One thing that can be said of the Long Blondes is that they’ve retained all the glorious sass and spunk they’ve been adored for from the start. Their voice contains a respectable amount of the stuff of the early 80s that make the Ramones so damn irresistible. And Kate is still the uber cool, enviously-attired chic with all the right moves, whom every girl in the house wants to be and every bloke wants to dance with. And while any time spent in the same room with the Long Blondes is inevitably going to be fun, tonight posed just a few questions concerning the direction they are following now and if they’re willing to go there all alone with only their own ego to lead the way. Fans are seemingly left behind in an evening chock full of all the new stuff from Couples, an album that’s aimless at times and not quite tight enough to keep an entire gig afloat. Some of these songs have tiny moments of homage to Blondie and no one can deny that if done correctly, this is the band to pull it off. But the glimpse given wasn’t quite enough to prove themselves ready to take on Debbie Harry despite the fact they probably could. Anyone familiar with this band also knows that the vehement voice on Kate can shake a crowd but the band drowned her out tonight, a let down for a lady that WILL deliver when she really wants to rock it out. And one more question: Where was the encore? The lights went on when it was not the time to wrap up a gig that has been thus far a bit unconvincing. No doubt a couple of more reassurance songs should have been the safety net to salvage what was lost on someone such as myself, who emerged from the venue far less inspired and energised than the last time they blazed through Edinburgh. There’s hope though that next time, the Blondes will surely satiate any need for some sagacious noise, soar past all any un-evolved expectations and take everyone else along for the ride as well.
//Kelly Smith
