Visit Sedgemoor Union for all your aural needs...
The Bristol comedy pub on Chelteham Road is a weird venue. Karaoke and a smattering maddens of in the main pub and lo-fi an a smattering maddens in the back room. Theodore opened proceedings in style, the lead guitarist attempting and failing to use a electric hand fan to play the intro and after a muttering of "fuck it" they got down to business, building chilled soundscapes with simple but effective melodies, guitar swashes and samples. Kind of like a cross between tortoise and slint in terms of mood, but original in their own right, theodore are a band to watch (US will keep you updated). Hustler followed. They were tight, in tune but dull. The year 1993 kept flashing in my mind as their songs seemed distinctly stuck in that era, despite this some of their tunes were half decent.
Cerberus Shoal however couldn't have been more different. Intense from beginning to end, their set was quite different to any one I have heard before. Their opening tune, a ambient wall of fucked-up-ness way ahead of the competition. A repetitive xylophone melody building with more guitar and more bass until their was no more room on the frequency spectrum, Not pausing for applause they went on with wailing, moaning, jazz noodling's,Terry Riley like stuff, funk and elements of every other genre. It wasn't all easy on the ear but I don't think that's the point. Cerberus shoal were tight, in tune and genuinely original. A rare combination.