Supergrass
Paradigm
215 SE
9th Ave., 232-7861
9 pm Friday,
May 26
$10
advance
The band's first
American release was a 7-inch single--"Lose It/Caught By
The Fuzz (acoustic)"--released on yellow vinyl by Sub Pop.
Supergrass has turned down endorsement deals with Calvin
Klein and Hai Karate cologne, as well as a sitcom offer
from Steven Spielberg.
Supergrass first came to Portland back in 1995, supporting
its first record, I Should Coco. It was a Saturday
night and the cover was $3. KNRK plugged the show (even
though it never, ever played the band), but despite the
"radio support," only 30 or so people showed up.
Unless you were one of those few, it was your loss. You
could have seen one of the best bands in Britain when the
tickets were cheap and its teenage energy was off the scales.
At the time, the Brit-crit rags were in high gear, flush
with declarations of a new English rock renaissance. Their
covers alternated between pictures of Blur and Oasis and
whichever fashion victims were the new flavor at that moment.
As usual, the U.S. media responded with a yawn, crediting
Oasis for its cocky swagger, touting the Manchester band's
nemesis, Blur, as the true return of Beatlesian songcraft,
and ignoring most everything else. I Should Coco
got lost in the shuffle, despite being a masterful debut.
The sweaty show was a gas oven, flaring with impressive
riffery, Ray Davies-style narratives, Monkees-esque esoterica,
and the helium-and-cigarettes vocals of Gaz Coombes, Supergrass'
exquisitely named lead singer. The 'Grass even played a
cover of The Kinks' "Where Have All The Good Times Gone?"--a
question with a firm answer: onstage with this band.
Lucky for you, the shaggy boys of Supergrass are having
another crack at this country. They just released their
third album, Supergrass, and it's their best. This
time around, though, don't expect their gigs to have such
intimacy. They're no longer unknown Britpop neophytes, but
a respected band with designs on history. The album's lead
single, "Pumping on Your Stereo," is a massive manifesto,
declaring Supergrass' dominance over your speakers with
one of those fabulous double-entendre choruses that make
kids giggle while leaving parents confused (Is he saying
pumping or humping?). Thanks to a video in
which the already comical-looking trio (it's impossible
not to compare Gaz to a monkey) transforms into giant
Muppets, MTV has given the band breakthrough status and
propelled it into major rotation. It's one of those stunningly
brilliant moves that makes ignorant critics shriek like
schoolgirls about "overnight success."
"The video was actually a concept written by our director,"
Supergrass bassist Mickey Quinn told WW, "and we
had the script before we knew Jim Henson Studios was going
to do it. Their involvement made us really happy. We're
big Sesame Street fans."
It's an important victory for a band that almost didn't
make it here. While its competitors fell into the pit of
their own misguided self-love (Oasis) or left the pop game
for intense experimentation (Blur, Pulp, Radiohead), Supergrass
leaped from pretty teendom to accomplished musicianship
without losing the charm or hooks that made it so buzzworthy
in the first place. While Coco captured a band's
love for classic pop 45s and the second album, In It
For The Money, was delightfully complex, the new record
is a great combination of the two, melding deep lyrics with
jaunty tunes worthy of the best bubblegummy one-hit wonders
ever to entertain Ed Sullivan.
"As a band, we started out trying for a real garage sound
with really sweet vocals--songs sung beautifully with dark
lyrics," Quinn explained. "A happy pop tune about something
quite depressing. It's a great juxtaposition."
And a wonderful listen, even if critics used to less intricate
fare have trouble sorting it out.
"Some describe In It For The Money as quite a dark,
intense record, and this one's lighter in some ways," Quinn
continued. "Others say the lyrics are a lot heavier. I don't
know what to make of any of it, really, because it's not
something we think about too much. The only thing we thought
about when we set out to make Supergrass is we wanted
to make an easier record, a lighter record. We wanted to
set the songs free. We wanted them to have a little more
life and spontaneity."
Mission accomplished. In these days when so many bands
never deliver on their promises (Gallagher Bros., are you
listening?), you owe it to yourself and Supergrass to make
sure this show is better attended than in '95. Or you can
settle for your 5,000th punkfest at EJ's. Your call.
Still on the buzz: Supergrass proves English blood can
still run hot.
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Willamette Week | originally
published May 10,
2000
|
