8/4/2008 Men & Gods @ the Purple Turtle

Subject	Men & Gods @ the Purple Turtle
PostedDate	4/8/2008
	Once again I find myself back at the Purple Turtle - fortunately they don't run out of Newcastle Brown like last time.  On this occasion I'm there to see Men & Gods. However, things don't look too good when I arrive around 9.30 - the guy on the door says that Men & Gods went on at 8.00 instead of 10.00 as I'd been informed earlier - meaning I have wasted my entire evening.  The monkey on the door generously says I can go in for free to say hello to the band if I want... I find the band upstairs - they haven't played yet at all. Just as well I checked - I nearly went straight back home without even entering the venue.  Usually the staff are really good as this place, but I guess tonight it's just a clueless promoter.  So I eventually get to see Men & Gods take to the stage. It's a polished show as usual, but the sound isn't quite as good this time and I can hardly hear Nadia's keyboards - which is a shame as she is particularly good. I hope she was more audible on the band's interview on TotalRock than her keyboard is on stage tonight. I hear the interview went well though. Marc is a natural showman as is very at ease on a stage - as well as being probably the sharpest dressed frontman in town. As well as not knowing who has played and when, the promoter has also changed the running order of the show - 'headliners' Men & Gods are not now the final band.  That honour falls to an American band called Blanco Diablo. They turn out to be rather good and have a singer/guitarist who wears his G'N'R and Zak Wilde influences very plainly on his sleeve. Muso note: The guitarist has a Les Paul and an old style Marshal amp with not many knobs on the front. He's not using any effects pedals or even a channel switch pedal - the guitar is plugged straight into the amp and it sounds great! This guy understands how it is actually very simple to get a good sound if you have decent gear - far too many guitarists go through so many pedals in a effort to get 'their' sound that all they get is a muddy mess that sounds the same as everybody else. You don't need all that shit guys - just let the music do the talking, not all your effects pedals.