ON TRIAL, CDOASS, and the Cameros - Stengade 30, København 2/12/03
From Aural Innovations #23 (April 2003)
This was first time On Trial had played in Denmark since the last summers Gutter Island Festival, but I did not make it to that show. The bands new CD, which was recorded in Jan 2001, was finally out now and the band had just played 3 concerts in Denmark the weekend before so it was going to be interesting to see them live. The Camaros from Norway opened the show. They are on the Black Balloon label, same as WE, but play a raw garage rock kind of a mix of Dead Moon and old Husker Du. They had a good looking female bass player that seem to get the most attention from the 45 people at the show. They played about 35 minutes. Next up was a CDOASS from Sweden. This was a 4 piece band (guitar, bass, keyboards and drums) and they were all dressed in suits and ties and I was not sure what to think and they rip into this opener, Counting Numbers. What a trip... back to 1978 we go... and a cool mixture of Devo, Talking Heads and Swedish garage rock. Very cool. I really dug their set a lot but they only played 25 minutes. They have two 7” records out I was told by the guitar player.
Setlist: Counting numbers, The Room, Movement, Autovision, Tokyo, Grapevine
On Trial did not take long to hit the stage and now there were maybe 80 people. They opened with a short space out called Kosmonaut from the new CD, Blinded by the Sun. Next up was Miles Away and Do you see Her? The band sounded good. Guf is really playing the drums well, a break from being the front man in Baby Woodrose. The classic Blood Butterfly was next but it did not really fly. The new single on Bad Afro Records, Higher, was next. It was cool to hear this live. Blinded by the Sun and Sleeper followed. It was great to finally hear the band play Lovecraft live. The band really started to pick up the energy with Driver and So Close So Far. The band ended the short 55 minute set with TV Eye by the Stooges into Starship by the MC5 and an encore of Parchment Farm. A solid show but the band was not playing the heavy spaced psychedelic rock of past years but going for a more short song set with a 60’s garage psych sound.
Setlist: Kosmonaut, Miles Away, Do you See her?, Blood Butterfly, Higher, Blinded by the Sun, Sleeper, Lovecraft, Driver, So Close So Far, TV Eye, Starship, Parchment Farm
Reviewed by Scott Heller