Tuesday, March 10, 1998
Psychologists reveal memory’s complexity
MUSIC Discovery may lead to better treatment for amnesia,
Parkinson’s disease patients
By Mike Prevatt
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
British popsters the Space Monkeys stopped by the Troubadour on
Friday in support of their exciting debut album, "The Daddy of Them
All." Unfortunately, the ‘Monkeys didn’t bring the excitement with
them.
Armed with two turntables, synthesizers, a clear and loud P.A.
system and a strobe-heavy lighting set-up, the Space Monkeys
moseyed on over to the Troubadour stage a little past 11 p.m.,
ready for battle. Almost half of the sold-out crowd had left along
with standout opening band Ivy, leaving holes and gaps among the
twentysomethings in front of the stage and hovering near the bar.
But with an arsenal of material like that featured on their record,
the remaining fans waited eagerly in anticipation for a good
time.
The Space Monkeys put a new spin on the "Madchester" sound that
was once popular in the U.K. during the early ’90s. Originating
from the city of Manchester, this rhythmic and danceable approach
to rock ‘n roll flourished in Europe and in American clubs with the
help of such acclaimed bands as the Stone Roses, Primal Scream and
the Happy Mondays. Catchy melodies and Beatles-esque songwriting
teamed up with acid house rhythms and synthesized loops, helping to
popularize the rave scene that revolutionized music in Britain.
The Manchester-bred Space Monkeys pick up where bands like the
Happy Mondays left off, taking the bouncy, happy beats and
combining them with Oasis-like rock melodies and blaring electronic
sounds not too much unlike Prodigy’s. Here in America, success has
gone as far as a Top 20 single, "Sugar Cane," on Billboard’s Modern
Rock Charts. They’ve even toured with the likes of fellow
Interscope recording group Smashmouth and alt-rock darlings Third
Eye Blind.
Friday night’s 50-minute set begin with the aggressive yet
pulsating "Acid House Killed Rock and Roll," which bathed both the
band and the concertgoers in a shower of strobe lights. Yet the
crowd seemed unenthusiastic, both by their slight head-bobs and
their rather quiet applause. It seemed as if the crowd was hearing
the Space Monkeys for the first time, and were at the most
curious.
Furthermore, within two or three songs, the ‘Monkeys had begun
to turn their setlist into a rushed live version of the album.
Right on the tails of one song’s end was the beginning of another,
as the band seemed hurried and eager just to finish every song as
quickly as possible. Most of the songs didn’t have the typical
trailing-off effect at the end, creating at least a few quiet spots
in the show.
That didn’t mean the show was without its bright spots,
musically speaking. An earnest version of the Britpop-ish "Inside
My Soul," a hook-laden go at "Burning Down the Stylus" and of
course the obligatory "Sugar Cane" indeed highlighted the rushed
setlist, even if they weren’t quite as ear-grabbing or lively as
the album versions.
And lead singer Richard McNevin even managed a few sentences
here and there between songs. The problem lay in his thick Manc
accent, with the crowd often looking around as if the person next
to them might be able to translate the perhaps less-obvious words.
His vocal delivery lacked any real range or character, just barely
capturing the essence of the melodies.
Bassist Dom Morrison kept the rhythms flowin’ but sometimes it
seemed to drown out McNevin’s guitar and vocals. On target, though,
was DJ and keyboardist Tony Pipes, mastering the turntables during
such songs like "Sugar Cane," even setting one on fire towards the
end.
The band also played album cuts like "Ready For the Rampage" and
"Sweetest Dream." Yet by the time the last song, "March of the
Scarecrows," begun, many of the members of the audience had left
and the rest seemed ready to go home. After ‘Scarecrows,’ the band
left and never returned, leaving the departing crowd to mull over a
night that failed to really grab much of anyone.
GENEVIEVE LIANG/Daily Bruin
Richard McNevin of the Space Monkeys sings at the Trubador.