Two things are immediately obvious when The Long Blondes take to the stage tonight. The first is that their live sound is driven by the rhythm section, the bass and drums surging forward in a two-pronged assault. The second is that there`s something very wrong with Dorian Cox`s guitar playing. It takes a few moments to work out exactly what it is that causes him to look so ungainly and, well, wrong. Then it finally hits you. He looks back-to-front, a mirror image of every other guitar hero out there. Dorian, you see, is a leftie.
A few cosmetic changes to the Liquid Room have raised their stage several feet above the crowd and installed a new bank of lights, the taller band members looking as if they may crack their heads on a spotlight at any moment. They`ve also opened the balcony tonight, and upstairs it`s crammed from wall to wall, thanks to the decision not to serve alcohol in the downstairs bar. Because The Long Blondes are, y`know, for kids. None of this fazes Kate Jackson as she bounces onto the stage with more excess energy than the Duracell bunny. Here`s a girl who knows that her fifteen minutes of fame are nigh, and she`s running to embrace them with open arms.
Singles `Giddy Stratospheres` and `Separated By Motorways` are pumped out in quick succession to close their set in style, but the Blondes are determined to prove that they`re more than just a one-trick (or two-trick) pony. `You Could Have Both` offers obvious shades of fellow Sheffield popsters Pulp, but tonight`s highlights are the soaring chorus of `Only Lovers Left Alive` and the staccato rhythms of `Madame Ray`, accompanied by some oddly erotic goose-stepping from Ms Jackson. Judging by the gaggle of screaming teenagers down the front, there`s no reason why The Long Blondes shouldn`t still be big in ten years` time. Maybe then they`ll finally open the downstairs bar.