The Smiling Assassins @ HydePark Hotel (04/11/09)

Sat 7th Nov, 2009 in Gig Reviews

The first band off the mark for the night was a very young and fresh faced Short Fuse, a dynamic rock n roll trio who exploited the old joke that no one listens to the bass guitar anyway. They even went as far as to get rid of the bass for 2 songs in favour of a second guitar.

Their third song, Learn was a great example of the range this band has to offer, sounding like no other song on their playlist. By far their best song was also their last, which they claimed to be a new song. Short Fuse were a young band – 16 and rocking the parental consent avenue of pub access – young enough to even restyle their hair mid song, between the verse and chorus. However, their drummer took the cake, he worked hard and proved a level of ability far above that of his band mates in order to keep the band together and working well. Want another band, oh young drummer?

Next up were an older The Forgotten with all members being over the age of 30, they are skilled veterans in the world of rock n roll. As a four piece no bullshit power rock outfit, they delivered songs blow by blow, only leaving enough time between songs for the sparse crowd to cheer before starting the next song.

With a Frontman who was at home as the singer of the band, smooth bass lines and a show off drummer, The Forgotten may be nothing groundbreakingly new, but they did what they do well. Their last song Firestorm stripped the band down to the bass and drums in parts, exposing a great rhythm section which highlighted the skill of these musicians.

Disappointed that Tracksuit didn’t actually wear tracksuits, the crowd listened to a different type of rock for the next 40 minutes. They were knee jingling rock n rollers with a hint of rockabilly in there – listen closely to some of their songs and you’ll hear it. Singer, Steve Hensby oozed an interesting flavour of energy which shouldn’t be seen pre-caffeine. Somewhat reminiscent of a cooler Napoleon Dynamite, Hensby tried to get a lethargic mid-week crowd enthusiastic about their show, using humour, banter and playful threats to stop playing. The same singer was dancing around the stage like a drunk trying to pick up on a Friday night while bassist Andres Pesqueira’s mound of hair flew around to his head bopping.

When The Smiling Assassins began playing, the attendance had doubled in size and it was clear that they were the band everyone had been waiting for. From power guitar driven rock n roll to powerful ballads and everything in between, The Smiling Assassins proved that they could do it. As for their performance that night; they’ve improved over the last 6 months. Once told they had soul but not enough blues, they’ve progressed for the better. The title track from their new album Caecus (pronounced chay-kus) meaning blind in Latin for all you purists, is reminiscent of Clutch – just close your eyes and imagine Neil Fallon singing the lyrics. Don’t write this band off as redneck stoner rock just yet because their new EP has much more to offer.