On The Scene: School 19-01-2013

Finally got around to stopping by the new revamped School bar, which pretty much equates to them knocking down a meter of annoying wall. Alright, there was a bit more work done than that, but heck I’d been conjuring up some grandiose visions in my head – jukebox player, disco balls, arena sitting. So yup – same ol’ School, same ol’ drinks, and that same ol’ down and dirty (and loving it) atmosphere which I just adhere to. And what better way to welcome the new School than some good old fashioned rock and roll courtesy of Dirty Little Secret, Thousand of Public, and some little group called Residence A – or something – I forget.

Things kicked off with Dirty Little Secret, who have been in some sort of identity crisis, as I’ve seen the name Miss Freak being tossed around online for these kids. Whatever they wanna call themselves, just stick with it, cause if they keep up the unabashed britrock path they’ll soon have a following.

They’re not reinventing the wheel but when it comes to no nonsense enjoyable rock and roll, that’s exactly what I’ll looking for – no nonsense enjoyable rock and roll. It’s danceable, hits the right beats, and comes with no reservations. It’s a bit sloppy, but while they might lack craftsmanship, they certainly make up for it with a loose no frills attitude that I can roll with. Rock forth young ones.

Thousand of Public entered the arena (cause seriously, School has these bars that cage in the bands like animals) and proceeded to slug their way though a set of new wave rock and roll, which all sounded a tad too much like Steely Heart’s imitation of Brit rock, namely The Stone Roses. Steely Heart can pull it off time-to-time, but these guys not so much.

It’s easy to get caught up in the nostalgia of the sound but at the end of the day they brought nothing new to the table. And while the previous band didn’t entirely bring anything fresh they at least had character, which as I’ve said before can go a long way in a band.

Converts. At this point in time, I’ve feel like I’ve created a cult around Residence A. I’ve talked them up so much at this point, that friends and acquaintances have finally been taking me up on my word, looking to call me on my bullshit. And do they ever?

Nope, just more converts in my Residence A fan club. Suckers. Just watching the expression of their little virgin faces as they realize that this is in fact the real deal – it’s freakishly satisfying. Feel like Haley Joel Osmond in Pay it Forward. And heck, that’s not even on the album – while there was a time I was worrying that Residence A might come up short on their next release, I’ve already counted a handful of songs I adore that haven’t been officially released yet. Now that’s something to look forward to.

Check below for another video from Thousand of Public. Looks like I’ll be going to School a lot more this year.