For a new band, having a song featured in a television advert can make or break a career. Riding on the wave of a recent Lexus car advert Grech may have made an unfortunate mistake.

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I’m sure you’ll know the one I’m talking about. A guy drives into an empty Italian plaza in a swish car, stops, opens the door and the square is heaving with people. The quasi-operatic falsetto vocals stick in your head… and this is what everyone associates with Martin Grech. The reality is quite a different story.

Unfortunately this advert track, Open Heart Zoo, was the reason why I picked up on this guy. I hadn’t heard any of his other material, so I had nothing to lose in taking the venture. The Concorde II is a great small venue, a converted Victorian railway station with a capacity in the low hundreds; but it still has a decent and ever-improving sound system.

Second support act Mew are a band to watch out for. Utilising both amusing and psychedelic visuals on stage to a rocky and epic music worked very well. A refreshing change in a small venue. The sight of a rabbit, fox and cat all flying along a road, each playing a violin, will stick in my mind for quite a while. It’s not often, as you will read, that a support act betters the headlining performance. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for Mew. New single, Comforting Sounds, comes out March 24th.

With the preconceptions I had of Grech, I was slightly taken aback to see the 19 year-old lovechild of Marc Bolan and the twitchy side of Thom Yorke saunter onto stage next. And this was a band, not a solo singer. Something twigged when it was evident the Mesa Boogie amps, staple of metal bands everywhere, and pointy Explorers were owned by the headliners. Hmmm… I don’t think this is going to be something ambient.

And the audio assault began on a slightly bemused crowd. Wait, it’s Bends-era Radiohead… no, hold on, it’s Black Album Metallica. That sounds like King Crimson… It was a slightly strange experience to be expecting a rather calm performance and to be on the receiving end of a rumbling metal act. Nonetheless, the band did what they did, and did it well. There were stages of progressive rock, explosions of palm muted riffery and quiet acoustic intimacy. It has to be said, Grech can sing. He has an immensly powerful and versatile voice, a male Bjork if you like. It was halfway throughout the gig that Open Heart Zoo got its airing and he certainly showed what he could do. It was unfortunate that some of the crowd left after this, only to miss a quality solo acoustic piece. Finishing with a full on prog thrash-out, the best song of their debut so I am informed, they left an awkward impression.

It’s a shame, because ultimately the audience that will enjoy this music will be put off by the notoriety of the Lexus advert. Those that are likely to investigate further will stop dead in the tracks and, as I saw, leave it for someone else to enjoy.

• Filed in music and live-music under martin grech,open heart zoo,mew
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• Permanent link to this entry: Martin Grech - Concorde II, Brighton (03/02/2003)