An Allied Invasion

March 11th, 2007 posted by robb

Gomez with Ben Kweller
Phoenix Concert Theatre – 03.05.07
Rating: 8/10

Mature, simple and sincere – The three adjectives that best sums up Ben Kweller’s live performance. Never one to be too flashy, the modest, older looking American version of Ron Weasley took the stage with a three-piece band that had the letters “B” and “K” taped to two bass drums. Rather then trying to win over the crowd through yelling obscenities or overblown guitar solos, Ben let the music do the talking. Simple melodies make for good harmonies, and the band clearly took advantage of belting pop ballads.

Although not so evident in recorded sessions, Ben’s live music exposes his influences, which often times seem a little too similar to his own music. His first single “Run”, possesses comparable high-keyboard notes that successively jump throughout the song as Bruce Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart”. Ben changes his voice “I Don’t Know Why” to match that of Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” during the chorus. “Wasted and Ready” carries the same emo-driven guitars as Weezer’s “No One Else”. Whether the uncanny resemblance was intentional or not, Ben makes up for it in his enthusiasm for each song.

As a three-piece band, the sound could not have sounded fuller. Ben would make several instrument changes from keyboard to guitars, displaying not only his versatility in songwriting but his ability in live performance as well. It was simply unfortunate that nearing the end of his heartfelt performance, the audience chatters has grown to become even louder than the songs themselves.

Pompous, complex and arrogant – The three opposite adjectives that best sum up Gomez’s live performance. Not to say that these are bad qualities. In fact, they appeal perfectly to our image-driven generation. By “our generation” I refer to the generation discovering Oasis’ “Wonderwall” on A.M. band., and these are the exact same qualities why Richard Ashcroft, Jarvis Cocker and Robbie Williams are adored by millions today.

But unlike Stereophonics, Oasis, or Coldplay, England’s own Gomez still has yet to make a dent in the market across the ocean. Despite having already released 8 albums and 14 singles, Gomez still feels like the hidden gem that North Americans have yet to discover. The ingredients to a perfect Brit-pop band are all there: layered guitars, raspy vocals, elaborate intros and a psychedelic sound – yet no cover of the Rolling Stones to date.

Possibly, the same qualities that made Gomez so likeable also seemed to deter from their massive sound. The use of over-the-top double drumming and lengthy guitar riffs in their live performance at times hindered the simplicity of their melodies, but worked in other cases. The recorded version of “How we Operate,” for instance, is much tighter recorded than how it was delivered live, however “Silence” was performed perfectly with solid breaks and well-contrasted use of dynamics.

Nearing the end of the show, vocalist Ian Ball ordered the television behind the bar to be turned off, yelling “It’s playing bloody American wrestling!” The band then continued to rock the fans well past midnight – a true rarity on a weekday performance.

 

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