Oceansize: Roadhouse, Manchester
How did it come to this?
Somewhere on Facebook there's a group called 'Let's get Oceansize Famous'. I'm not sure they're to blame, but this type of call to arms is responsible for what just went down.
Don't get me wrong before this diatribe begins, and it will be an exercise in verbosity, but since when did Manchester's finest become a tribute to cocksucking wastery.
Each and every tour they've ramped up their live proceedings - their last, reviewed on this here site, was perhaps their very best of the umpteen times witnessed since their early pre-Effloresce days.
Yet, tonight, and take nothing - absolutely nothing - away from the band, who once again produced a workout of undeniable superlative music - they attracted, in more than the minority, a crowd seemingly intent on showcasing their 'I'm a bigger fan than you are,' essence which left more than to be desired.
Indeed, the Roadhouse, a venue which should be great for dirty rockin bish-bosh, was ideally suited for Oceansize to re-live their early days of sweaty grandeur, and yet tonight some of those here seemed more intent to fist-pump, thwack thy neighbour and generally goof around like dicks, with little regard to the music on offer. In short, it felt like mini Leeds Fest when it should have felt like a tribute to a band who are better than Avenged Sevenfold.
Funny, it reminded me of Omar Mars Volta at Latitude, a festival which prides itself on looking after your own, where one miserable fuck crowd-surfed, shoe-clattering his way to the front to such an extent that Omar stopped his band, singled the waster out and let rip into a five minute tirade remarking how the Volta are a band to groove to. Not assault others to.
This attitude is reflected in Oceansize's recently released Limited Edition Frames DVD where each of the band, and long-time producer Chris Sheldon continually refer to the groove that is inherently key to T'Size's importance. This facet was lost among much of tonight's crowd; so intent on proving their idolotry, that listening, absorbing, grooving was secondary to basically smashing fuck out of their nearest.
Don't for one moment think this is the ranting of a squib; for the faces on many reflected a similar disdain at the mountains of jocks intent on raising a fist. It reminded me of the O2 dates that Prince did last summer, for every wondering face, smiling at the minute detail, their was a dick barfing his lager waiting for a Little Red Corvette that never arrived.
But maybe that's what these nights are all about. I've yet to do a 'Don't Look Back' style gig before - meaning a gig were your favourite band plays their opus start to finish. Indeed, tonight was the first of Oceansize's triple-header 10th Anniversary Shows, playing Effloresce, Everyone Into Position and Frames consecutively. And to be honest I doubt I'd indulge again. For not only is it apparent they attract nightmare diehards eager to prove they're the Kathy 'Misery' Bates of Fandom, but, and this is a ridiculous criticism, but I'll state it nonetheless, the ingredients are on the tin. You know what's happening and when.
For what it's worth, the show was sublime; the instrumental passages of liquid ebbs perhaps most enjoyable providing a much-needed calm before the incredible savagery of You Wish, Massive Bereavement and One Day All This Could Be Yours, the latter boosted to a six-guitar wangout with Amplifier and Kong guitarists adding ear-rockets to the brain.
The three song run in of Women Who Love Men Who Love Drugs, Saturday Morning Breakfast Show and Long Forgotten is pure blissed out space-rock as Mike's (Vennart) face creases into joyful ecstasy. They re-emerged to run through special treats Paper Champion and the ultra-punishing One Out Of nONE.
Mike vaults the moniters, everyone goes nuts, and they exit to a wall of thunder. It's fitting, but there shouldn't be a but.
Oceansize: Long Forgotten live at Bristol Bierkeller.
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Peter Guy - is at the forefront of Liverpool's independent music scene reporting & reviewing on the latest sounds in Merseyside and beyond.
so, so good.
hi, fine review. completely agree about the pricks going mental. it's one thing to enjoy yourself but when you smash into loads of people just wanting to enjoy the music is another thing. as you say 'size are hardly RATM!
Paper Champion was my highlight, what a great song. Thank you!
If you concentrated more on the gig than the gig-goers, this review wouldn't have come off as so pedantic.
Speaking of pedantic...
It wasn't the Manatees guitarist who joined the band on stage for One Day All This Could Be Yours, it was Jon-Lee from (Oceansize side-project) KONG.
I think the review is spot on, reflecting perfectly the brilliant music but a small section of the crowd that wasn't respectful of others. the roadhouse may have been a nostalgic choice for the band, but it certainly wasn't conducive for a good watch.
You miserable, elitist hack. What you're basically saying is a fist in the air is like a symbol for what? Being a Neandethal man? People were just enjoying a rock show. Oceansize are a heavy band, people like dancing to heavy bands. Instead you'd like to dictate them to 'groove'? Lots of people think The Mars Volta are dicks for that attitude. Mike and the band were relishing in the crowd's reaction. Stop criticising people who are just having a good time, it's not like people were hurt. Like it or not, that's how rock audiences react - writing a review almost solely to ostracise some of the fans you've descided to take a disliking to is just..well, childish. And god, when it wasn't appropriate for people to jump and push, they weren't...fans were zoning out in this lovely, almost psychadelic way. If you stop sneering, you may find you enjoy yourself next time
Get real David, my g/f had spome meathead smash his head into her jaw cos he thought it was ok to bounce off people. Sure the band were loving it, it was their celebratory night - and to be fair they were playing to the converted. there's a difference between 'dancing' as you put it and deliberately pushing, shoving and whacking people. consideration is called for. you twat. and I don't think the reviewer is sneering either, he's merely reflecting what went down.
I love the way David totally ignores the fact that Peter has commented on how amazing the gig was, yet just lays into him for being a snob/childish.
wake up and realise not evryone wants to get knocked around at gigs Davey boy.
The Mars Volta are spot on.
This review is a complete disgrace. It shows a complete lack of respect to the band; purely because of the fact that you don't even mention their own performance until the second last paragraph! You fill the rest of your review complaining, and, as much as you deny it, "ranting like a squib". So a there were a few people who decided to "goof around like dicks"; but who were they? Am I included? Let me ask you. I've been an Oceansize fan for five years, I'm about four rows from the front, and when 'You Wish'(my favourite song that I have never seen live before) kicks in with thunderous guitars and crashing drumming...I'm not allowed to jump and down and go a bit crazy? Fuck off, if you came to a ROCK gig to get your groove on, then there is plenty of space up the back for you to fill. Nae elbows or fists up there you twat. You're incredibly naive. And by the way, the song is actually called 'One Out Of None'. Ironically enough; it seems that you were one out of no people at the gig who paid more attention to the crowd than the band.
Bobby you clown. There's other people on this commenting how they felt the same.
So what you're saying is that people should stand at the back and not see anything????
If you were a member of the Oceansize forum too, you'd see there were peeps who thought the same as the reviewer too.
It was even worse on the EIP night too.
Grow up.
Maybe your right CJ. When I do grow up and hit, I dunno, 35? Maybe then I'll be able to understand how you feel more, and show less apathy towards your non-energetic ways. I think we can conclude that different people enjoy gigs in different ways, and nobody should ostrocised for jumping about and moshing. I loved all three nights; enjoyed myself thourougly. I didn't let the real dicks bother me, such as the people who talked through long forgotten and mine host!
I'm not sure age, is the only factor - I'm 19 and not the biggest person in the world, and didn't appreciate have flying elbows going into my sides, while watching one of my favourite bands.
So I was forced to move further back and then not see anything. hardly what you pay your money for is it?
And apathy certainly has nothing to do with it but obviously you feel the only way to show your appreciation is crashing around like a toddler.
At least you raise a good point about talking through the quieter numbers - but it is funny how their lack of respect for talking, is seemingly worse in your eyes than your physically crashing into people around you.
To James, don't appreciate being called a twat, thankyou very much. To Estaban, he puts in a few token lines about the 'Size which are totally outweighed by his sheer hatred of mosh pits. James, sorry your mrs was hurt but you're judging a whole audience on a few over excited people. Have you guys never been to live music before? These things happen! Odd.
David, you are clearly a twat as you excuse people getting hurt for 'over-excitement'.
Try telling that to my girl, who went home having to nurse a sore jaw.
And then you adopt some condescending tone asking whether I've been to gigs before!
I've seen Oceansize plenty of times not to expect that type of dicking around.
Don't try and adopt the moral high ground by suggesting just because people don't want to get whacked are being naive. You should not have to tolerate that type of thing anywhere.
These things happen, yeah, right course they do - doens't make it right.
And stop ignoring the fact that the reviewer said the gig was 'sublime.'
Twat.
You're such a child James, you're not worth arguing with. My gf, in fact, got hurt as well but does she blame the crowd? No. You're gf knew the risks when she went in the mosh pit. She was probably enjoying it up until that point, no? Saying the gig was sublime doesn't make up for reams of finger pointing the reviewer has deemed worthy of print. Listen to your cd at home if you can't handle a live experience or step back to where people aren't pushing and shoving. My opinion differing to yours does not make me a 'twat' you condencending, angry man
I thought with this being such a limited ticket thing and a special special occasion, people would have to good decency to not act like a twat. Cest La Vie.
Ha! Brilliant! So your g/f gets hurt and it's something to shrug off as 'just part of the experience'. Amazing.
Maybe if people made more attempt to change the way people behave - like the reviewer is maybe suggesting - then less people would be hurt. And more people would enjoy them.
Again, I'll reiterate my point, you shouldn't have to go to the back and see NOTHING just because of a few mindless idiots who smash their considerable weight into others who just want to take in the experience.
But then I've never been to a gig before. So what would I know, hey, Davey?
Err well i never made it to these shows, but thank the lord i saw them at warwick uni for 2£ effloresce tour,twas brillo and there was like 10 people there.
excellent.
it's fairly obvious that what we're dealing with is a difference of opinion, and also a difference in circumstance.
we've all been to a few gigs and we know what happens at them, regardless of what we think of it. maybe some people wouldn't have expected for these oceansize gigs to be a bit rough, but others were probably looking forward to them because they were expecting them to be exactly that. above all else, is it not just a preference?
i gave up 'pitting', or whatever you want to call it, a long time ago and now when i go to a rock or metal gig i either choose to sit down or stand back and observe. that's my preference. the problem with the gigs at the roadhouse was that to do that you completely sacrificed your view of the band. throughout the entirety of both 'effloresce' and 'everyone into position' i could see nothing but the roadhouse sign above the stage. i got down early for 'frames' and stood towards the front, but i gave up even before amplifer came on - i'm not used to it and i didn't like it.
if it is really all about the music, which for me it is, the best thing to do by far is stand at the back and in the middle, where the sound quality is at it's best. during 'frames' i stood just by the door, looking across the stage for one or two songs and although i could see a band member or two, the sound was not great at all. i soon moved to the back and preferred it. yes, i wanted to see the band, but i found that by closing my eyes and losing myself a little bit in the music i didn't really need to. plus, there's a 3 disc DVD on the way. which i knew about all along...
if i had been standing in the middle or at the front or whatever, and someone had hit my girlfriend in the face then maybe i would be adopting a different line of argument alltogether. but that is a specific circumstance, and whether you agree or not, one that came about by putting yourself in that position. you can stand where you stood and leave yourself open to that possibility, or you can stand at the back and avoid it. it is nothing if not a choice, and maybe those who are complaining about the crowd behaviour made the wrong one. as far as i'm concerned i made the right one, and i had 3 of the best gig experiences (if not the best) in my life.
above all else, it is not really realistic to go to a gig and expect the crowd to behave exactly as you'd like. no matter what the gig is or whether it's people moshing, talking, pushing past you or whatever, you just have to distance yourself from it if you want to.
if you aren't prepared to distance yourself from the things you don't like about gigs then aren't you really just wasting your money on them. why bother spending 50 pounds on tickets only to focus on the negatives rather than the positives? there were many many positives and the crowd were just one negative in the opinion of some people.
at the risk of being called a twat, i'm afraid you just have to deal with it.
Wow, this has opened up a royal can of worms.
First off the 'bigger fan' elitism mentioned by the reviewer wasn't really apparent, I was expecting it but thankfully it didn't turn out that way. People came from all over the world for these gigs, and to be surrounded by people who love the music was great fun.
As far as the moshing goes, there is a line that was crossed. Didn't notice it as much on the first night due to being at the front, but was right in the middle of the crowd for night two, and a group of guys were flinging themselves into each other and anyone within a couple of metres with no respect for anyone else at all.
People expect a bit of contact at these gigs (maybe not t'Size though, most crowds for this lot do decent impressions of statues with crossed arms), but in a venue that small, people can't get out of the way far enough without sacrificing their view. If they stay put they split their attention between the band and trying not to get clobbered. Not exactly ideal.
That being said, as a part time fist pumper myself, I'm a tad disappointed to be lumped into the meat head category. I'm far too skinny for that :P
Oh and the band refer to a groove as part of their sound, NOT dictating how their fans should behave.
yeah, digital, I saw them when i was 15 at the uni when i was 17 and they rcoked, and they did wwlmwld - amazing... can understand why peop;e dont wanna get hit but cmon it is a mad nitght, riht?
I think bassfinger talks alot of sense. however, saying that, nothing excuses people's sense of missing out on a great night due to idiocy, surely?
Bassfinger, I think you talk alot of sense, far more than has been expressed by other so called Size fans. What I would say, is that while maybe this review has indeed opened a can of worms it has also pointed out to those maybe with closed views of how their actions can and do ruin a night, so, while maybe the reviwr has been looked on in some circles to be OTT at least it is now maybe making people think twice.
and as a fellow Oceansize fan, like the reviiwer so obviously is, I only think that is good.
i don't think that this review includes anything that is capable of making people think twice. i haven't seen any comments on here or in the forum by people who have realised that their actions were irresponsible or whatever and therefore apologised.
like i said, it's nothing other than a difference of opinion; one group of people don't like the rough and tumble and others are defending their right to act that way. what is the point in arguing for your opinion to take precedent over those of others when you know that no one is going to change the way they think about it?
in any case, a mountain has been made out of a molehill. i get the feeling that all this is happening because some people didn't have as good a night as they thought they would and they are looking for someone or something to blame. it's really no one's problem but your own is it?
"it's really no one's problem but your own is it?"
amen to that.
Been flicking through other reviews this guy's done, he does seems to rather enjoy reviewing crowds...
Pretty much every post here has made a fair point at some stage, in the end it's all down to personal preference. So as far as people thinking twice about their actions goes, i really wouldn't hold my breath.
Oceansize are increasingly going to attract both extremes of support because they combine so many different elements within their music. Unfortunately it seems these elements gel together a fair bit better than some of their fans do!
Dream scenario, they get massive, play bigger venues. Everyone can see, groove or mosh to their hearts content. Or even stand like a post. Alls good and well in the world.
Besides who wouldn't want to see this lot with a massive lightshow?
Or is that daydream a call to arms? :P
Interesting that virtually everyone has commented on what the reviewer actually says rather than their own impression of the actual gig music-wise. I pretty much agree with Peter's assessment.