Scott and Charlene's Wedding - Shipping Forecast, Liverpool, 7/8/2013

  by Richard Lewis

published: 31 / 7 / 2013

intro

Richard Lewis is riveted by Australian-formed but New York-based group Scott and Charlene's Wedding's shambolic but yet surprisingly tight brand of alternative rock at a show on their first UK tour at the Shipping Forecast in Liverpool

A scarcely believable twenty years since the apex of alternative rock when the Butthole Surfers somehow became successful and Seattle was better known for plaid, coffee and grunge not corporate behemoth Microsoft, the influence of the era still looms large. Led by Melbourne, Australia born, New York-based singer Scott Dermody, Scott and Charlene's Wedding source the shrugging, everyman ‘shit happens’ attitude exuded by the likes of the Lemonheads and Pavement instead of the weapons-grade bluster of bulgy veined bellowers like Pearl Jam or, God help us, Alice in Chains. Excelling at downtrodden tales of crappy McJobs and the never-ending struggle to pay the rent renders their material bang up to date relatable while also harking back to that other nineties totem, Douglas Coupland’s matchless slacker bible ‘Generation X’. ‘Charlie’s in the Gutter’, the opening cut from recent second opus ‘Any Port In A Storm’, kicks off the set, with Dermody’s not quite in tune, not quite discordant rhythm guitar and voice front and centre. Similar to the Lemonheads in that the band seemingly consists of the front man and whoever he found crashed out his sofa that morning , despite the carefully created feel of running through the songs for the first time, the present quartet clearly have the chops to boss the songs in impressive style. The ability to play this tight and this sloppy at the same time takes no amount of skill, best exemplified by an superb lead axe man who metes out a plethora of twisting guitar lines best exemplified on the almost highlife melody of ‘Lesbian Wife’. An affable presence onstage Dermody, seen for the majority of the gig enthusiastically nodding along to the support bands from the back of the compact venue, sings with his eyes tight shut, as he confides in the audience. Highlight 'Fakin’ NYC’ demonstrates the singer’s lyrical verve the best, the tale of his complete lack of skill at manning the door of an exclusive New York nightclub and attendant feelings of not being cool enough. Sprinting through a dozen plus songs with committed zeal, the entire set is concluded in forty minutes, the only real gripes being the lack of encore and that the current LP's highpoint ‘Gammy Leg’ isn’t aired. Departing to big smiles all round, the number of wedding guests for Scott and Charlene’s nuptials next time they arrive in town should deservedly be much higher.

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