‘`Ladies and Gentleman, please take you seats and let me tell you a story, a story about my quadruplets, they were born in an island just off the coast here, yeah the coast of Edinburgh and that was five years ago, five years ago today. And tonight they have come to play for you. The girl has like pianos coming out of her fingertips, a boy with the guitar perturbing out of his hand; a boy who would hit pots and pans until now he has drums and a boy with the most wondrous wind-pipe. Ladies and Gentleman I give you The Blood Arm.’` Yes, ermm Indeed. Tonight’s gig begins with what can only be described as a camp roadie, using his best Jackanory skills to introduce the band to the stage. Anyone spot the irony of the gig being in Cabaret Voltaire.
Hmmm, you see I am stuck at how to review this band – I still do not know where I stand with this band. Last year Entertainment Weekly in America awarded them the coveted prize of ‘`Best Live Band’ at SXSW, and it is easy to see why, their energetic bordering chaotic performance is great to watch. And that is the point, they are good to watch but they don’t really have the songs to back up their performance. Yeah, ok, ‘`Suspicious Character’ – the one that goes, ‘`I like all the girls and all the girls like me’` – is a pop gem, but does that not make them a one hit wonder band? Well, kind of, they do have a couple of other good songs like the stokes-come-late-white-stripes effort that is ‘`Stay Put’. But then it dries up, apart from a kareoke version of ‘`Honky Tonk woman’ by The Rolling Stones. The gig fizzles out faster than a cheap sparkler from the Co-op. The Blood Arm are an average band, who just don’t seem to match up to their reputation.
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