In recent years the Cabaret Voltaire has played host to some of the best up-and-coming bands in the country. Maximo Park, The Horrors, Forward Russia, Ladyfuzz ‘` all have graced its tiny, stone-vaulted stage. All of which makes tonight’s gig by Larrikin Love unmissable. more… “Larrikin Love / Alterkicks”
Dancing penguins. Buxom girls with striped legs. Men dressed in pink body paint and boxers. You’d be forgiven for thinking that the Fringe has started early this year, but fortunately The Very’s guerrilla-style launch gig for their self-titled album oozes the kind of rock’n’roll attitude that most Fringe acts only dream of. Perching themselves on the small pyramid of steps outside the National Gallery, a portable generator chugging away behind Jake Miller’s drum kit, they waste no time in launching into a vibrant, polished and shockingly loud live set. Most of the album tracks are present and correct, as well as a handful of favourites from their back catalogue and a few new surprises. Before long a hundred-strong crowd has gathered, mostly hanging back on the fringes of the square but all entranced by Robin Von Blitz’s frenetic guitar style, even if their eyes occasionally stray to the scantily-clad dancers. more… “The Very”
On paper Clayhill look like they should blow our minds. Founded by Ali Friend and Ted Barnes when the pair were working with Beth Orton, their lead vocalist, Gavin Clark, has previous form with bluesy rock band Sunhouse. The album was co-produced by Simon Burwell, whose work includes Damon Albarn’s Mali Music project. The gang was assembled, all that remained was to execute the perfect musical heist.
Somewhere along the way, though, things went awry. Mine At Last is a competent debut, but given the personnel involved it should have been a lot more. Perhaps it’s the fact that everything sounds so low-key, as if the band have just woken from a mid-afternoon siesta. The unusual drumbeat and husky vocals of ‘One Nerve’ are intriguing but unengaging, while the funky riffs of ‘Halfway Across’ almost bring to mind indie stalwarts Gomez ‘ almost, but not quite.
In the end Mine At Last falls just short of expectations, not actually bad, but not enticing enough to make you sit up and beg for more. It’s a good start, but there’s some distance to travel yet. [DC] ???
Passenger used to be known as the Mike Rosenberg Band, and undoubtedly everyone (except Mr Rosenberg’s Mum) will be glad of the change. Unfortunately they’re still peddling the kind of insipid Pop Idol-reject, saccharine-sweet, consumer-friendly rock-lite that they used to, before they got a decent name. They might have slotted a sample of Allen Ginsberg’s poetry into the middle of ‘Wicked Man’s Rest’ as a desperate attempt at indie credibility, but it doesn’t stop me wanting to bludgeon them around the head with something blunt. James, preferably.