Planet Notion - Cedar Falls & Z-List Tears

Dave Adair discusses the performance of two Warrington bands, having witnessed up-and-comers 'Z-List Tears' and 'Cedar Falls' performing at the WA1 Bar.

As ‘Z-List Tears’ step onto stage, smiles immediately appear all-round. Famed in Warrington for their live oomph and amiable stage presence, their enthusiasm helps give the rumbling Metallica-instrumental robustness some drive, force, and rhythm. Already the gregarious singer, Bungle, demonstrates a deeper ruggedness to his vocals and has clearly been experimenting with his range. He needs this extra touch to communicate the punchy lyrics over the bass-lines of Al Blackmore; strong and sturdy enough to hold the weight of 200 cattle.

‘Model Behaviour’ grabs the attention of the wandering Friday-night crowd with its grunge revival slant. The versatile vocals lean towards those of Eddie Vedder; the accompaniment spews ‘Rage Against The Machine’ spirited rock-solid grit. Then, as if to say - “You want a mellower anthem, try this for size?” - ‘Oceansize’ adopts a lingering epic feel reminiscent of a ‘Hello Pig’ era Levellers. It’s certainly a growing range that ‘Z-List Tears’ demonstrate tonight. They’re almost moving into veteran category in this town, having been on the scene for what seems like an eternity, but their enthusiasm and passion never wanes.

Technical problems have the masses checking whether they’ve dialed a wrong number and put their phone on loudspeaker, blighting the efforts of Cedar Falls; marring their ability to settle into the usual harmony producing set. But a Libertines veined intro shakes a disinterested, seat-hogging crowd, into an attentive state as the band launch into ‘Car Crash’. It’s only then the Liverpudlian trio settles into a middle of the road Indie groove; Keiron Coyne pulling-off the tough task of singing while playing bass, with great aplomb.

A tempo change in the form of the gruff and downtrodden ‘Ballad of a Broken Heart’, leads the frivolous chit-chat to increase in prominence. However, this is by no means a bad thing; it adds a perspective to the subject of being ignored, lending a neat, ambient touch.

A dual keyboard approach immediately raises intrigue; James’ vocals adding a catchy, feel-good-feel to pop pearl ‘Baa Baa’. Straight away the singers snappy, clear vocals and ebullient manner, draws the crowd into hand-clapping and cheeky “Baa Baas” of their own, bringing life and enthusiasm to the fore. A theatrical soul edge and the rustling percussion of John, the key instrumental controller throughout ‘Bridge’, begins to embellish Joyce’s show.

‘School Boy Error’ bears an acoustic proficiency gaining popularity and importance in the current music scene. Especially as the toning down of their instrumental flamboyancy allows Joyce to expand vocally; a tri-vocal attack taking their Indie/electro/pop combo to a completely different level. Their ability to involve the audience oozes warmth, achieving a feel-good factor that should be enough to draw label interest. It worked for Mika didn’t it?

Words: Dave Adair, Photography: www.caerphoto.com & www.myspace.com/cedarfalls