Monster Logic/Baby

January 6, 2023 Off By Jon

Chaplin’s Cellar Bar Boscombe

– 6th January 2023

Barely a week on from NYE and Chaplin’s Cellar Bar is playing host to two bands of very different styles on this first weekend of their live calendar. Monster Logic are no stranger to a local stage but tonight’s Special Guests are from out of town – Watford no less. With a moniker like Baby I have no clue what to expect. Info and media is even harder to come by, so open-minded I’m here to be entertained.

An unfeasibly long sound check means a delayed start, its 10.15pm before they finally announce themselves. This trio are a strange hybrid of styles encompassing Punk, Post/Punk, Electro/Indie Indie/Dance and any other genre I may have missed out! They go by the moniker of Baby, to be fair youth is on their side. My initial thoughts are that they sound like an Electro Jamie T on crack! The frontman has an obvious level of confidence with his London swagger and drawl.

baby 1–2–3

He is backed by Pogo Patterson (Grange Hill) post-diet on bass and a precise, well-inked pretty boy on drums. As I said earlier, band info was scarce. Second song of the night is “Wanker”, cos we all know one right? Some of the songs are spoken word meets social commentary. Sadly with this being their Bournemouth debut, they are beset with sound issues. Buzzsaw guitars do battle with throbbing basslines and a fierce drumming style, but one can’t keep their eyes off the frontman.

However, once he drops the guitar to just vocalize he comes into his own – I just wish the prelude to every song wasn’t him saying “oh shit” – I cannot believe it’s nerves, the guy is confidence personified. He delivers two songs dedicated to ex’s, one about a T-shirt he is yet to return. His cheeky grin reminds me of one Tom Meighan (ex-Kasabian) but he has the physique of an amateur boxer – Jeff Turner, eat yer heart out!!

“Porcelain Girl” is a mid-set highlight as they grow this crowd’s attention. They depart us on a Beatles cover that is new to me, or maybe it’s just a ruse? Anyway, they adapt it for an energetic punter down the front and depart us on “Oh Georgina!” Every now and then a ‘new’ band come to town and leave an indelible memory, with a bit of polish; a few bangers and a little less cussing I can see this trio going somewhere – only time will tell…

Monster Logic are tonight’s headliners, and how they are going to better their support act is no mean feat. They open with “Talk You Down” and we kind of feel the vibe early doors. Shoegaze it isn’t, “NewGaze” maybe? This Cellar crowd are strangely unresponsive to their efforts and it doesn’t get much better. “Golden Cages” comes next and Alex (vox) attempts to interact with little comeback. “Second Gear” seems somewhat ironic, there just seems to be something missing. Their minimal stagecraft and attire seems somewhat lazy – they might as well be just jamming in a rehearsal room.

Monster Logic 1

I’ve seen these guys before and I expected better, maybe an off night but undeterred they soldier on. “Whole” is announced as “an oldie but a goldie”, the familiar chiming guitars match the powerful drums and I’m briefly reminded of Indie underachievers “Colour Of Fire”. It’s their best offering so far but this crowd seem to not know whether to dance or shoegaze themselves? What’s worse is the amount of chatter I can hear over the songs as the numbers start to decrease in the room. I feel their pain and depart for the last bus home. To use a football analogy it’s “a game of two halves” – on a positive note, Baby – remember the name…

Set List
Monster Logic
Talk You Down
Golden Cages
Second Gear
Breathe
I Will Go
Whole
Kill The Boi
Sunspots
Rage
Cold
Sober
Rumour

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