Live Review: Hot Snakes / Dan Sartain, Oran Mor, Glasgow, 29/05/05

words: chris_ps

Sometimes the simple thrill of seeing a band so on top of their game and so clearly into what they do can be the best feeling in the world. And that's the feeling I had watching Hot Snakes - the chemistry between the 4 of them, the way Rick Froberg and John Reis just seemed to be automatically on the same page as each other and how they made it look like the easiest thing imaginable, the relentless crash of song after song with little time to breathe in between time. It was magical to watch.

But first, Dan Sartain. Sartain, from Birmingham Alabama, is another unassuming figure and performs unaccompanied on the electric guitar. An interested few edge closer to the stage, but, on the whole, the crowd remain distant as he begins his set. His amplified country/rockabilly tunes and his bluesy voice tended to drag (so much so that I swear he just played his first song song 4 times in a row at the start!) and I found myself drifting as my interest waned. His closing song at least provided some respite from the monotony of the previous 25 minutes or so - a neat, twangy, Flaming Stars-like noir which ended a somewhat disappointing set on a good note.

To paraphrase someone then - Hot Snakes, bloody hell !!! Froberg and Reis have been partners in crime for many years, obviously, and most notably, in the mighty Drive Like Jehu, but it seemed to rise to a new level in the plush surroundings of Oran Mor. They open with the edgy, jarring "I Hate The Kids", Froberg, as he did all evening, hollers away like his life depended on it and the stellar, chiselled Reis thrashes out those guitar lines with an intensity rarely seen (as Mr Sawyer noted, he's some guitar mangler is old Mr Reis). "Gar Forgets His Insulin" followed almost immediately, setting the tone for the evening - 20+ pieces of exhilarating, roaring math-punk genius in just over an hour. No wonder we, and they, were so breathless at the end of it.

And the fact they overcame a not inconsiderable amount of adversity as well - the sound was muddy (but it was loud and loud works for them!) and the ferocity of the drummer meant that his kit had to be held up for most of the show by a willing volunteer from the crowd propping up the bass drum (Reis, mishearing his name due to the accent, christens him "Robot", Robot turns out to be one of the heroes of the night, I hope his hearing returns soon!). To play through what could have been trying circumstances and to deliver a performance of such quality summed up what makes them a special band.

As I said, Froberg and Reis know each other's games so well that all it took sometimes was a look or a nod to start the next song - they tear through the likes of "If Credit's What Matters I'll Take Credit" and "Automatic Midnight" from the first LP, "LAX" and "Suicide Invoice" from the second and the glorious, chiming "Plenty For All" and a crushing "Braintrust" and "Hi-Lites" from the quite magnificent latest "Audit In Progress". That's not to say it's just a two man show - the ever cheery Gar Wood's bass rumbles away and the aforementioned Mario Rubalcaba batters the seven shades of shit out of his drums to add magnificently to the mix.

They close with a quite astonishing version of Jehu's "Bullet Train To Vegas", Froberg straining to get the words out, his voice nearly shot, but it's still stark reminder of how to take something from your past, re-evaluate it to the present and make it sound as vital and urgent as it ever was - it was one of the evening's highlights and trust them to keep it in reserve. They (and Robot!) leave to tumultous acclaim from the crowd and every last drop of applause is deserved. Their formula is so simple, but the delivery and execution is extraordinarily done. One of the gigs of the year, and maybe a contender for inclusion in the gigs of all time. Yes, THAT good.