So the week was done. Friday had come round again, and the thought of watching crap telly and sitting on the sofa was getting me down, so after a quick look at the gigs on offer in Glasgow, I was out heading straight for King Tuts.

Only having heard a few brief samples of the night’s headlining act, Seaerauber Jenny before, I was curious to hear more and excited at what little I had heard. It is not often that a headlining act at King Tut’s does not receive the attention they deserve from the gig, but with local support from Blank Canvas, and The Rudiments bringing in a solid crowd of supporters it seemed like the headliners tonight were somewhat overlooked as the audience dispersed after watching what most of them had come for.

Ok it is true, The Rudiments with their ever so tight set of melodic sixties inspired ditties, re-imagined for a naughties generation of indie and Brit-Pop tuned ears…provided great entertainment and did not disappoint on returning to the stage after some time out writing new material. It’s hard to keep up with the amount of musical talent in Glasgow at the moment, but this confident band gave the audience exactly what they wanted. Fresh- faced youngsters, Blank Canvas provided a good start to the night in a sort of ‘Arctic Monkey and straight out of school’ kind of way… Youth is definitely on their side, yet spiky guitar riffs emanating from the guitarist’s telecaster and some awesome drumming hinted at a complex structuring of songs way more polished than one might at first think. Definitely a band to look out for!

So with half the audience left in the venue it was time for Searauber Jenny to take to the stage – I hope some people are still reading as they really deserve your ears. Crossing the borders of North and South, the band which I think plays on the name of German Sea Pirates, is formed from an unconventional collaboration between Bristol based singer songwriter Fran Barker and Manchester based maestro producer Neil Claxton (formerly of Mint Royale – who does not play in this live formation). With a solid band to tour with, this sweetly infectious, and gloriously sonic outfit, (that is supposed to make you curious now) fuse electric and acoustic guitars with Fran’s heartfelt and at times fragile vocals into a sort of post punk, low fi, yet enchanting pop act.

Their debut single ‘Push it Away’ combines the stripped back and direct guitar sounds with electronica and production quality, fully hinting at the capabilities of this collaboration. Beautifully written choruses and an uplifting structure elevate the song to new levels in a kind of Karen O meets Joy Division inspired way. Listening to the CD, I am loving this song and am looking forward to hearing more of this evening’s set-list on record. At the moment, this single and last weeks release on Faith and Hope Records  –  ‘Avalanche’ are all I can find available online and through I Tunes however an album is clearly in the pipeline.

‘Avalanche‘ is another highlight of the set and you can’t go wrong with giving both these songs a listen. Again the urgent and expansive vocals, take on a dynamic that in some way reminds me of Placebo. To mention a more subtle comparison, perhaps an inspirational debt owed to the crisp guitar hooks and drum beats of the Cure’s ‘Fire In Cairo’ would be more befitting. The beauty however with this act, is their sound is very much their own and comparisons or attempts to pigeon hole their sound would be an injustice to a band that sound like they are having fun developing their sound. Now with their first UK tour behind them all I can say is – I want to hear more; and with such a debut why not make a prediction. – I think if not this year, then maybe their time will come in 2012.

Searauber Jenny

The Rudiments

Blank Canvas

Tom’s Flickr

By Tom Manley on March 19, 2011