@EXCHANGE: PSYCHIC ILLS 23/09/2013

This Monday saw New York psych rock band 'Psychic Ills' play at Exchange. The latest line-up by Dean 'Offbeat' Murphy's 'Pagan Love Vibrations' included 'GuMM', 'Annette Berlin', 'The Veneer', and 'The Silk Report'.

All Pictures by Louise Brady.

@EXCHANGE // BEING AS AN OCEAN 18/09/2013

Huge thanks to Albert Testani for contributing the following article.

Ready for some hardcore tunes, I rocked up to the Exchange to watch Capsize, The Elijah and Being as an Ocean and prepared to have my face rocked off.

As the California natives, Capsize took the stage they immediately kicked into a set that felt like it was meant to take down the building.

Complete with on and off stage thrashing, Capsize blended melodic breakdowns with guttural growls and screams, warming up the crowd for the onslaught that Being as an Ocean would release later on in the evening.

The Elijah followed Capsize with a performance so heavy in strobe lights that I’m pretty sure I need to get checked for epilepsy now. Similar to 65daysofstatic, TE played a beautiful set but it was brought down by the hardcore growls of one of the vocalists.

The guitarist emotively cried out the backing lyrics and felt like a light that washed over the dark ambiance the band created with a blacked out stage, except for those strobes. Then the atmosphere was lethargically shattered by the wavering growls of the lead vocalist.

As the lights went back up, the audience crammed towards the stage for Being as an Ocean, only to be opened up by lead singer, Joel Quartuccio, who performed the whole set off stage.

At first it was refreshing to see such a passionate performance and one that was so connected to the audience, but that enthusiasm started to waiver about halfway through the set. As I watched Quartuccio wade through the sea of bodies that desperately clutched at him and screamed lyrics hoping to get a chance to grab the microphone, I couldn’t help but watch the rest of the band on stage.

Being as an Ocean are strong influenced by mysticisms and religious themes and advertise themselves as a Christian hardcore band, not unlike that of earlier mewithoutYou.

With a strong spiritual connection to the music comes a strong connection to fans that relate and embrace these personal lyrics. But it felt like the music and the personal performance of the other musicians in the band was lost and the fervor of the swirling crowd.

The swinging hooks and beautifully cutting guitar lines provided such a strong foundation for this passionate set. It was a shame that they weren’t the ones fending of the desperate and affectionate hands of the crowd.

When the set drew to a close, the crowd, bathed in each other’s sweat, applauded as the band humbly shuffled off stage to get ready to rock more faces off on their next stop.

MEET THE TEAM // CROFTY

Next up for our 'Meet the Team' feature is 'Crofty'. See the last post with Fat Paul HERE.

Introduce yourself..

My name is Matthew Otridge (Crofty), I program the diary and co-own Exchange.

Tell us a little about your pastimes / endeavours...

I've been in several bands over the years, including 'Chain Chomp and the Shy Guys' (below) and have been promoting under 'Deadpunk Promotions' for ten years.

Talk us through a typical day...

Wake up, receive phone call from Dave Brent, hang out at Exchange, watch Gareth eat salad, receive phone call from Dave Brent, play basketball, receive phone call from Dave Brent, turn phone off, Sleep. (That's on a pretty good day...)

What are you currently listening to?

Propagandhi, Felix Mendelssohn, WOAHNOWS, Aesop Rock.

Significant / influential album...

The Shape Of Punk To Come -Refused.

Your favourite place is...

Wherever I go I always seem to end up back in Bristol.

Your signature drink...

Coconut Water.

Your favourite film is...

The Godfather.

Who would play you in a film?

Morgan Freeman.

Your best exchange moment was...

When Redg met CLB.