Raising Sand
Live (Arrows Lounge)
Arrows Lounge must have been seen with the ever-popular Lord Mayor, Ken Livingstone recently, judging by the turnout. I’m not one to say that there weren’t many people at a gig, but there were four.
Their set started with the kind of Euro-Rock that ask the questions; ‘is this entirely serious?’ (no) and ‘do they realise it?’ (no). Visual comparisons would include Guns and Roses and The Darkness with plenty of thrusting rock postures. In fact, if rock were judged on how far apart you could spread your legs during a solo, they would win hands down, or perhaps balls-down as they would certainly be grazing the worn timber of the stage in a splinter-taunting dangle if it weren’t for the tight trousers.
The material itself suffered a little by nature of its predictability and lack of originality, though there was nothing wrong with the exceptional guitar work, bass lines, and strong vocal. Arrows Lounge aren’t a bad band, but they need to add their own spin to the music to avoid churning out something that has very much been done to death.
Following AL, the venue started filling out, and a reasonable crowd had formed by the time Raising Sand played.
A thoroughly entertaining set ensued with a new life being breathed in to a heady mix of Blues and Rock that has clear roots in Led Zepplin and AC/DC.
Unfortunately their set was rather short, although after the sound-man called “last song” they managed to fool him by gluing together a couple of tracks to squeeze in a bit more for fans that had travelled a long way. If there’s no gap, it’s one song right?
The highlights of their set included their incredible guitar riffs. There were no weak links in this band with bass and drums all working extra hard to maintain the kind of tightness that sets Raising Sands apart from the bands that influence them.
Two very different outcomes from two bands who wear their influences on their sleeves.
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