Tuesday 04/03/03 Medium 21 @ The Casbah, Sheffield

As their enigmatic frontman and vocalist Jon Clough lurches and palpitates his way through each song, the rock/indie/Britpop entity that is Medium 21 begin to make so much more sense. The gig, at the Casbah, Sheffield, is a date on the Temptation record label tour; a label that grew out of fierce panda records - responsible for releasing the early offerings of numerous bands, such as Ash, Idlewild, Hundred Reasons and SFA before they were launched into super-stardom. When Simon Williams decided to create the new label Temptation with a view to developing bands long term careers, rather than just the one-offs of fierce panda, Medium 21 were at the top of his list, and it's not difficult to see - and hear - why.

The four piece from Northampton already have accrued an impressive résumé; their first release, 'In Awe of Agriculture' in 2000 on the independent Outafocus label gained them rave press reviews, and the follow up EP 'Riot on the Tyres' earned them an XFM session and also an Evening Session on Steve Lamacq. Oh yes - and shortly after forming originally as a three piece in 1999, decided that they wanted to start small and took it upon themselves to fund, organise and promote a tour of the States. "We spent a bit of time on the posies chat room, got chatting to a few people and managed to book ourselves a few gigs. It wasn't very organised at all - we were supposed to be playing a rock festival on the west coast and we only found out when we stepped off the plane. Plus it was exhausting driving from one side of the states to the other and back again, but it was a laugh."

The band then comprised of Jon Clough (vocals), Paul Thornton (bass/vocals) and Drew Kent (drums/vocals) three ambitious blokes who met at Uni and decided as soon as they formed that making excessive amounts of noise was what they wanted to do with their lives. With the later addition of Craig Brown (guitar/keyboards), Medium 21 played as support to the likes of The Cooper Temple Clause, Brendan Brenson and Death Cab for Cutie, and can now, with chests puffed up, proudly say they've had a top 100 hit with the glorious single 'Daybreak vs Pride', released on Temptation on February 24th this year. Rising to the top of the charts like Autumnal mushrooms is not one of their goals, however. The band are currently relentlessly touring the UK with the aim of building up their fan base over here, having categorically stated that "we're not into all that media hype bollocks", but the question is, now they're out on their own, will the 21s ever be perceived as more that an excellent support group?

Their debut album, 'Killing from the Dial' (recorded at The Granary in Kent, and produced by Tim Rowkins) was released on March 10th, and listening to it suggests that this band have enough brash and frantic charisma, raw musical talent and confidence to blow the socks off the current competition, in addition to noisily appropriating their own niche in the industry. Previously comparisons have been drawn between the 21s and The Cure, Mercury Rev, Idlewild, Lemonheads...The Clash, Dinosaur Jr, Pavement, early REM, Elliot Smith, Foo Fighters, Super Furry Animals, Flaming Lips, Pulp, and so on… practically every rock outfit around, but the simple truth is, these boys don't sound like anyone else. They can rock and thrash, assault with bursts of sheer violent punk-clash energy, and then suddenly dissolve into tranquil, melancholic melodies; for every crashing, tumultuous chaotic guitar rock episode there is a serene refrain expressing a poignant emotional frailty within the confines of a single track. Their music boasts hypnotic orchestral backing, uplifting female backing vocals, surging drum beats and guitar riffs that are quite simply earth shattering, not to mention Mr. Clough's… interesting vocals.

He croons, he screeches, he stutters - his vocal style is entirely unique and provides another intense layer of texture to the songs. In 'Daybreak vs Pride' his range varies from deliciously repugnant shouting to the painfully delicate, and his screeching stuccato adds a tinge of abject lunacy to the wonderful deranged 'Acting Like A Mirror'. Although I'm buggered if I could tell you what it was he was actually saying most of the time. Listening to the well-produced recordings from the self confessed studiophiles, I was curious to see how the often-bizarre multiplicity exuded in their music would translate to the stage, and found it bracing to say the least. Clough's energetic and enthusiastic performance breathed life into the songs, injecting albeit dirty, fetid air in most cases, but the songs appropriated a vivacity of their own, and asserted and consolidated their own identity, rather than being another track on the cd.

My only muted criticism is that although the band are very good - their melodies, vocals, guitar riffs etc are all fantastic - the thing I realised when listening to the album was that the tracks didn't have a huge impact. Although the songs were very different within themselves, when hearing them consecutively in the context of the CD they didn't stand apart and cleave their way independently into my appreciation, and it was only after concentrating I really began to appreciate the quality and diversity of the music. For me, they lack those minute touches of genius that are flouted by truly legendary bands and guarantees longevity, but that, of course, is a purely subjective viewpoint.

Both their music and performance are thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining, and inspire those that listen to Medium 21 to both clear their lungs and bellow at life's bum deals, and pay homage to the divine too. They have forged a unique sound for themselves, and although 'Killings From The Dial' is their first album, it sounds unbelievably professional and more in keeping from a more experienced band. There is definitely room for them on the gig circuit and, despite their protestations, in the charts, and if you get the chance to see them perform, we strongly suggest you seize the opportunity.

Expect great things from them in the future - Medium 21 are definitely one to watch.

Photo by Sakura Henderson :: sakura@gigwise.com