Wednesday 26/09/07 iLiKETRAiNS @ King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow

Since iLiKETRAiNS first appeared, they’ve always been able to stand out from the pack, both on record and in live performances. From the early days of British rail uniforms to their more current shirts, ties and black armbands appearance, it’s fair to say the Leeds quintet stood out from most other bands. Then there was the habit of playing film on screens during the show, and the grim, dark subject matter of the songs, from Captain Scott to chess champions and from assassinations of Prime Ministers to deceitful yachtsmen. However, all these coverings should not obscure one vital aspect: iLiKETRAiNS rock.

Their rock is not just hard, it’s a striking onslaught of noise. Dave Martin’s funereal tones reach out and grab you, shaking Gigwise into awareness, while the rest of the band simply pile on more and more distortion. Combined with the film, it’s like a multi media project run by demons that want to knock the stuffing out of you. Yet while iLiKETRAiNS musically have plenty of muscle and strength behind them, there’s a satisfying subtlety with them as well. There’s some shimmering melodies lurking underneath the initial blunt club that’s used and that gives them a range of depth that many other bands lack.

And it’s on those moments that iLiKETRAiNS show just how special they can be, when the weaving guitar work of Martin and Guy Bannister bubbles over into life and their graveyard tales are oddly infused with energy. So, an urgent, driving stomp lies behind ‘We Go Hunting’ and ‘The Deception’ is a slice of cynical Goth pop. There are the odd moments where tedium sets in due to the relentless nature of the music. But when the band’s vast post rock clicks into gear, they do genuinely create spine tingling moments, notably on the closing behemoth of ‘Spencer Perceval’, a ten-minute long blockbuster that clatters into noise and rises up into a wall of sound that could probably shake the Houses of Parliament, even from Glasgow.

The continual projections add to the effect, giving the likes of  ‘Terra Nova’ a cool glacial feel. Throughout the gig, Martin, who looks like a bookish Kiefer Sutherland, seems to seethe before losing the plot completely on ‘Perceval’,  reeling back and striking at his guitar in the way that horror movie monsters slash at their prey. Despite the grim nature of the music, Martin’s relaxed on stage, easily having between song banter with the crowd. It’s a tad surprising when the music so obviously screams darkness. But clearly there’s a chink of light at the end of the tunnel, even if the journey there is a shadowy one. Affable though he may be, iLiKETRAiNS are still twisted, bleak and gloomy. Gigwise wouldn’t have them any other way.