The Chase / Crosshair
Week 7 - 31st March 2005
By Majere

Due to Sharkeys absence this week; the review will be headed by Majere and Jo. If you hadn't already guessed, Jo took the pictures of this weeks heat.

A quieter night than some this, but still a decent enough crowd. As people settle into place for another night's entertainment, the first surprise of the night unfolds as a dressed table with a keyboard and effects rig appears on the BOTB stage. Curiousity is piqued...

THE CHASE - As The Chase hit the stage directly after being introduced, it becomes clear.. that they haven't. After a few seconds puzzlement, the band appear to be welcomed by random noises of a vaguely orchestral nature from the aforementioned gadgetry, with a bit of Dr Who thrown in. Perhaps this was meant to be a grand entrance accompanied by pre-recorded choirs, but in the event confusion reigns for a few seconds before surprise number two- The Chase are a man down. This makes three of them.

This seems to be a good point to mention the multi-talented "Charlie", who despite sharing his name with a certain ex-member of Busted turns out to be a multi-talented musician, playing bass, grappling with the uncooperative electronics and at one point, even taking on lead guitar duites! With this heroic individual taking the role of at least two band members, the set has a disjointed feel to it, but The Chase persist and soon the crowd is treated to one of the most unusual sounds in the competition so far. Sometimes, as the guitar and keyboard swell, the sound is that of a demented fairground ride, whilst when Charlie straps on the four-string, things take on a more lick-heavy, Lynyrd Skynyrd plays Reggae feel.

A cover goes by with possibly no-one in the crowd guessing what it is, but it doesn't seem to matter- The Chase are here to play their music, and play it they do, often paying little mind to the audience except when the forced delays make it necessary. The frontman is sometimes animated, sometimes still, but puts in a good guitar performance and a workmanlike, though unspectacular vocal one. "Hanging On" is a standout track, with a funky organ intro, but the whole set is fresh and original. I was left wondering, as I suspect were many others, what The Chase might have sounded like with their missing member- and for that matter, what their missing member does...

Majere thinks The Chase should cover: The 'Dr Who' theme!

INTERLUDE - Discussion turns to the lower-than-average turnout, with the conclusion being that many would-be patrons of live music are instead patronising the fair tonight. Despite Thursday being cheapo night, hopefully casualties due to rogue toffee-apples and unexploded candy-floss will be light.

CROSSHAIR - Returning from the bar, I spy the third surprise of the night. Having learned that Crosshair are to play with the mighty Hollowpoint, the last thing I was expecting to see appear on the stage before the set was a green harp, but there it stands, posing an interesting logistical challenge for the sound team. Seeing that the harpist is a girl in an eye-catching black and white gipsy-dress ensemble, it seems a safe bet that she will lurk demurely at the side of the stage, strumming with that distracted air of all harpists and providing the night's eye-candy.

She is, of course, in fact the lead singer of the band. Once again my predictive abilities prove to be about the level of Michael Fish forecasting fine weather in February, or people booking return tickets on the Titanic. My personal failings aside, even Crosshair's soundcheck is a surprise, with the usual 'One-Two' mantra replaced by a sweetly trilled ditty about, appropriately enough, the joys of soundchecks. Soundcheck shenanigans disposed of, Crosshair launch straight into their set, with a new song written, apparently, 'Yesterday'. From the off it is apparent that once again the rulebook has not only been thrown out of the window, but eaten by a passing cow. Crosshair play heavy tracks powered by a fearsomely accurate drummer, over which the soaring,

Kate-Bush-esque vocals reverberate. Though those of us who are picky about such things (like me) might argue that the vocals are occasionally off-key or a little shrill, there is no denying their sheer power, and especially late in the set, their almost hypnotic beauty. Though originals provide the bulk of the tracks, with such wonderfully gothic titles as "Ophelia Cried an Ocean" and "Narcoleptic Angel", there's still time for a few covers, from a somewhat alternative version of the Stone's classic "Paint it Black" to the harp-led deconstruction of "Enter Sanman".

Just in case those of us trying to sum up the set aren't having a hard enough time yet, things close off with a belting, straight-down-the-line cover of "Johnny B. Goode"! Despite the sparseness of the crowd, this last track brings out a respectable little knot of dancers, including one reported backflip which, typically, I fail to spot. This, and the solid applause, seems a well-earned reward for the band, especially the frontwoman whose enthusiasm, smile and general sense of fun win her a fair crowd of admirers by the end of the set.

If I had to make a criticism, apart from the problems with the vocals early in the set, it seems that sometimes the guitars and vocals don't quite gel together, in a manner reminiscent of some of Disturbed's less effective tracks, and the sheer magnetism of the frontwoman and vocal-centric nature of the material makes things feel at times like a solo performance. Again in the early part of the set, there also seem to be a few rythm hiccups. Overall, however, a fun, sassy and creative set from a band who may well be going places. They'll certainly be going to The Marquee this weekend, where I look forward to witnessing them at closer quarters!

Majere thinks Crosshair should cover: "Stand My Ground" (Within Temptation)

Jo writes:

First of all, let me publicly grovel in apology for my remarks in last week’s review. Let’s face it, it was never going to be as objective as these things really should be – and while I strive, in 100 words or less, to capture the moods of all the ordinary people I talk to out there, I am the only one ultimately responsible for what I write. I therefore accept full responsibility for royally pissing off FT, Trob Management and all their various acolytes, and beg your forgiveness; I made a mistake. You is still me homeboys, innit.

And so on to this week’s exhibitionists: Chase were one member down, I presume the bass player, but that didn’t stop them delivering a skilled little belter of a set. Reviewer bias alert: I do despise the miserable indie rock that seems to be so prevalent in the mainstream at the moment – new Coldplay album, anyone? – but even I could appreciate the talent of these guys. Their soulful, introspective sounds struck a chord with many; and following on from the big hoo-ha about the “50-50” rules change, I could discern no covers. And even if the new rule isn’t implemented just yet, this will count them in good with the judges.
Sadly, as it was the first night of the fair there weren’t nearly as many people present as there really should’ve been; but at least there was a posse of hangers-on sitting at the front in a row listening with rapt attention. The keyboard-mixy-thingy certainly added a little innovation to the set and kept the sound fresh – perhaps some of the samey nouveau-miserablists all over MTV could take a hint from this band. Put ‘em in the next round!

“Damn good! Like Coldplay mixed with the Mars Volta” – Blakey

I did a double-take whilst glancing at the stage set-up in between bands… dude, that’s like a harp, man. For sheer randomness of selection of instrument, Crosshair get two thumbs up from me. And that’s without even mentioning the lovely frontlady – whose voice was certainly stunningly powerful. (Oh to be able to sing like that…) In fact, in places it was overwhelming; it is a tough balance getting vocals just the right place in the mix, as having them just a bit higher or a bit lower can completely alter the performance of a song.

Pity that many people started filtering out - presumably back to the fair - as you missed the highlight of the set: an invigorating rendition of Enter Sandman, complete with harp and lighter-waving circle of admirers seated in the front. By that point, various tuning problems had been sorted and the effect was quite surreal. I do have a weakness for different instruments in bands, and this was an eye-opener: but it would’ve helped, I think, to have the harp miked up as I only heard it right at the front. An overall blingin’ performance, with an excellently flamboyant and confident singer and adept musicianship. Just add a few more audience members really getting into it, and the night would’ve been perfect.

“She dances just like you Jo!” – Why thank you, Nicola
“Them? They good!” – Sam, who kept introducing herself to me multiple times

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