The Deal with Gobi..

TWO SPOT GOBI REVIEWS

JASON MRAZ - "These guys are so fresh you sometimes forget fresh means new"

Brighton Fringe gig review:

Brighton's FinestFriday Night Hero, Silvermaker, TWO SPOT GOBI

After waiting for an hour and a half in the rain for this late starting show, the last thing I needed was the childish and unoriginal novelty music of the tragically bad unbilled support Zooface. And things didn't improve much once they were gone either, as next up were Silvermaker, a poorly named and unoriginal radio rock band distinguished only by their very attractive singer (call me). With two more bands to go, things were looking very bleak, when suddenly things took a dramatic turn for the better. The DJ spun some Talking Heads, Two Spot Gobi struck their opening chord and the dance floor erupted. Two Spot Gobi absolutely embarrassed every other band on the bill with their original dub-inflected funk, spiced up with cello and trumpet. After this, Friday Night Hero's smooth rock was something of an anti-climax, but then, anything would've been.

NC magazine Brighton:

In a year that saw the charts characterised by androgynous men in cardigans and skinny jeans, Two Spot Gobi have appeared with trumpets blaring and soothing melodious lyrics to impose themselves on the Brighton music scene and offer our ears a refreshing alternative. As bands like The Kooks and The Arctic Monkies rose to notoriety, shying away from media attention as they went, Gobi have meticulously planned their success with business- like precision, accumulating a fan base from MySpace and distributing EPs across the country from their own bedrooms. Unsigned and unassuming, they stand as an illuminating insight into the harsh realities of the music industry.
"At the begining we had interest from big industry, lots of interest", the band's signature Cellist explains, "and we had all the parties, celebrated, and thought we'd made it. And then ten months down the line....", they all laugh. "We've realized now that you've just got to be a lot more blazé about it, and not get derailed when something comes along. We've got people interested at the moment, but there's no point in talking about it because by the time this article gets published, it'll probably have come to nothing and we'll be working in Budgens, feeling like idiots". This self-deprecating, pragmatic sense of humour is the source of a seemingly never-ending flow of banter which reverberates through the group. Encouraged by it I ask them 'who the lousiest drunk is?'. "We don't really drink after gigs" is their response. "We have to drive home afterwards, so we're possibly the least rock 'n' roll band ever. I think if you were out there getting pissed every night and sleeping with hookers, you wouldn't get anything done"...."we're probably a bit too serious perhaps" the quiet and collected Bassist cuts in, "but we see it as a business, a job, which is what it really is when all the lights go off...it just happens to be one of the things we love doing".
So. No alcohol, no hookers, and lots of humility - this isn't sounding like your typical music interviews so far. And yet, when their music hits your ears, loaded with lyrical ingenuity and instrumental proficiency that reminds you of everything and nothing you ever heard before, you cannot doubt that these boys have something unique. They're anything but 'typical' in fact, as musical influences from Schubert to Clapton permeate their distinctive melodies. At their gigs you're bombarded with jazzy, soul-filled sounds which lace amongst each other, whilst people cavort around energetically singing all the words, and you feel like the only person in the world who hasn't seen this band coming. "We've been very lucky. We've never played to an empty audience and I think it's because we give people a chance to bring their own meaning to our music".
And they're right. The music is experimental in the deepest sense of the word; it smacks a smile on your face and allows your imagination to wonder from the everyday experience to a dreamscape some- where beyond. With immeasurable talent, they represent the very best of what our city has to offer, and the worst mistake the music industry has made in 2006. NC



frontCENTRE:

Their website describes their music as “an organic sound unlike anything else”. It’s a bold statement, but one live Two Spot Gobi set later, and we were not about to argue. As categories go, we can’t find one for this band, which certainly speaks for their originality. If you want to know what they sound like, you just have to listen to them; it really is that simple.
Turned up loud in the car, they are summertime on an open road, even when the reality is queues of traffic in grey British rain. First thing in the morning, they are the start of a good day. On stage, they are infectious: grabbing the audience with their instantly appealing sound, drawing them in with grins that suggest an in-joke everyone just happens to be in on, and charming them with their obvious enjoyment of every cheer, clap, sing-along and groove-along that they inspire.

Gig review - Komedia brighton - HomeInBrighton:

The headline band I had never seen before but had heard loads about and the buzz in the Komedia was tangible to say the least. This six piece played with a swagger and the front man James Robinson could be compared to lead singers such as Jay Kay but without the pretension. This band gel and work as a tight unit which is no easy feat as there are six of them. On paper this really shouldnt work but it really does and its infectious!
You can not help but move to the music, jazz and funk so masterfully combined. You see many bands in Brighton featuring the usual four piece indie guitar set up, which makes tonights performance so damn refreshing. Rob Lewis sits on the side of the stage playing a cello beautifully and the trumpet played by Matt Ellis compliments each other in a chocolately sound which allows you to drift into a world which you are stimulated by a pure smooth blend of guitar and drums carrying the beat so effortlessly. When you watch Brazil play football you are taken in by the way they make it look so effortless the same could be said about this band and music.
Whenever I go to see a band there are certain things I know Im going to get, for example punk band = thrashing guitars and shouty vocals, indie band = dodgy haircuts and a bit of shoe gazing. When you go to see Two Spot Gobi all the expectations you have go out the window and you become an instant fan of their comfortable ability leaving you to relax and enjoy a sound which is highly infectious. I am reminded also of the Stone Roses which may not be at first an obvious connection but its there in Mr Man, a song which glides and exudes a breezy coolness which paints pictures of summer evenings in my mind. The sound this band produces is so good it can only be a matter of time before they are signed and enjoying national success, you feel you are witnessing something special. The crowd get right into it, dancing and moving to the music which is great considering that is the point of music. Lets Get Lost is a soulful song which sums up this band totally as you feel yourself getting lost in the music and the moment. With the frenetic stage presence of James Robinson and the melodic sound of the band playing behind him when it comes to the encore you know its just a formality. This really has been an eclectic evening; my advice is go see Two Spot Gobi!!