Welcome to the ramblings of a man who really should have grown out of listening to "that sort of music" a long, long time ago...A place to share thoughts and photographs on music and related paraphernalia.
The Everlasting Yeah at The Half Moon Putney photographed by Paul Slattery
The Everlasting Yeah put in a quite stunning performance at The Half Moon Putney that proved they are one of the best live acts around at the moment. Merging all of the best elements of their previous band That Petrol Emotion, The Everlasting Yeah really are the perfect band for all seasons and all moods. There's something for everyone. After all, TPE were as much influenced by the Soul and Funk of Curtis Mayfield, War and Sly & The Family Stone as they were Punk Rock. They took the avant garde sounds of Captain Beefheart, The Velvet Underground and Pere Ubu and mixed them all up with the sweet harmonies of the Beach Boys. But whereas That Petrol Emotion could sometimes sound like a compilation of various genres (as you can hear discussed in our recent Retrosonic Podcast with the band) the best thing about The Everlasting Yeah is that cram all of these diverse influences into one vibrant, exciting and totally fresh sound with it's own clear identity.
Raymond Gorman of The Everlasting Yeah at The Half Moon Putney photographed by Paul Slattery
Ciaran McLaughlin of The Everlasting Yeah at The Half Moon Putney photographed by Paul Slattery
Brendan Kelly of The Everlasting Yeah at The Half Moon Putney photographed by Paul Slattery
Damian O'Neill of The Everlasting Yeah at The Half Moon Putney photographed by Paul Slattery
The chemistry between all four members is apparent when they play live, they look like they enjoy each others company and it certainly pays off in their music. Brendan Kelly's bass throbs with a thunderous intent and his understanding with drummer Ciaran McLaughlin is impressive as they lock into a mighty groove. The Everlasting Yeah have added a dash of Krautrock's motorik beats into the mix too which enables the songs to develop nicely at their own natural pace. In fact there are more ideas crammed into one Everlasting Yeah song than most bands manage in a whole album! Raymond Gorman and Damian O'Neill seem to have some sort of psychic thing going on as their guitars weave in and out of each other like Richard Lloyd and Tom Verlaine at their best. I've always thought that Damian and Raymond were totally underrated as guitarists, they spin out razor sharp shards of spiky and inventive riffs that complement each other perfectly. Like Joey Santiago from the Pixies they take what at first might be familiar melodic lines and twist them to breaking point. You think you know when the pay off is going to come but they surprise you with another unexpected and thought provoking detour. Although Raymond handles most of the lead vocals - ably backed by Ciaran, who takes the spotlight on "Everything Is Beautiful" - there's no front-man as such, TPE's singer Steve Mack having relocated to his hometown Seattle - The Everlasting Yeah are however, a tight-knit gang who present a united front and share some stunning four-part vocals harmonies.
The Everlasting Yeah at The Half Moon Putney photographed by Paul Slattery
The Everlasting Yeah at The Half Moon Putney photographed by Paul Slattery
The new songs they first played at The Lexington earlier in the year have been tweaked and sharpened up and tonight "Motorbeat City" and in particular a raucous "Dylan '65" both stood out with "hit" stamped all over it them. Here's a sneak preview of "Dylan '65"...
So, the follow-up album looks like it could even give the brilliant debut "Anima Rising" a run for its money judging by the strength of The Everlasting Yeah's new material. Let's hope they get into the studio pretty sharpish as I am already getting impatient to hear these tracks recorded! Opening the night were the brilliant Of Arrowe Hill who also previewed a sizeable chunk of promising new material tonight. New songs such as "You Wish It Was This Easy" closely followed by "Happy Now" prove that it looks like they are going to improve on their last album, which will be no mean feat as "A Conspiracy of Clocks" was an absolute classic. Like The Everlasting Yeah, Of Arrowe Hill can challenge you with their intelligent and thought provoking songs, nothing is predictable or easy to categorize yet both bands never lose sight of the importance of a bloody great tune!
Of Arrowe Hill at The Half Moon Putney photographed by Paul Slattery
Of Arrowe Hill at The Half Moon Putney photographed by Paul Slattery
I'd like to say a huge thank you to both bands, the Half Moon and all who helped in promoting the show and of course all of those that braved a school night and made the effort to come along, it was much appreciated! Don't forget you can check out our Retrosonic Podcast special with The Everlasting Yeah where we chatted to Raymond Gorman, Damian O'Neill and Ciaran McLauglin in the build up to the Half Moon gig. There's a comprehensive look into The Everlasting Yeah's excellent debut album "Anima Rising" and a frank and in-depth journey back through That Petrol Emotion's career and impressive back catalogue. The Podcast is generously sound-tracked with a pick of songs old and new with a couple of surprises thrown in along the way. For more information and up-to-date news on The Everlasting Yeah please check out their official website here. Thanks to Paul Slattery for the photos, you can see more pics from the gig at the Retro Man Blog Facebook page here. Give us a "like" if you want to be kept up to date on future gigs, Podcasts and videos.
