The Rhythm Factory Sessions
Saturday, 20, Jan 2007 06:30
Who's Next? As a certain legendary band once asked. We seek to delve into the music industry and come up with a bountiful collection of stars to be. Or is that just wannabes?
This week it's the turn of the bands who currently frequent Whitechapel's legendary Rhythm Factory.
The Rhythm Factory is an odd venue, nestled between Whitechapel's mosque and a Shell garage on the high street. It can't be credited with having 'launched' or 'created' bands such as the Libertines, the Paddingtons or Art Brut, but it played a big part in giving them some coverage. For years now, the Rhythm Factory has become synonymous with 'intimate' sessions and bands that will definitely become something credible.
Last time I spoke to the fellow who books the bands, he assured me that they still insist on demos and material before a band can come on stage, which would explain why they tend to book the same acts for about 200 days a year, kind of like the Cabin did with the Beatles.
Therefore, Whitechapel's smallest backroom is often the place you can go to check out what's new and what's good; so you'll never be able to fully comprehend my disappointment when Red Roots appeared on stage. Although the lead singer had made a tremendous effort to look exactly like a member of 50 Cent's G Unit, he didn't really have the act sorted. In fact, he wailed his way through a series of emotional numbers, pining for what I can only imagine is a long-lost girlfriend or a dead cat. Who knows? But one thing's for sure, ignore and run for the hills if you ever hear a band called Red Roots.
Things got better with a band called Dirty Feel, three guys who played catchy tunes with enthralling guitar and drum solos. Crucially, unlike the chap from the previous band, Dirty Feel had some members who wanted to engage with the crowd and make the most of their ten-minute slot. The drummer in particular was an absolute marvel. The last time I saw a drummer in a support band play so well was a Las Vegas group called the Killers and I'd put the Dirty Feel on a par with the NME favourites through enthusiasm alone. Kids scrambled to the front at the end of the show to get free promo CDs and the drummer's eyes looked crazed after such a blinding set, culminating with a final song reminiscent of the Velvet Underground's Heroin.
Next up were two Doherty-follower bands; living off rare footage of themselves walking alongside the Babyshambles frontman before a minder could bundle them out of the way. First came Ark of the Covenant, a likeable British reggae outfit with inaudible tracks sung by Doherty's former prison mate, the General. Their set did the songs proud and reached a high point with a sing-a-long version of Babyshambles' Pentonville Rough. The free T-shirts probably won't go for much on eBay, but they're certainly ones to watch from the bar rather than nipping to the loo.
After the General disappeared, Alan Wass - for the audience's sin - wandered onto the stage. Wass made his 'name' as a guitarist in the band Lefthand and managed to hang around the Libertines' world by the tips of dirty finger nails. Lefthand have since buggered off and left him, accept Wass has continued to subject crowds throughout the land with his miserable drivel that serves absolutely no purpose. "This will be number one hopefully, some day," he said once about his song No Protection. I'll eat his scruffy straw trilby if this ever happens.
Karl Pike