This was quite special, being the first time ever I heard Split unplugged. For a change, I didn't have to travel to the West for a concert, so that was a good thing. The not-so-good thing was that this was held in a place with little or no leg-room but loads of smoke of all kinds, all of which hurt like crazy. For those who don't know, I'm allergic to smoke, so you can imagine my state, especially when smoke was coming down from the top deck.
It was mentioned as unplugged, but I found wires criss-crossing the whole place, and the band members were playing on electrics. There was clearly a wire too many, as I spotted one wire that dipped into a candle, caught in a flame. Luckily, that was fixed, well in the middle of the set.
When I stepped in, Garreth and Aviv were playing songs by their side-project Dischordiant, which got over one song after I entered. Then Aviv took a break and Garreth played a song by his own solo project (how many solo or side projects do they have?) and then Split assembled, minus the drummer. While I'm not too big a fan of acoustic rock/alternative, I surely liked these compositions and the performances here.
Now I'll tell you- I haven't heard too much of Split, except Build, Fat Oaf and Holy Ghost Machine Gun. I recorded an event at Zenzi (that one which got cut short very early) and forgot what those other songs sounded like. This was the first time I heard "Isn't it weird", "Belief", "My House" and "Pig Society"- the last of which sounded like RATM meets soft grunge- the band said some such thing, mentioning RATM. They first did a cover which I don't know about, and when requests for Pearl Jam came in, they initially refused.
"Build (Higher)" unplugged? That was quite an experience, listening to the more melodic side of this song. Garreth played the harmonica a lot longer than on the CD that we've got. Nigel stepped in (I was right behind) and got the best beats out of a special, one-piece drum. He played it like a set that was, well, more than one piece! "Fat Oaf" began and held those reeeaaaallllly looooooong notes that we've got used to- a well-known feature of Garreth's vocals.
There was a lot of talk in this event, as all band members except Shekhar (who's not known to talk much) and Nigel (who stepped in later) spoke to the audience, with a few questions from the audience (including me). The endings of their songs have often confused me a lot (the harmonica solo and the shouts of "Higher!!" and guitar licks in Build, the up-tempo ending of Fat Oaf with lyrics different from the rest of the song and that frenzied ending of Holy Ghost Machine Gun), being different from the rest of the song. They said "just to keep things different; to break the monotony". I had a few more for them, but didn't want to be labelled as a Question Mark in this scene.
Speaking of Holy Ghost Machine Gun, this (and Pig Society), differed from the rest of the lyrical themes of Split songs (often about women who cheat, love lost, sadness, angst), with themes about terrorism and religious fanatics. That frenzied ending was very soft here, but then, this was a soft, coffee-time act, not the vigorous headlining band in large grounds at college festivals.
They finished with a Pearl Jam cover (a choice between Alive and Last Kiss- guess the winner), which they hadn't practised much, as they said. I wished to stay on longer, with the band, but I had to rush to catch a fast train home to be on time for dinner, for a change.
Garreth held those notes well, just as he always did. Aviv's rapid picking was special- I was watching that closely to pick up something. The improvised Alive solo was a treat. Shekhar, not vocal at all here, made his presence felt in all the Split songs, and even did a short solo somewhere. Mel partnered Aviv well, but took a break in one song. Nigel made the most out of a single drum.
This experience was different, and one of the better live events I've heard. Now I'm looking forward to a Split gig in full gear, full distortion, fully cranked.
