Gig Reviews: Spotlight Cannibal, Rubric and Dannii Lee @ Remix Bar Woking, 6/12/09

by Leon

Disclaimer: This review is purely an expression of personal opinion, and any criticism given is intended constructively. If you disagree with any part of the review, it's fine and valid – I do not believe my views to be God's Holy Word! It is merely an expression of personal opinion, and in the big picture of life, the universe and everything means absolutely nothing. With that in mind, let's start the review!

For your humble reviewer the start of the night did not go as planned – thanks to Google Maps I ended up in the middle of nowhere and had to walk 3+ miles to the venue, just missing Dannii Lee, the opening act. However I have it on good authority that her set was very good and well received, and hope to see her in the future. Check out her Myspace page for some cool tunes and more information.

Rubric, I have to say, have come very very far since I last saw them live, improving tremendously. Their set was well played, delivering their brand of emotional pop-rock songs alongside some well-chosen covers. However I would have liked to see more movement from the drummer, guitarist and keyboard player to help back up the animation and passion of the vocalist and bassist. This, I feel, would project more of an overall band vibe and be effective in drawing the audience further into the Rubric experience. But overall, I applaud the musical leaps and bounds this band have taken since their inception.

Spotlight Cannibal, our headliners, radiated an aura of control, presence and musicality from the moment they took the stage. Displaying great confidence and tight, focussed grooves they kept the audience transfixed, with each tune receiving much applause. Their live sound was much more funky and stripped down compared with the material on their mini-album 'Mellow Dramatic', with greater emphasis on the funky electric guitar played with fantastic feel by Jay Evans (partially due to problems with vocalist Markus's acoustic guitar, including low sound levels and broken strings, neither of which hindered a fantastic performance). Great tunes and an end-of-set jam featuring excellent bass, drum and guitar solos as well as a snippet of Dizzee Rascal's 'Dance Wiv Me' ensured the audience left entertained and happy, bringing the night to a satisfying conclusion.

Many thanks to Gordon and Gary of Gig Reviewer for organising this great night (and many more in the future) despite the many setbacks involved. And thanks to all the musicians and staff for making it a fun and enjoyable experience – you know who you are! :)