Q: Who are they?
A: Truth be told, I'm totally clueless as to who they are. I've never heard of them till last night.
Grand National
Firstly, I have to confess that the group's name was a turn-off. Grand National. It seemed like something an ultra-nationalist aka neo-fascist aka Republican party would use. It really didn't help when I entered the performance space in Knitting Factory and saw a huge black banner in the back with large white letters spelling out Grand National. But their redeeming factors are (1) they are a band from jolly old England. I personally think all the good bands these days are coming from the other side of the Atlantic, so it can't hurt that they are Engl ... British (God forbid any one of them is from some place other than England. You see, they are very particular about which side of the border they were born from, as one of my Scottish friend pointed out.) (2) The two main guys are called Lawrence "La" and Rupert. I don't know what it is about the British, but the mothers there really know how to name their kids. I think names like Lawrence, Rupert, Liam, Owen, Riley, Aiden, Rhys, Toby - just to name a few - are sexy.
Q: Hold up, here. Who cares about all that? Were they any good?
A: Um, I do. And yes, they were. I was just getting to that.
(3) The most important aspect of a band is their—I’m borrowing a word Sean from the Sean Show used and, I think, coined—rockability. Grand National have that; these guys totally R*O*C*K*E*D!!! They got me grooving, swinging, and bopping. Hmm…I wonder if that was more to do with the gin-and-tonic than the music. No, it was the music. The smooth stylin’ of the front man, La—I think he’s the front man, combined with the tight sounds provided by the band, blew me away. There was something nostalgic about their sound, yet very new… I liked what I heard. Well, listen for yourselves. (No, it’s not live.)
Drink to Moving OnThey promised us that they'd see us back in Madison Square Garden. Okay, they didn't use the two words, "we promise," but they made a bold statement. If they continue with their bold sound, I think we might see them perform in Madison Square Garden one day.
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