Published in Sounds, 13th February 1982
Aztec Camera / Jazzateers | Gig Review | King’s College 1982 | THE POSTCARD roadshow hits town, no doubt not a little frayed and battered in its latest ideological reincarnation by the flops, failures and messes of Josef K and Orange Juice.
Perhaps all of these are inevitable when you look back at what was expected from last year, the mammoth pop hopes invested in them being too heavy and too obvious. They are keeping their respective chins up though, this ‘second wave’ of prime Scots pop talent.
I stumbled into the Jazzateers‘ set to find them strangely minus the lovely out-front Alison (it was the three piece’s “Jonathan Richman set”) and digging into the studenty ennui with what they announced as the’ Ramones’ ‘You Don’t Come Close’, but which was in fact their own song of the same title.
This is a little bit too clever, too much like Orange Juice indeed, but it shouldn’t avert you from the fact that Jazzateers are a strong contender for group of the year this century. Maybe they’re even flaunting it a little with this trio lark. But wait.
Altered Images have nothing on Jazzateers.
Jazzateers are quiet, and the most potentially and genuinely subversive Postcard outing yet. And they are getting, literally, louder. They are not an answer to the trials of JK and OJ while by-passing those two with the same ethic and the same ethnic (sic) pop innocence, all multiplied by about 12.
They might even win. Like I said, just wait.
Aztec Camera / Jazzateers | Gig Review | King’s College 1982
God, Aztecs should be virtually old men by now. At least, about 16 or so to a-boy. A lot of talk about split ups and signings what-have-you is all eyewash.
More pertinent now is the fact that young Roddy Frame is happy, gaining confidence by the second, and now has a voice around two pegs down from Johnny Mathis.
And he plays his Dobro style guitar rather splendidly as well (“best guitarist in the country, “a fan remarked. The new Eric Clapton?) Seriously!
Aztec Camera haven’t disappeared, they’re just learning to cope with possessing about five songs that are certified classics. without getting depressively certified themselves. They have learnt they’re too good. Patience!
This is the new Roddy style. ‘Release’ is an heroic song (and album title?) It invokes swooning, at least a cocaine-ish swaying from the benighted student faction.
‘Orchid Girl’ is as cutting as its title. ‘Pillar To Post’ has a dignity that’s rare; indeed obscene from a Frame so young. Aztecs are still about melodies, and how far you can take them.
There is still something a little old fashioned about them which oughtn’t be permitted to retard their shooting to the nation’s overall bosom.
Seriously! Aztec Camera are Haircut 100’s favourite group. Doesn’t it show, Nick Heyward? They’re reacting to this pleasantness in the right way. God, the man Horne has even got them to cut their hair! And they’ve relinquished their cutesie check John Boy shirts for kinda fashionable wear.
A little under run-in maybe. Rod and Co looking like Gestapo agents or child molesters isn’t ideal, know-what-l-etc? But the style will come to match the homely, ineffable genii I am sure.
Mattress Of Wire
Aztec’s only problem is projection, even more so than most sensitive groups. Time!
Both recording and live ventures, and there is a real potential intimacy that’s very singular about the latter, ya know, have yet to be cemented complete on a projection level.
At King’s it told particularly in the vocal dept, the mix at times acting up and turning young Rod’s divine holler into something approaching a shout. By the end of ’82 such mishaps will be ironed-out, along with those dreadful suits I trust, and Aztec Camera will be the rounded coffee bar treat they so richly promise.
Apparently Big Changes will follow herewith. Certainly at King’s ‘Mattress Of Wire’ nearly took the roof off on the emotion count . . . there’s nothing wrong here that time won’t either settle or dash to eternal cult status, more probably the former, by good luck, if Mr Horne et al can inject just a dash of fashion into this little large last capital of flame and passion.
Oh, and Roddy’s even started smoking! And asking for change for the cig machines himself! This ageing thirteen year old isn’t ready for the r’n’r knacker’s yard yet. No frame-up here yet. Love plus won . . . (Dave McCullough)
Unashamed Scot-rock
AZTEC CAMERA / THE SECRET GOLDFISH Kings College, London
GOOD evening. We’re the Secret Goldfish and we’re a rock band.”
Two blatant fibs in the first 15 seconds — fabbola! The going was bound to be downhill from there on and so, dear reader, it was.
Even without the posters, Ian Burgoyne’s light celtic brogue and that typically silly combination of shy self-analysis and assertive audience-mockery would have been more than enough to announce the arrival of Alan Horne’s sly if unsubtle Sound Of Young Scotland.
You surely must know the scores by now: five out of ten for the Velvets fixation, three out of ten for the Byrds, eight and a half for an Orange Juice effort, and a staggering nine-point-nine for the Jazzateers impersonation.
But then that’s not surprising really considering the Secret Goldfish actually are those self-same young jazzers only sans singer Alison.
Why? Well, for match practice and money of course. That and to avenge Alan Horne’s badly bruised pride.
See the Jazzateers or the Goldfish or whatever you care to call them, really can’t write, sing or play that well, scarcely perform in time or tune together. But in the grand Postcard Records’ tradition, their naivety happens to pull them happily through.
It’s a con for sure, but it’s as partly accidental as their clean-cut wholesome image.
The Jazzateers are the ultimate real-life Archies, aggressively goody-goody, ruthlessly respectable. Don’t bother to listen right now, but just sit back and laugh and watch this lot go.
Aztec Camera, on the other hand, aren’t nearly so perfect — they can play! All sweetness and light, and healthy good-looks, their classical love songs like “Orchid Girl” and “Mattress Of Wire” are actually far too good to perpetuate the con. Aztec Camera have made — and will make —records worth buying. A pity but no real problem for Horne. (Steve Sutherland)
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