Index of Shows | Homepage | Upcoming Shows | Write to me
What I've heard about The Chocolate Watchband going into this show is odd: that they're an old late '60s/early '70s California garage band that have reformed and are mysteriously on a bill with Wildlife. Looking around at the audience full of groovy boomers as they start, I can't help pondering how entertaining the rush for the door will be when Wildlife play. Cynical though I am, I really enjoy The Chocolate Watchband. They are very much of their time; everything's got that watery '60s guitar sound, and the covers they play are a Lennon/McCartney song recorded by the Stones and a Donovan song. But they have pleasant tunes and an engaging "we're doing this again for the fun of it and we're having a blast" energy. And I love seeing women in their fifties dress up and get down.
In fact, things have already emptied out considerably by the time Wildlife go on, but the clot of people remaining in the back is effectively cleared out by the first song. It's not that this band is bad; in fact, they're awesome. But they're a lot more aggressive and confrontational than what we've heard so far this evening. All three members shout, but melody comes mainly from the guitar, and that only when it's not spiralling out of control in feedback squeals or drones. But both of those modes are solid explorations, and the melodic bits are good too. (I especially like a phrase-sampling segment near the end for this.) These are highly structured compositions, with lots of sudden, jarring changes that they handle pretty expertly.
