Scott 4
@
the point -Oxford, England 16th June '99
Here’s
something new(ish): A band that marries the primitive
electro rhythms of Kraftwerk, Human League and their
ilk, with plaintive acoustic balladry and the
occasional good ol’ country hoe-down.
I’m
talking about Scott 4, who have lately released
‘Works Project LP’ (V2 Records), their
second full-length collection of songs, and have
recently undertaken a short promotional tour of the
UK.
They rolled
into town for a gig in Oxford in June and made the
coolest entrance of any band I’ve seen this
year, Stetson-sporting frontman Scott Blixen casually
leading his besuited posse across the Cowley Road and
through the crowd within the uncomfortably warm
confines of The Point.
Early on
things went a little awry and the start of the gig
was delayed by technical problems. Once the gremlins
had been exorcised however, an appreciative audience
was treated by V2’s ‘Folk Archive
Orchestra’ to a highly enjoyable alternative to
the typical guitar-led fare of your average
indie-rock gig.
Visually the
Scott 4 stage set-up is a pleasing thing to behold.
Against a backdrop of fairy lights, effectively
employing a smoke machine and the in-house stage
lighting, the five members with their sizeable array
of instruments, look like competitors in a game of
musical sardines.
Scott 4 does
come across as a band that is more used to spending
time in the recording studio than on stage, and
it’s going to take more than Scott Blixen’s
invitation to the crowd to move forward ("we
don’t bite") to forge a bond here.
But
that’s not to say that the handful of songs from
Works Project LP and its predecessor ‘Recorded
in State LP’ are not warmly received. Scott
4’s more melancholy material is left at home and
the set, from recent single ‘Catastrophe’
onwards, comprises the band’s more upbeat
output. My only regret was that this policy led to
the exclusion of the gorgeous ‘Applied For
Release’ - you’ll need to splash out on
Works Project LP for that, and many other pleasures.
E.S.
