GIG REVIEW: I Am Kloot
- Posted on November 30, 2007 2:18 PM
- 1 comment
I Am Kloot
93 Feet East
29th November 2007
Review by Gennaro Ascione
I must confess my sin: I like going to gigs without paying. I approaching the first friend that comes to mind... “Hey! What you gonna do tonight? Want to come with me, have something to drink and see a gig?”
I love waiting for the aforementioned friend to answer with something like: “Oh, I would Gen, but I’m out of money these days…”
It’s here that I cut in with my relaxed voice pronouncing the sentence par excellence, the magic phrase, the Merlin’s formula: “Take it easy, our names are on the list.”
Last night it happened once again. ”Oh great Gen! Who’s going to perform?”
“I Am Kloot”, I answered.
“Yes, I know Gen. It’s not your fault. So, who’s going to perform?”
I Am Kloot is the cool name for a band which understood the importance of being self-ironic. I’ve know them since five or six years ago when the NME created the Next Big Thing; naming everything played with an acoustic guitar as NAM (New Acoustic Movement).
Of course in the NAM pot we find Turin Brakes or Sodastream and Kings of Convenience, but I don’t like soup that much… I Am Kloot is not simply a bittersweet mix of warm chords, nor the kind of melancholic flavour you can taste while sitting in your room watching old flicks. Come on!
Last night I reached the Brick Lane venue just before the show began and I found a very weird, quiet crowd drinking and chatting as if it was just a normal pub. It was as if no-one was there for the gig.
But, those of you who know I Am Kloot will know that their crowds never stay subdued for long. In fact, as soon as the first notes come out from John Bramwell’s acoustic guitar, everybody screams and start singing the magic words of Fingerprints, “Heaven is a place upon your skin”.
Take your time to think about your past loves… okay, time’s over!
With his unmistakable Manchester accent, John asks everybody “Aren’t you annoyed with all this acoustic stuff?!”
And here we go with a different gear; A rhythm dominated by 6/8, with an alternate slight distortion which perfectly blends with the bass lines. A kind of wave comes and goes through the crowd and the drum hits the stomach as John’s almost hoarse voice tells the complex story of deep feelings.
The way people react to the new album’s songs shows how the band gets straight to the point, relying on elegant ballads performed in a more powerfully than they are in the studio versions. Each refrain gains in intensity the more it is performed and finally finds everyone screaming at Gods and Monsters, From Your Favourite Sky, Maybe I Should, and my favourite - Life in a Day.
Please don’t call’em Folk, it’s not enough. Don’t call ’em an acoustic band, it does not make much sense. Don’t call ’em minimal, it does not fit with the way they express themselves.
Maybe I Am Kloot, but listen... you would've loved to have joined me last night!
Were you there for I Am Kloot's London gigs? Tell us all about it in the comments section.
We caught up with John Bramwell for a chin wag... read what he had to say about the band's return.
Find I Am Kloot listings and tickets on Seatwave.
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Comments (1)
John
amazing gig, what an incredible performance given the state of johns throat. no thanks to the amazing number of pricks who were chinwagging thru the entire gig, fortunatley we managed to find a spot near a considerate bunch who were more intent on enjoying the night. i can't beleive we stood next to a pair of complete cockends talking to each other about how great their jobs were?!?!?! sweet jeezuz what the fek do you nobeds do for fun? would reccomend this band to everyone a great experience if you can avoid the pekkerheads :-)
Posted on November 30, 2007 8:34 PM
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