I was thinking the other day how in the past two years in the world of rock music there have been a few new bands that burst onto the scene, and through pivotal music press adoration, (often unanimous and mostly always British) good looks or a ‘good look’ a series of live shows that grabbed a hold of some in-the-know audiences, and a fresh exciting or vital debut release of note, became huge sensations and got tagged as the proverbial next-big-thing. To some extent I guess the road to rock-stardom is always a bit like that, but this next-big-thing dynamic has seemed far more pronounced in recent years than I recall . The most blaring example of this exhilerated rise to superstardom would be that of The Strokes, the new york city based five-piece band who swept the UK and the rest of Europe, Australia, Japan on the strength of a three song single and the british music press going full tilt ape shit with praise and excitement about this bands music, their mop-top good looks, their age, and how rapidly the excitement over them was turning to mania, spreading like wildfire across Europe, creating mad rushes for tickets, drawing in celebrities to the commotion. All of this from the people who brought you Beatle-mania. The British Music Press has long been all about creating sensations, which of course isn’t their sole intention in music criticism but frequently the scribes do whip it up into a frenzy over a band and someimes the momentum builds and sustains into new levels of adoration and focus. The British people take their pop stars very seriously or so it would seem to one riding London’s underground subway and noting that the story on page one of the paper everyone was reading was about Posh Spice losing her headset microphone in concert while the vocals kept coming, another lip-sync scandal exposed! And what would the ten year reign of Oasis as the top british band be if it weren’t for the highly press-scrutinized inner-band conflicts and rivalry between the brothers Gallagher, the break-ups/make-ups, or their current celebrity shag or shack-up or various drunken antics? If memory serves, Oasis told us they were the greatest band in the world before the british music press did, but the press fanned the flame accordingly.
I also must say that over the years magazines like Melody Maker and NME have proclaimed many bands as the next big thing and subsequently the mania escaped them and the press dropped them as if they had never existed. In fact there have been many such instances, far too many to name, but one example that comes to mind is Birdland, a four piece band of teenage andy warhol lookalikes who were reportedly on the verge of world domination, the very essence of the white hot magic that is rock and roll. They were gone in two weeks, a terrible lp and some special limited edition single packages barely made it to the 99 cent bins here in the states. Other examples would be The Age Of Chance, who caused a stir with their industrialized version of Prince’s hit “Kiss” while the original was still on the charts, or the wacky girl group We’ve Gotta Fuzzbox and We’re Gonna Use It, or Daisy Chainsaw, or Stump, Crack, Head, and Zodiac Mindwarp and The Love Reaction—all bands the press lauded then forgot about in that fickle way that has made me take such proclaimations by British music rags with a grain of salt.
In the case of The Strokes, I’d have to say the hype was indeed warranted. Their debut LP was one of the strongest records of the year and the band has really kept a level head about all the praise and resulting pressure of being the next big thing. They continue to tour and work at improving and creating as if the mania had never occurred, as if Kate Moss wasn’t backstage and Radiohead weren’t in the audience. They even seem to provide extra attention to their fans who might be edged out by the overwhelming rush of popularity by making extra tickets available to people on their mailing list at certain gigs that are likely to be sold out or chocked full of industry people.
They seem to be handling the burden of overnight stardom with grace and conscience.
I hope some of the other bands that have been receiving a similar treatment by the british press are keeping perspective as well. Two such bands that seem to be getting the royal treatment but to a somewhat lesser degree are The White Stripes and The Hives. I believe The White Stripes are so humble and respectful by nature that they will know precisely the proper way to deal with the sudden rush of praise from across the Atlantic. As a band they’ve been around a bit longer than the strokes and on these shores they have been garnering some pretty heavy weight praise already so they might be a bit more well equipped for being tagged the “next big thing”. They seem practically oblivious to anything but creating music on their own terms and having fun playing it for as many folks in as many places possible. I sense that they are prolific beyond our comprehension and naturally pre-disposed to create unfettered by any amount of fuss or mania that falls upon them. In other words, I think they are the most important band in Rock and Roll, a live wire conducting the genuine voltage in its purest most simplistic and powerful form. In other words, they are the Next Big Thing. There, no even I’ve said it. Success doesn’t seem to have even a slight chance of spoiling them.
The Hives are from Sweden and have been together since 1996. They are a five piece and their names are Howlin’ Pelle-Vocals / Nicholaus Arson-Guitar / Dr. Destruction-Bass / Chris Dangerous-Drums / and Vigilante-Guitar. They have three LPs released and they sport a smart look with white shoes, black shirts and pants and thick white ties. I first noticed their records available in New york when I visited there but at long last I’ve seen they’ve hit the record stores here. The brits started to take notice when The Hives LP, ‘Your New Favourite Band’ careened into the top ten albums chart. Soon came the bold proclamations of their greatness cropping up in live reviews, and then came the main thing that got me all excited about the group, their hit single “Hate To Say I Told You So” and its accompanying video. This song really is a powerful catchy hook-laden unhinged example of brilliance in the garage power-pop punk rock vein. This band plays faster and tighter than most bands ever think of trying, and the vocalist is very charismatic. His facial expressions are hilarious and angst ridden and he jumps around a great deal, singing like each song were his last while the band behind him jerks spasmodically or poses in a variety of rockstar classics. Watching the video gives me goosebumps and a rush of exhileration that I can liken to the first time I heard other landmark songs like “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, when you just know something big is happening. You just know they must really tear it up live too. It’s so refreshing to see a band that definitely feels a need to do more than just stand there and play, a band that gives a show, a performance, something they throw themselves into. One of my favorite bands ever definitely held this view and delivered every time and that was the now defunct Murder City Devils, who had disdain for the lamentable practice of bands neglecting certain elements of showmanship and daring, a willingness to give of themselves 100% in live performance. I sense that The Hives are like this from the reviews I’ve read. They’ve played san francisco once, opening for The International Noise Conspiracy just before their record hit big. I certainly hope they return to the states soon. It’s fun to keep up with the next big thing.
Just as deadline for this article rolled around I was met with some very sad news about a co-worker/friend who had bartended at the Hole in the Wall, Mike McGee. He quite unexpectedly died in his home. Mike was the quintessential HITW bartender, the archetype, with his biker-tough tattooed and long-haired look and somewhat intimidating manner. If you got to know him better you could see there was much more too him than just that. He was generous, intelligent, had a great sense of humor, was lots of fun on roadtrips and he really defined the Hole In The Wall experience with his straight-forward candor and rugged good looks. He played a mean game of pool and served in the military during the vietnam war. He will be sorely missed.
On the first shift without him I was playing some of the songs he always liked best and ironically every one of them bore some kind of message about death or a repeated refrain of “I guess I’ll see you in hell.” If there is a hell, I doubt you’ll see Mike there, he’s not really your standard cookie-cutter hell-bound type. I think he just enjoyed the sentiment of the song, as much as I enjoy playing it in his memory. It’s like he’s having the last laugh. I’ll miss him more than I can say. Long live Mike McGee.