Some songs have a clear structure with verses and choruses while other songs are very whimsical and odd. Sometimes it`s a bit far fetched but most of the time it works out wonderfully well. They look like they spend most of their free time on their spoilered Ford Capri`s from the eighties but the way they play their freaky music suggests different.

These guys know how to play. And how to have fun. Drummer Haraldar is one of the most enthusiastic and eccentric drummers I`ve ever seen. With wide-open eyes he’s constantly changing the expression on his face. Singer/guitarist Heidar’s dry humor and self-mockery, both in his lyrics and in his remarks in between songs, add to the cheerful we-don`t-care-about-the-rules mentality this band radiates.

Pleasure Forever
Sub Pop, in my eyes, stands for high quality alternative guitar pop and rock. Pleasure Forever however doesn`t live up to their label’s illustrious name. They want to be weird so badly that they forget that weirdness is not something you can conjure up.

After only one song guitarist Joshua Hughes has been on his knees, lying on his back and rolling across the stage. Come on man, you just can`t get that excited for real that quick and that much even if your music was absolutely brilliant.

Which, by the way, it isn`t. Not that it`s bad but the way the band acts bothers me so much that it`s hard not to be biased. Singer/keyboard player Dave Clifford seems to be the main man in the band. His synths dominate the bands sound and his vocals are insistent.

The music itself is, as I said, not too bad. Alternative rock with synths playing the main part. Not very special I think. But Pleasure Forever`s main problem is they`re trying too hard.

Sparta
Considering the fact that three out of four members used to play in At The Drive In this quartet from El Paso, Texas, USA have developed their own sound in quite a short period. Sparta are a true emo band but they`re able to avoid the cliches. Mainly because they know how to write songs.

A lot of emo bands think it`s about starting calm and building up to a climax. Sparta shows that there are other ways to make interesting music within the genre. Not that they choose to play the obvious pop song either. There`s some of both. Enough structure to make it a song, enough surprise to keep the attention.

The keyboard and third guitar give the band a diverse and mature live sound. Somehow Sparta are live even more interesting than on their debut EP Austere. The sound is more dynamic. The calmer parts are more subdued and the outbursts are more passionate and explosive.

The band get absorbed by the music and especially singer/guitarist Jim Ward and guitarist Paul seem to lose themselves in it. Their debut full-length album will be out at the end of the summer. I hope it will be as good as this gig promises it to be.

(Review: Walter de Korver
Pics: Sebastien Sam)