Film School at the Beauty Bar

After surviving the sonic storm of noise from Airiel and Film School at Spaceland, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see them again at the Beauty Bar in San Diego. I did feel guilty for missing the Film School in-store earlier in the day at M-Theory Records as I had prior commitments but was ready for another sonic assault.

First Wave Hello was scheduled to open but it turned out that it was a solo set by Jacob Turnbloom (Vocals/Guitars) who mentioned that First Wave Hello had broken up to my dismay. I enjoyed catching First Wave Hello opening for Ken Andrews and still listen to "The Lord & It's Penguin". Jacob had his lone Fender Telecaster as he played various First Wave Hello tunes. "Healthy Amount of Self Loathing" had a darker resonance then normal as Jacob used some pedal effects to fill out the songs. Jacob has a new project with Eric Flynn from First Wave Hello entitled TexasInstruments which lists Moog, Kraftwerk, and Hum as influences. I can't wait to hear what they come up with.

Airiel






Airiel knocked me off my feet when I saw them at Spaceland. The twin Rickenbacker guitar attack of Jeremy Wrenn (Guitars) and Chris De Brizzio (Guitars) is massive. I wouldn't have believed they used a capo on some songs if I didn't see it with my own eyes. Chris had a small cadre of pedals that included a Death by Audio Armageddeon, Death by Audio Evil Filter, Moogerfooger Freqbox and a Boss Pitch Shifter. Jeremy had a Boss Digital Reverb, Line 6 Delay, Death by Audio custom made Fuzz Wall, Vox Wah, Boss Flanger and a Digitech Space Station. It was pedal heaven. I honestly was lost in the barrage of feedback, and melody as the swirls of sound were hypnotic as they were drowned in red lights. "Mermaid In A Manhole" is a highly recommend tune from their album "Battle of Sealand" as it combines the right mixture of guitars, vocals, bass and drums. Airiel is going to go to the UK to tour with Ulrich Schnauss and will blow minds on a nightly basis. I wish I had another UK trip planned.

Film School







I hope you got the impression that Film School played one of their best sets at Spaceland. I thought it would be difficult to top that set but Film School managed to match the intensity while playing to a fairly packed audience at the Beauty Bar. After reviewing eight shows of Film School, I think I may have almost run out of adjectives to describe how good they are live. One aspect of this show which was slightly different is the colored visuals would randomly highlight the individual members for a intriguing visual show. "11:11" was mind blowing with high pitched squeals and mind numbing feedback. "What I Meant To Say" closed out the night with storms of noise that resonated in my head during the long drive home. Film School will be playing at the Continental Room in Fullerton on April 3rd before embarking on a US tour with British Sea Power. I am currently wrestling with the debate of seeing The Cure at the Hollywood Bowl or Swervedriver with Film School at the Henry Fonda on May 31st. I hate concert conflicts.