Uberdog and Star 27 give muted warning to the North-West

“It was the worst we have played yet but the best ever reaction.” Said Star 27 singer Frank Beaver as his melodic power-pop outift were on raucous form at The Attic in Manchester last Tuesday(21st Sept) night.

Preston band ‘Uberdog’ kicked off the evening, which saw our city finally pitting its talents against two established Manchester bands, and it is fair to say that the unique sounds of both Prestonian interlopers came out on top.

Starting with I Need A Funeral which lays a catchy, gritty blues riff over a laid-back yet edgy drum beat, ‘The Dog’ showcased their dark and bizarre mesh of Rap, metal and soul in front of the evening’s biggest audience.

Other songs included Welcome Home, Stalingrad, and Grey Matter, an instantly tuneful track with a soulful voice complementing the lazy bass line.

Confusion and ambiguity

With no fewer than seven musicians on stage, ranging from guitarists to a rapper and a scratch DJ, Uberdog should be capable of producing any sound known to man, and at times display flashes of utter genius where everything comes together perfectly. However, their task is not an easy one and there are times when the sheer size of their sound seems to overwhelm the band causing moments of confusion and ambiguity.

Star 27, lacking their usual guitarist, took to the stage just after midnight with Frank and his keyboard taking centre stage, and new-ish disciple Natasha taking over guitar duties. Playing away from home did little to affect the band musically as opener ‘Find A Bridge’ proved. Yet physically they took a while to get going.

Visibly shocked

The set lasted a condensed fifteen minutes, and the band remained relatively reserved for the first third, with Frank visibly shocked at the
reaction to 101, in which a crowd surge almost floored his keyboard.

Dice saw extra Star 27 disciples take to the stage for vocal duties and bassist Russ hit top gear dancing around the elevated drum stand.

The set closed with Frank abandoning piano duties to sing amongst his audience, screaming ‘ All the drugs in all the world cannot beat the way I’m feeling,’ through a barrage of noise, falling mic stands and a failed attempt to invite a full on stage invasion.

Written by Dan Jeoffroy

Photography: Dan Jeoffroy