Four years, huh? I think back to when I first encountered the remarkable lady that isd Sarah Hill, and it just doesn't seem like four years have flown by. I do get a lot of people who say kind things about the stuff I write and the bitz I do for the Dundee Scene as a whole, but campared with Sarah, anything I do, just pales into insignificance. When the history books on the Dundee Music Scene in the noughties are written, Sarah Hill's name will feature large and proud - and justifiably so!! The hardest working woman in Dundee entertainment bar none.
Which is why so many of the more established and the up 'n' coming bands from Dundee had gathered here to celebrate the 4th anniversary of the existence of The Doghouse - for, without it, there would be a mucvh less vibrant "Dundee Scene" to speak of - and that's the truth.
Due to illness, I could only get my sorry carcass down to the venue for just after 8pm (it had all kicked off at 2pm), time to catch The Cundeez provide us with a seventies time warp of punk power, served with a wry smile, as they launched into a set that included their takes on several classics by The Ramones and Sham 69 among others, changing the lyrics to provide a more "local" flavour, as well as several originals too, all good fun, it has to be said.
Up next were a ska band whose virtues, Sarah Hill had recently been extolling to me, in the form of "Aye 'n' Aye" (if I've spelt that right), led by a woman with a seriously powerful vocal - when she sang, you took notice!! They pleayed a predominantly ska-based set, with the odd nod towards reggae, and the band delivered the rhythms with power and polish, the originals proving every bit as addictive as the covers, the latter of which included "Israelites", "Too Much Too Young" and a Bob Marley track whose title I can't for the life of me remember. With her vocals hollering out above the skanking irresistibility, again, it was fun to witness and enjoyable to hear.
However, as the stage was made ready, you knew something was brewing big-time. Then, almost without notice, this quintet leapt onto stage, plugged in and kicked off. "We're The View", they shouted - and the place went wild. Now I can hear you muttering "quintet?? there's only four of them!!" Ah yes, but you'd have reckoned without special guest guitarist Stevie Anderson from fellow locals, The Law, who played throughout the set, and played a blinder, too. I'd not heard The View in concert for ages, and what really grabbed me was just how outstanding as writers, they're becoming. I once described them as composing the "world's best football terrace anthems". True that might have been then, but they've come a long way. Now we have songs that are not only powerful and insanely catchy, but even more observational in the lyric dept, and arranged with a good deal more complexity to make it all so listenable that you can imagine you're going to get far more repeat play enjoyment out of the forthcoming second album than ever you did of the first. "We wouldn't be here were it not for Sarah Hill and The Doghouse", they proclaimed as the band launched into this hammer blow of an opener, Stevie's extra guitar presence providing a bite and depth to the song that you could only gasp at hearing. "Are you looking forward to The Law later? Best f***ing band in Dundee!" they shouted as they roared into the next track. Shared vocals were the order of the day, with Kyle taking the lion's share. They played what they announced as "the next single" and this is way better than "5 Rebeccas", a piece that builds, has so much depth and is yet seriously commercial, that explodes into a chorus and is possibly one of the best tracks they've produced to date, if this was anything to go by. That they were having so much fun playing the set was obvious, as they went way past the promised "final two numbers" to provide a "greatest singles hits" set that the audience so appreciated, with "Superstar Tradesman" having the added vocals - lead at sveral points - courtesy of locals Luva Anna's lead singer Dave Webster. They came off stage to a rapturous reception and a house full of smiling faces - including Sarah Hill who was positively beaming!!
The Law headlined - and right from the start, this was a band honed to perfection. Sounding tight, confident and just absolutely stunning, they immmediately launched into a set that immediately caught your attention, the band sounding so strong, the bass tight as heck, the drums crunching away and propulsive to the max, Stevie's guitar work the consummate mix of firepower, economy, strength and delicacy, while Stuart's vocal was a mix of flowing and biting, every word audible thanks to the excellent PA of Doghouse's resident experts from Audio Wave. But, they too, has a secret weapon in the form of a fifth guest guitarist, this time locals Vaarstraat 69's main man and Dundee legend, Lefty, whose extra guitar depth really added to the whole monumental sound that The Law poured pout of the PA. That they erupted into "Still Got Friday TO Go" was then superceded by old favourite "Strings" and the place was rocking. But what you realise yet again, is the sheer quality of the songs that these guys write - the arrangements, the lyrics, the overall delivery - it's all not only spot on, but it's more than a cut above most of their more famous indie and pop chart contemporaries. That they still have just loads left in them to come, is clearly illustrated furtehr on in the set when, among a clutch of new tracks, they come to this one called "Television Satellite". Now Kyle from The View had been leaping up and down in front of me throughout The Law's set, standing there between the two 6-foot plus frames of The Daze's Alan and Luva Anna's Drew, and when Stuart from The Law invited him on set for this track, the guy couldn't run to that stage fast enough. So then you had the three guitarists on stage, while other members of The View added harmony vocals. But what was even more amazing was the track - the demo on The Law's myspace site right now gives just a hint at what an absolutely amazing track this is - and tonight, they really did it justice. Insanely catchy, superbly written and possibly one of the best tracks they've written to date, you get the feeling that if they chuck this out as a single, it must surely hit the top spot with the right promotion. It is an absolute gem of a track and I've been singing the thing all day in my head and I only heard it for the first time last night!! Finsinhing with "Hot Rod" brought things to a close on one night that was so extra special - a night you couldn't repeat for atmopshere in any other venue, any other time - and a night where two Dundee bands justifiably carved their, further and first, initials into the stone marked "greatness". It was like having The Beatles and The Rolling Stones at their combined peaks on stage on the same night - it was THAT good - and then some!!