SPACE CADETS

THE JOHN DOE'S AND GENETIX UK LIVE AT THE STARMS

An anonymous memebr of the
audience, Mr David Boyes

26 : 06 : 15

A balmy, hot day in Whitby, and no sign of the evening being any cooler. At nine o'clock Mr Corner and I walked down Station Avenue, cut across Stakesby Road and through the trees (which felt like a tropical rain forest, with birds singing and wood pigeons hooting. A monkey swinging through the branches wouldn't have been too much of a shock) to The Stakesby Arms.

Last time I was at a gig there the little back room the bands played in was a sweatbox and it was necessary to keep coming out into the main bar for fresh air. There was football on the telly that night, so missing the odd song wasn't too much of a chore. It gave me a chance to keep up to date with the score.

On this occasion there was some sort of function on in the back room, possibly a wedding do, so the gig took place in the second bar. It was like playing in someone's living room. The drummers sat in the frame of the fire place and behind the amps was a cabinet of  posh glasses, which were in danger of shattering if the correct note was hit and sustained for long enough. Emily out of Genetix UK got closest.

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I CAN SEE MY HOUSE FROM HERE

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Swirling with the John Doe's

It was the first time I'd seen the new line up of The John Doe's with Jason on bass and Dave Corner on guitar. They kicked off with Space Cadets and the difference was immediately apparent. The sound has a lot more depth to it and the songs are countoured with dynamics  and layers. Previously the band were pretty heavy, but now some of the headlong onslaught has been lost and in its place is an allegiance to the songs.

Dave wrings some interesting sounds from his guitar and Jason adds a fluidity to the basslines that was never there before. At times there is a surprising tenderness in the lyrics, as in White Feathers or You are my Everything. Rob has become much more comfortable front of stage and no longer feels the need to bury the vocals in swathes of reverb. Again this is to the advantage of the song delivery and vocal clarity. He also has a big new red van.

At one point Alan played a very mechanical, almost drum machine beat, but I can't recall the title of the song. That bit stood out for me. Thankfully it never got as hot as it might have done, and he kept his shirt on. Another innovation.

Jason, Rob, Alan and Dave ( Photo: Chris Corner )

The space was perhaps not the best for PA performance. The Starm's small back room, which is
enclosed and perfectly rectangular in shape, probably contains the sound far more consistently. In contrast the bar room had lots of places for the sound to escape from, The PA itself included a very thin pair of speakers. They looked like two blackboards. As Chris pointed out later, almost, but not quite, as weird as the totem pole shaped PA speakers Mark Liddell used in The Buck once.

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WATCH JOEL SHAKE IT

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Emily ( Photo: Chris Corner )

I am such a poor photographer, maybe because I don't read the instruction manuals beyond the macro lens bit so I can take pictures of sea anemones and barnacles, that I spent a lot of time trying to catch Genetix UK in full flow, but failed miserably. They were however great, although hampered a bit by what we professional music technology people call microphone quietness, although Emily's was louder. Either that or she belts it out good style.

What I love about this band is that each song is a little self contained gem of energetic joy. Even when they're angry and accusative they never become self-pitying or leaden. The bass sound was a huge rasping foundation that held the structure together. Genetix UK were maybe not as wound up and cross as they were before their performance in The Wellington on April 26th.

On that occasion the demands of ridiculous goths fostered a frustration that needed releasing. Genetix UK never disappoint, but maybe we should employ a drippy goth to whine on a bit about a disco he's doing just to get Keeley, Steve , Emily and Rachael spitting feathers up before they go on?

Emily, Steve, Keeley and Rachael ( Photo: Chris Corner )

After standing outside and talking about old times whilst amps were packed into vans, we set off home. Just off Stakesby Road there was a notice made up of seperate bits of paper very kindly asking people not to park in front of it. Describing it doesn't do it justice, so here's a photo.

In Whitby the art never stops!

Photo: Chris Corner