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Thursday, September 29, 2011
NoMeansNo
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By some measures, I came late to the NoMeansNo party; not only did I not like them at first, I originally assumed they were a Christian band (giving The Worldhood of the World As Such a casual listen, I completely misinterpreted songs like Humans, Angel or Devil, and He Learned How to Bleed). I bonded with them in the late 90s over Live and Cuddly, but it took time and many forced listenings at the hands of friends. Once it sunk in, it really sunk in, and I've called NoMeansNo my favorite band for more than ten years. I could bore any reader to sleep with obsessive descriptions of my various hard-to-find vinyl EPs and NoMEansNo errata-- I'm that kind of fan.
One couldn't expect the Bumbershoot crowd to be filled with fans (though I met a few die-hards in line), but NoMeansNo didn't play what I'd call an “accessible” set-- one of the great things about the band is that they're challenging and diverse, and whoever wandered into the Exhibition Hall while they were playing was going to see a challenging and diverse show.
To their credit, NoMeansNo opened with one of their more uptempo and poppier songs (Angel or Devil) before following up with one of their odder, Devo-bounce, lock-step tracks (Can't Stop Talking). For the uninitiated, this would have been a fine crash course in NoMeansNo's sense of variety: they played slamming, straight-ahead hardcore punk (Theresa, Give Me That Knife), a slow, patient, atmospheric song (I Need You), some bass-and-drum groove songs where the guitar sits out (Metronome and Big Dick), some of their chanty/spoken word stuff (Brother Rat), a cacophonous noise jam (the end of What Slade Says), and some of their more layered, newer material (Something Dark against Something Light.)
For me, this was a thoroughly satisfying set... even if no one was allowed to jump around. Bumbershoot's "No Moshing, No Stage Diving" policy was strictly enforced. A small pit broke out during the second song; not only was it quickly dispatched, but one-by-one, for the following 20 minutes, security came back and removed everyone involved... a constant procession of flashlights and escorts through the crowd.
The band was in top form-- the rhythm section of bassist Rob Wright and drummer John Wright is one of my favorite drum/bass combos anywhere. The bass is heavily driven with a bright midrange, and can hold down full songs without a guitar in the mix; the basslines are often metronomic, tightly locked rhythmic loops, but can break into strummed chords or even lead lines, depending on the song. The drums reflect a lot of jazz and prog influence, both with twitchy, off kilter hat/snare work and bigger, more sonically imposing beats that rely on accents within the constantly rolling toms or snare. The Wright Brothers can (and will) play straight, standard, 4/4 punk rock, but their ability to lock into strange repeating patterns, odd loops, and tricky rhythms is a large part of what makes NoMeansNo such a unique and enduring band.
One couldn't expect the Bumbershoot crowd to be filled with fans (though I met a few die-hards in line), but NoMeansNo didn't play what I'd call an “accessible” set-- one of the great things about the band is that they're challenging and diverse, and whoever wandered into the Exhibition Hall while they were playing was going to see a challenging and diverse show.
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| my camera displays this band as a brightly colored blur, so: From Nothing But Words Photo by Mike Toppa |
For me, this was a thoroughly satisfying set... even if no one was allowed to jump around. Bumbershoot's "No Moshing, No Stage Diving" policy was strictly enforced. A small pit broke out during the second song; not only was it quickly dispatched, but one-by-one, for the following 20 minutes, security came back and removed everyone involved... a constant procession of flashlights and escorts through the crowd.
 |
| my camera displays this band as a brightly colored blur, so: From The Sun Break Photo by Shawn McClung |
The band was in top form-- the rhythm section of bassist Rob Wright and drummer John Wright is one of my favorite drum/bass combos anywhere. The bass is heavily driven with a bright midrange, and can hold down full songs without a guitar in the mix; the basslines are often metronomic, tightly locked rhythmic loops, but can break into strummed chords or even lead lines, depending on the song. The drums reflect a lot of jazz and prog influence, both with twitchy, off kilter hat/snare work and bigger, more sonically imposing beats that rely on accents within the constantly rolling toms or snare. The Wright Brothers can (and will) play straight, standard, 4/4 punk rock, but their ability to lock into strange repeating patterns, odd loops, and tricky rhythms is a large part of what makes NoMeansNo such a unique and enduring band.
Since NoMeansNo began as a duo, their original guitar sound was very bright, kind of harsh, and usually kind of dissonant, which kept the guitar out of the way of the massive bass sound. Their current guitarist, Tom Holliston, has been with the band since the mid-90s, and brought a fuller, richer sound to the band (usually playing humbucking Gibsons and sometimes using echo); Tom's a great fit for what the band has evolved into, being both more melodic and heavier than original guitarist Andy Kerr. When NoMeansNo goes into a guitarless song, Tom sets down his instrument and takes on lead vocal duties.
Though Rob is most often on lead vocals, all three members of NoMeansNo can sing and all have songs where they take the lead. While I make a big deal of all the band's rhythmic complexities and their ability to change on a dime, surprise an audience, or have a song explode into a thrilling climax, their ability to write a big, unshakable chorus can't be ignored. With the three of them singing, NoMeansNo has no trouble with three part harmonies, call-and-response, or melodic counterpoint. Their show has no shortage of captivating, well written melodies and choruses to balance out their weirder, more inscrutable songs.
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| my camera displays this band as a brightly colored blur, so: From TheStranger.com Photo by Suzi Pratt |
Nothing like this happened at the Bumbershoot show: the band looked like they were having a blast on stage. They were high energy and fun, cracking jokes, and (in Tom Holliston's case, when he put down the guitar) even dancing. NoMeansNo had no intention of stopping, either: the band was ready to break into another song when the venue called time on them. They played a great set, and, if they're sometimes too strange to be all things to all people, those who've acquired the taste for Canada's most consistently rewarding power trio * finished this show thoroughly satisfied.
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