Another Country / Colossal Squid

To be honest, making the time to do the radio show can seem like an unnecessary chore; one more thing to fit into the week. Much as I enjoy the music, finding ten or eleven new tracks each week, researching the artists, as well as actually recording the show can feel a bit overwhelming.

And it's not like there's that many listeners, although I was pleasantly surprised to see there have been 130 listens to the podcast version in the last thirty days.

But perhaps the main reason I stick with it is that it keeps me listening to new music and artists. And an example of that would be Colossal Squid, which is the solo project of Adam Betts*, who also drums for Three Trapped Tigers.

His drumming is incredible. Fast, precise, and polyrhythmic, incorporating drums, percussion, and sampled sounds and music. You can find him on YouTube, and also buy his albums on Bandcamp.

This evening, the Minx and I walked down to watch him play at White Hotel in Salford, which is a former mechanics' workshop, and, to be honest, I'm not sure that much was done in terms of renovations between these two of the building's incarnations. It's a rough and ready kind of place.

We arrived in time to catch the support act, a prospect that rarely fills me with any great hope, but on this occasion my pessimism was ill-founded; Another Country turned out to be absolutely amazing. The band consisted of a live drummer and a chap who was playing some bass but whose role primarily consisted of triggering and playing electronics via Ableton.

They were so good that immediately after their set I downloaded their first album, the marvellously named 'Grief Stricken Listed Buildings'. 

And a little while after that, Adam Betts took the stage. ("It's great to be back in Manchester!" Small voice just behind us: "Salford")

His playing is quite incredible. Even if I could play as well as him, I'd have needed a lie down after the first track, but he must have played for the best part of an hour. I was delighted he was touring at all, playing these small venues, but also really pleased for him by the crowd who turned out to see him, who appeared to enjoy it as much as we did.

All in, that was the best gig I've been to in a long, long time. (And sorry about the photo; it was very dark in there!)

* By quite some coincidence, after I'd first played Colossal Squid on the show, I found out from my friend, David, that he used to teach Adam while the latter was studying music at university.