Damo Better Oxford Blues

Bit of a waffle this one. I think it's because I enjoyed the set, but couldn't say why. Saying whyis kinda my job, so that's no excuse, I appreciate.

Damo has come back to Oxon a couple of times, with different bands, but sadly I've not managed to see any of those shows, so the final question remains a mystery.

DAMO SUZUKI/ SUITABLE CASE FOR TREATMENT/SUNNYVALE NOISE SUB-ELEMENT, Oxfordbands, The Cellar, 24/1/06

Although it took me a while to get converted, I now believe that Sunnyvale Noise Sub-Element are one of the best bands in Oxford. But that doesn't automatically translate into one of the best live bands in Oxford. Their backing tracks are wonderful, all angular electro, thudding techno and thick sonic mulch, but the live instruments don't always add a huge amount, generally consisting of simple, fractured basslines and sudden guitar thrashes. Trouble is, you're not sure you want the live instruments to do much more as it would spoil the musical balance and swamp the lovely crunchy rhythms. Let's just say that Sunnyvale gigs are great but there isn't always much to differentiate them. Oh, except that Damo Suzuki joined them for two numbers tonight. I can't forget that. I get the feeling they won't be forgetting in a hurry, either.

Perhaps some people are forever seeing bands that play a mixture of revivalist hymns, twisted Beefheartian blues, pummeling metal mayhem and children's TV themes, but for me Suitable Case For Treatment are something special. It's amazing how they switch styles so effortlessly, leaping from falsetto silliness one minute to threatening vocal harangues the next (some of which render a stuffed Cellar completely silent, which is no mean feat) via some abstract keyboard noise. Many people have pointed out that the vocalist is so gravelly he makes Tom Waits look like Yma Sumac, but that's not the whole story: lots of vocalists can growl, but not many can do so with such a vivid range of colour and phrasing. Or with such gut-churning volume, for that matter.

Also, for a band that veer quite close to cabaret at times, they don't get too tempted into showboating or playing to the gallery: witness the funereally slow and sparse take on the classic "Will The Circle Be Unbroken?" with which they open the show. And looking at SCFT you get the feeling the circle will be broken. Broken, mangled, chewed up, cut into tiny pieces and possibley boiled in oil. This is the sort of band that makes you want to take up smoking so your mouth can feel like your ears do. A glorious noise.

As has been well documented, Damo Suzuki tends to round up so-called "sound carriers" before his gigs, with whom he then proceeds to play completely improvised sets, so we saw the tiny legend himself surrounded by some of Oxford music's more familiar faces, which was a slightly surreal experience ( I mean for me, God knows how it felt to them!). Anyway, I feel that Damo can go back home happy with the collaboration he discovered in Oxford, as the band was superb. If the music was truly improvised, it was tighter and better controlled than many bands can manage after a month of rehearsals. The sound itself was rich but ultimately very sturdy and evenly weighted - the complete opposite to SCFT - and, consciously or unconsciously, there was a definite kraut flavour to large parts of the set. Special mention must go to Evenings bassist Phil Oakley whose fat and fruity parts seemed to cohere the whole sound.

Although, of course, there was another man onstage who had some influence on the quality of the evening. Damo is fascinating, as it's tough to tell exactly what he does that's so good, and he's clearly just one of those special vocal presences who can improve any music without doing all that much, like Mark E. Smith, Johnny Cash or James brown. He's certainly got quite a small technical armoury, and an even smaller vocal range, but he does just enough to embellish the music and bring out its flavour, like dash of water in a nice single malt. He seemed to find a melodic and downright groovy song in the midst of Sunnyvale's clatter, which is quite some achievement! Ultimately, it would seem that Damo is a very generous collaborator - he is playing with these musicians, not hiring them as a backing band.

Of course, the risk of fully improvised performances is that there are the odd passages that don't ignite, and occasionally the gig edged towards a fuzzy mid-70s jam nightmare...but then again, the joy of fully improvised music is that the great passages arise unannounced, and there were easily enough of these epiphanies to keep me hanging on to the performance for the duration.

A final question for the cold walk home: to what extent did Damo make this gig great, and to what extent was it down to the band? A real stumper, that. I guess next time he comes to play here he can perform with completely different musicians and then we can compare. That's a hint to the Oxfordbands chaps, by the way...