and withdraw or just let it carry you? Or fucking, when you're holding back from orgasm because you know the feeling's so good and intense it's almost like it hurts? That's how it was.
I had to let the sound twist and move me. It was like being in a bubble with the sound to start with - but then everything expanded - the bubble burst - everything vivd colours, everything instant, felt like I was levitating - bouncing trying to shake off the ground. Waaaaahhhhh!!!!!
And that's it. Catch them live. You don't need words, they don't even get close.
See them - dance, shake off your flesh, your bad habits of thought and see where you land when it's over.
Set yourself free, fuckers! You got everything to gain! Meat shaking! Wah!
(1) Meat is Jennifer McDonald, Genette Reynolds and Louise Woodcock (5). They used to be part of Womb - Manchester's most exciting band last year. Of the other ex-members Fiona Ledgard is making tremendous sounds as Cher On Acid, and Helen Shanahan's playing with Salford Media City who gave a fucking (6) great gig last weekend.
(2) The gig was was Meat's second after a visit to Sheffield last weekend, and their first in the twin cities. They were at The Crescent in Salford second on a bill with The Bacillus (not really my thing), Johann Kloos from The Sandells doing his solo thing (messy, but not his fault - like all the acts plagued by technical issues on the night), and headliners The Blimp (not necessarily something I'd buy or listen to at home, but they've always been fucking amazing when I've seen them live).
(3) I have no idea what this note was going to be. I may still be high after last night. Okay... after Friday with a top-up last night (7).
(4) This really, really isn't intended to reflect negatively on what Womb achieved, and has nothing to do with what the other members are doing now.
(5) Alphabetical by surname see - there is some thought goes into this shit.
(6) No, I think swearing's both big and clever. Not to mention funny. So yeah, I'm not going to stop - and if you don't like it you can suck my ass.
(7) This footnotes idea was a lot funnier in my head.
Meat. Meat! MEAT!!!
Tried to write this review last night in the full high of enthusiasm - but fuck it was boring. Meat though were fucking magnificent.
You don't need no background (1), no context (2), no nothing except ears and a feeling (3).
No sound check except setting up before they played. And then it started. Steady pulsing bass rooting the sound to start with. Scratching swooping and juddering sonics from guitar and synth sometimes hard to pull apart.
That said the first five minutes felt kinda messy. But then SNAP - it pulled together.
I don't know what happened - I can't describe it. Except like I said on Facebook - lifted out of body out of mind - danced like it was the end of time.
The band just came together like a single mind - rhythm and surging, elbows and knees, bass, beats, glittering highs - time contracted, dilated, and
held still.
The nearest comparison is Womb - but still way off. With only three members Meat is a lot more intuitive responsive nimble (4). There's a lightness - of touch and to the sound generally - that wasn't there before.
And while Womb was physical in a slightly bludgeoning way Meat gets into your skin your muscles your brain and your sex. The sound is fucking sexy - horny - in a really intense way.
Some sounds here - but trust me when I say what I heard last night shimmered and span was a lot less chunky.
I had to dance - it would have been too messy otherwise. You know that moment when you're coming up and you either panic and withdraw or just let it carry you? Or fucking, when you're holding back from orgasm because you know the feeling's so good and intense it's almost like it hurts? That's how it was.
I had to let the sound twist and move me. It was like being in a bubble with the sound to start with - but then everything expanded - the bubble burst - everything vivd colours, everything instant, felt like I was levitating - bouncing trying to shake off the ground. Waaaaahhhhh!!!!!
And that's it. Catch them live. You don't need words, they don't even get close.
See them - dance, shake off your flesh, your bad habits of thought and see where you land when it's over.
Set yourself free, fuckers! You got everything to gain! Meat shaking! Wah!
(1) Meat is Jennifer McDonald, Genette Reynolds and Louise Woodcock (5). They used to be part of Womb - Manchester's most exciting band last year. Of the other ex-members Fiona Ledgard is making tremendous sounds as Cher On Acid, and Helen Shanahan's playing with Salford Media City who gave a fucking (6) great gig last weekend.
(2) The gig was was Meat's second after a visit to Sheffield last weekend, and their first in the twin cities. They were at The Crescent in Salford second on a bill with The Bacillus (not really my thing), Johann Kloos from The Sandells doing his solo thing (messy, but not his fault - like all the acts plagued by technical issues on the night), and headliners The Blimp (not necessarily something I'd buy or listen to at home, but they've always been fucking amazing when I've seen them live).
(3) I have no idea what this note was going to be. I may still be high after last night. Okay... after Friday with a top-up last night (7).
(4) This really, really isn't intended to reflect negatively on what Womb achieved, and has nothing to do with what the other members are doing now.
(5) Alphabetical by surname see - there is some thought goes into this shit.
(6) No, I think swearing's both big and clever. Not to mention funny. So yeah, I'm not going to stop - and if you don't like it you can suck my ass.
(7) This footnotes idea was a lot funnier in my head.
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