Thom
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Manchester Music Corinthians live reviewLAST BUS HOME
:: The Shallow Call :: Corinthians ::
25 November 2005 / The Castle / Oldham
By JA
Corinthians seem like quite an unassuming, young rock band from Wigan. Ok, so the fact they come from Wigan already raises the expectation bar, but Corinthians possess some of the biggest noises this side of everyone’s favourite slacker/post rock. On one hand there’s the relentless smash of the snare drum, the elongated passages of post grunge prog, on the other there’s the thick sound of an early 1990’s 4AD back catalogue, coursing through their veins. “I Thought You Liked Music” contains plenty of rugged, atmospheric bass strikes and edgy guitar phrases, as singer Dan Thomas strangles out an emotional mantra of supercharged, almost violent rhetoric. It’s Thomas’s superbly observed, between song banter though, that both insults and entertains the crowd - yet impressively it’s over much of the head of those who are solely here to drink beer and who aren’t interested in bands - which makes the mockery wildly entertaining. “As “I’m Not Racist, But..” is deliberately introduced with plenty of Oldham references, there’s an almost perceivable dip in mood and atmosphere. There’s even a racist in the crowd who thinks racial chants are funny. Oldhams got a lot to learn if it’s going to realise that people want to support its rise from the realms of its assumed bigotry, back water status. We really believe in the town, so why shouldn’t the people who actually live there ?
And so, fortunately a single idiot is revealed, but by one of the most truly punk rock bands out there, who are actually prepared to say and do something instead of investing in eyeliner and hair products. Highlights like “Official Robot Work” provide shotgun guitar squawks and an ever rising, guttural bass line that does in fact lead to a mechanised rise and crescendo, signposted by primeval alt.punk and progressive, razor sharp onslaughts. The show - already highlighted by a prize giving ceremony for the best dancers to two guys who provided some Bez style freaky dancing ( the reward being a band autographed A Patti Smith vinyl L.P. and a Wrestling Video) - culminates in Thomas handing over his guitar to the audience and then dishing out various toy instruments, as the set finishes in a noisy, but sweet and satisfying disarray. They confirm their status as the areas coolest band by carrying out their equipment to the bus stop, read to jump on the next double decker to Wigan. Hardcore.
(We did have a lift really though! And we we're going into manchester to a party to get horsefingered. And I do TELL people I'm from The Tellins. A nice review all the same!)
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Willow
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Pie Eater!
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RicMcToo-Cool
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I heard a dead boss lad drove you there. That's right. Me.
I thought Oldham was horrid and full of knobheads.
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Thom
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Too true.
You weren't dead boss though, you drove up the pavement on a one way street, through some red light, then down the wrong side of the road in manchester!
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RicMcToo-Cool
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I swear I thought that orange bit would last about 10 feet and we'd be sorted, but it didn't. I also didn't even realise they were lights til I was through.
Dave was gutted though, eh!?
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Willow
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I remember driving to manchester for a gig. Getting badly lost. Letting a load of mancs in my car who were going to give me directions in exchange for a lift. Obviously they took me nowhere near where I was supposed to be going. Bastards!
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RicMcToo-Cool
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Never trust a mancunian!
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