This is not a rant. But it is a little bit of a rant. I feel like i have to tell the internet how i feel because the internet will always listen.
SO. These are my feelings:
I went to see Uh Huh Her at the Soundcontrol in Manchester 21st April 2012 (see picture). I have been a really big fan for 3 or 4 years now, and their songs mean a lot to me. I think the tunes are well-written and well produced, and as a songwriter i think they really encapsulate the electro end of the pop spectrum with a really cool, dark edge. Right up my street.
There is a huge hype around band member Leisha Hailey (star of the L Word and 90s pop punk outfit ‘The Murmurs’) and most people were just there to see her, which is fine, but not me - I was up for hearing the music I love, live, real, performed in front of my eyes.
We got there, the venue was tiny - great, Intimate gig! I have never seen so many lesbians per square foot (and I’ve seen Tegan & Sara live 3 times!), which is great, they definitely had support, regardless, from the crowd. The support band were quite poor, I can’t even recall their name, but their songs were bland and they didn’t connect with the crowd at all. Even though nobody was really there to see them, i thought it was a shame; I’ve seen some really great support acts (The Mars Volta, Giant Drag, Futureheads, Slow Club) and have been one myself so I know it is a really tough gig.
But my main gripe here was with Uh Huh Her as a live setup. They opened with the synth/bass heavy ‘Explode’, which sounded really good. But as the set progressed from the bass oriented and drifted between guitar-oriented and synth oriented it was clear that there was a HUGE gap in the sound.
Besides from live bass, drums and intermittent guitar, all of the other instruments and some of the backing vocals were stuck on a backing track. This did not cut through well at all in the live mix and as a result, pretty much all the guitar parts and some of the lead synth lines were totally lost. Also, in terms of stage presence, there were no musicians (asides from the drummer, who is stuck in one place) ‘doing their thing’ and taking attention at the relevant moments so as to relieve the ‘spot-light’ responsibility from the singer. This resulted in a visibile awkwardness in performance from both frontwomen, which i felt detracted even further from the music. They have not toured extensively as a live band, but enough to know how it works and how to win over a crowd - but they definitely didn’t make me feel secure in their performance.
Backing tracks are fine, a good friend of mine is in a band called The Feud and they are a great example of where it can enhance your sound, especially in a small band. However, it can never be a direct replacement for a real, live musician. Especially guitar, which is such an expressive and dynamic instrument. A real human musician can rock out, play up to the crowd, show off a bit and make a track shine.
As the gig went on, the backing tracks kept on rolling out and I continued to feel frustrated by how incomplete the tracks sounded. I left, having enjoyed my night as a whole, but being really quite disappointed as the experience had come quite far short of my expectations. The potential was there, the individual members of the band are all capable (especially Camilla Grey who has a really great, unique voice), they were just relying too heavily on pre-recorded tracks. It could have been so easily fixed by the addition of 2, maybe even only 1 extra instrumentalist.
Uh Huh Her, if you are reading this (Hi, and sorry), I love your music and want it to sound as awesome as it is. I will be your guitarist and together we can rock the f*ck OUT!
Much love and sincere apologies, SB x
Album Title Wanted!
I’ve finished the first stage of producing my second MA songwriting portfolio. All the songs are written and are well on their way to the finish line. But now, the hardest part - thinking of an album title… Ahhh gahd why is it so difficult?!
So here is an open invitation to send me your thoughts, preferably not boob or poo related (Griff/Mildwater/mcConnell I’m talking to you). The tracks are not ready for preview yet but I will get them up soon, so for now all you need to know is that it’s a concept album exploring proportions and structures in music with a strong sense of storytelling going on. The track names are as follows:
1. Tick Tock
2. Hummingbird
3. The Salamander Sonnet
4. Fractal
5. Dancing On The Mezzanine
6. Sleepwalk Sea Shanty
7. The Shipping Forecast
So think deep, pretty people, think deep :) I will obviously be racking my brains also, but if someone can help me I will make it worth their while (not in a dodgy way…)
Muchos love,
SB x
