Four Day Hombre @ CMW 2007

Background/Composition: A five-piece melodic rock band from the U.K. in the same vein as Elbow, Embrace, Snow Patrol and Coldplay. Rely heavily on building songs from a whisper into a monumental finish. Clearly led by the intricate guitar work and falsetto croon of frontman Simon Wainwright and a rhythm section that isn't afraid to unwind. The band's bio describes their sound as "what Keane would be like if they had bigger balls."

Grade: 74

Comment: It seemed as though these guys came to Canada expecting to be the next big thing. Unfortunately, the crowd at the Mod Club wasn't on the same wavelength. They persisted to talk through the band's set, despite Wainwright's blatant attempts at quieting the crowd — both through his lyrics and between songs.

Achievement of Rock 'n' RollExpectations
80-100: Exceeds skill and knowledge expectations, i.e. rocked us so hard we peed our pants.
70-79: Achieves required skills and knowledge. Meets rock 'n' roll standard.
60-69: Demonstrates some skills. Approaches rock 'n' roll standard.
50-59: Demonstrates some required skills and knowledge in a limited way.
00-50: Has not demonstrated required skills or knowledge.

Learning Skills: E=Excellent, G=Good, S=Satisfactory, N=Sad Really

Oral And Visual Communication
Eye Contact: E 
Pronounciation: E
Stage Presence: S
Stage Banter: S
Image: G
Appearance: G
Use Of Stage: E

Strengths/Weaknesses/NextStep: Spliced in between having to tell the majority of the crowd to pay attention to his band, Wainwright made subtle attempts at cracking jokes. He mentioned something about "pen stabbers" and introduced one song as being about a "man-gina," both of which failed to impress the audience. The Creed-worthy, arms-wide-open poses also didn't bode well for the Brits.

Musical Analysis
Level Of Participation: E
Problem Solving: E
Teamwork: E
Work Habits: E
Organization: E
Audience Participation: S
Sound: E
Composition: E
Songs: E

Strengths/Weaknesses/NextStep: Despite the uninterested crowd, Four Day Hombre played out their set, ignoring the requests to cut it short from a few unmoved audience members. Musically, the band were tight and played their hearts out to those who were listening. Their brief cover of Tricky's "Christiansands" was an unexpected addition to an otherwise predictable set.

Other Skills And Areas Of Interest
Charisma: G
Problem Solving: G
Teamwork: E
Sexiness: G
Haircut: G
Indie Rock Footwear: G
Nods To Disposible Fashion: G
Cool Equipment: G
Level Of Inebriation: G
Actual Ability: E

Strengths/Weaknesses/NextStep: Four Day Hombre are pros and they do what they do well: pitch-perfect vocals, catchy melodies and robust choruses, but based on the crowd's reaction, they might have arrived on western soil a few years too late. For the future, they should lay out a ground rule to simply play to those who are listening. A band rarely win an argument with the crowd, especially when the majority are against them, and Four Day Hombre proved it.