Frequency 7 & Renewal

The Pav, Cork, 22 May '00

The Pav has a distinct end-of-the-weekend feel about it tonight, sparsely populated with gentlemen who make Tindersticks' members look like the winners in eircom's photosmile of the year competition. And the women? They look like they are barely holding it together under the make up. The place is dead and did you ever want to kick a enthusiastic person in the head?

But anyway enough of the scenario, the fact that I have been developing a heavy metal fetish of late has nothing to do with the fact that I liked Renewal. They play a tight, riff-heavy set which occasionally ventures to close to the wind of their Mettalica / Slayer influences. The worse case of which is a rather rhythmic cover of "Enter Sandman", cutting away at the sharp hooks of the original (introduced with the gruff, but admittedly good, appreciate-us-please irony for a bored Monday night crowd - "you might recognise this one"). Still though this is good brutalistic stuff and they are professional enough to show up practically any of the bands in Cork in terms of musicanship.

Frequency 7 play a brand of indie rock not unlike a cross between the Manic Street Preachers and 'Monster' period REM and, it is noted by an acquaintance of mine, that the vocalist sounds like Velvet underground era Lou Reed. Some of the songs from the earlier half of the set sound a bit cluttered and nearly bring to mind (oh the horror) the Stereophonics. Things pick up though as they relax and focus and by the time they have finished I considered them quite good (in fact they are probably better than that but I really wish somebody would kill indie rock).

They are a band with a plan as well as tonight's gig is to launch their "Easy Days" CD and somebody is camcording the show, so you might hear more from them. But it's been a long weekend.

Kevin Fitton

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