Burning Bright

Saturday night, I dropped by The Rivoli to catch a few bands. First up was a trio called Air Marshall Landing. The guitarist had an injured foot and hobbled up on stage on crutches. He spent the set sitting down on a stool. But that didn't diminish the quality of their music: funky, catchy, with sometimes funny lyrics. Like most bands with a bassist on lead, there were complex bass lines although thankfully no wankery or indulgent noodling. It was eminently danceable music.

It was a great start but Viva Mars couldn't quite sustain it. Their sound, a melange of sonic distortion, earnest lyrics, and typical indie rock didn't grab me. But they had a good contingent of fans who sang along to their music.

It was the CD pre-release show for The Box Tiger. Though their debut album won't come out for another 2 months, a limited number of discs were available tonight. They benefited enormously from the impeccable sound of this venue. Unlike the muddied noise at The Garrison a few weeks back, all their instrumentation came through pristinely. What this mix revealed was quite a hard-rock edge, with hooky choruses for songs like Bleeding Hart, Set Fire To Your Friends, Knives, and Taller Than Trees. Add in a few enthusiastic fans, old and newly converted, and you had an excellent, high-energy set.