This Town Ain't Big Enough For The 22 Of Us

Los Campesinos!
Attack + Defend
The Wave Pictures
Gindrinker
The Loves
Threatmantics
Stray Borders
Little My

“Every single one of us is Twisted By Design.”

Clwb Ifor back regularly holds greatness between its thighs, but tonight it's different, because tonight this greatness belongs to us. It's what makes Cardiff a great place to be, an exciting place to be in a band and an ever better place to go see live music. Everybody here tonight has a different opinion of each band, a different favourite and a different moment to nip out for the next beer. Which is what makes this night, this CD and this very concept a rip-roaring idea and a great success.

Whilst the world, or the media at least, have been busy cooing over gruff voiced teenagers with angular hair cuts and all the hardcore punk to emo-tinged rock that South Wales could muster, an army has been forming. A club given refugee by Gary's traveling do-it-yourself indie disco Twisted By Design; obscure band t-shirts, ripped chords, converse and scarves are optional if not common. It's where friendships are forged and reinforced over arguments about obscure Pavement tracks and whether the Smiths were really all that good anyway. The spark of a relationship or three have been kindled and extinguished, the flames of lust been fanned and the seeds of great ideas, including this CD, have been formed. Oh yes the gang mentality is definitely still alive and well down these allies. The army is ready. Sitting underground, drawing hat-o-meters to chart successful song requests and biding their time. But now their time has finally come. And it's about flipping time.

In an animal coated scene comparable only to the glorious Animals of Farthing Wood, Little My, amongst many of the members from the twee regiment of bands, took to the well-trodden stage. From crossed legged pandas clutching guitars to a singing cat, strung with stunning vocal chords, Little My placed a careful hand on each and every shoulder in the room and whispered…look at how great music can be! Each of these pairs of ears …from bear, to lion, to cat, have spent their hours wisely against stereos blasting out the greatest collection of music ever and it shines through ever single damn note. Everyone is up there to help, the reindeer shaped Neil Campesinos! attacking a percussion egg and lion shaped Graf Gindrinker ripping into a guitar with his bare pores, amongst others. (In my dreams they are the Welsh Broken Social Scene.)

Laura, the cat and Gareth, the panda, make up Silence At Sea and are given the time and space to show us what they can do in amongst this set. Spinning a glorious and gently haunting ditty or two around each heart, pulling it tighter and causing a flutter. They simply melt it all away. Little My also bravely take on the Hornby Pylons, a lovely little stylophone seemingly covering the stormingly electro nature of the band, helps to create an extremely alternative but pleasing version of a great little slice of something different.

This is the core of Twisted By Design, top scorers on a hat-o-meter near you, playing the music that needs to be made…and it's all just so gosh darn cute! In the aftermath all that can be hear over the rapturous applause is Aleks Campesinos! squeaking about how ace they are…"aww…it’s just like a school music lesson!" And she's not wrong.

Stray borders have many fans in this place. Rightly so, it's spine creakingly wonderful post-rock for the most part. A little formulaic in the song writing field but the kind of potential most would swap their homemade t-shirts for. It is possible, however, that a well-placed clean-as-a-whistle vocal would only serve to enhance an already spirit shaking experience.

Threatmantics are confusing. Like a very exciting ceilidh being forcefully squashed through the eyeballs of a Smiths fan. The deeply shaded colours of despair and mystery seep in from the corners, spinning a merry dance of intrigue along the way. One of the most accomplished acts in the context of their difficult sound; welsh language verses and an unusual set up of instrumentation included. Alongside a gaggle of bands that could be seen as relatively ‘easy’ to get along with Threatmantics offer somewhat of a welcome challenge, and are the true moment of magic for many, both on the CD and here tonight.

The Loves are like a great big surprise party in the middle of a tumultuous evening; a brightly coloured all singing all dancing parade of throw back rock’n’roll. Their stage presence is both cohesive and exciting, much like the collage of a child genius, their lengthy experience apparent in crystallised singles and moments. This band has been making their own brand of intoxicating indie-pop since, I’m guessing, before the Pipettes could even manage a note. Quite simply, much like them, a spirit lifting knees of grandiose proportions.

Cardiff is not you're atypical city, but it's certainly holds a very distinct character within it's loins. To listen to the plinking and plonking of many a twee sort you could be mistaken in thinking that the police ride around on unicorns and give out sweets or something equally as ridiculous. Gindrinker add to the sideways attempt of Threatmantics to haul each and every face down to the grey, rain splattered reality of a Cardiff pavement. Tales of obscure and murky shaded inner logic cut through with the hollering rejoice of Jim Bowen only serves to create the most pleasantly curious experience you may have enjoyed since a wobbly tooth. It usually takes a while, but like olives (evil feet tasting things), after a while most agree that Gindrinker are pure genius.

Possessing some of the more accomplished and extensive song writings amongst this throng of shiny young things are The Wave Pictures. Song after song that relies on nothing more than the passion buried deep in every one of their gleaming pupils, each deeply filled, threading intelligently simple lyrics between their timeless nuggets of curious pop. As with most bands of such wordy nature the crux of the matter leans upon the central vocal carried on whispery guitar flecks dancing through the air. This is finds no problems with most, they have plenty of fans here that much is true, but could possibly meet problems where taste and vocal don't quite meet.

There's a notable distinction, for the most part, throughout this marathon of an evening, and that is between bands that are so wildly and fabulously off-kilter that they are a pleasure to stumble across and those that could easily be packaged as the next slice of popularity. Attack + Defend are most definitely the latter. It's all seems a bit easy, a mish mash of music gone by. This is exactly what some ears want to hear…inducing many a head to nod and foot to tap. With owl merchandise and plenty of scope to let the myriad of flavours they bring to the table settle, there may be a time when this seems less messy.

Los Campesinos! never fail to deliver a set which whips inner thoughts into a frenzy of undisputable joy, one prick of a vein here would unveil dangerously high levels of happiness. The feeling that occurs on seeing this band for the first, fourth, and tenth time is as consistent as the free wall charts given out in British newspapers; couldn't you just burst? It’s rock, paper, scissors indie-pop style; heartbreak vs. fancy dress vs. life as we very much know it. It’s a multilayered extravaganza of passion served up in a manner of different ways, a bit like a trifle. Gareth Campesinos! is equally believable as a chef of such a trifle as well as being indisputable talent in the field of singing at quite pace…can you imagine a world where he had risen to fame as the face of white British cross over indie-rap before Plan b….if only! In any case, as always, they show us note by note how music can change the world, and by Jove I believe it more every time.

Harry from Little My thought that this would be amazing. Gary of Twisted By Design thought it would be possible and made it so. 22 bands made it happen. This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The 22 Of Us is am immense idea, and hopefully the start of this army taking a fort or two. And all you can hear in the winds of this rain soaked places are just about “exciting” it all is. But this is just the beginning.

http://twistedbydesign.co.uk/thistown/