Being my first gig since January, I was obviously psyched about going to the NME Radar Tour, especially to hear new bands that could widen my musical tastes. I had done my research on the bands, furiously attacking their Myspaces just so I could memorise some songs, and so I set off feeling like I’d never been out of the loop.
As I entered the Wedgewood Rooms, the first band, The Strange Death Of Liberal England, had already started playing, their raw sound reverberating around the venue. There seemed to be a feeling of anxiety in the air, with the room only being half full, but the band seemed determined to put on a good impression with their punchy choruses and screechy vocals making up for the deficit in the crowd.
This indie sound was followed by the folk band, Darwin Deez. These were one of the bands that I was anticipating, and I was not let down. Immediately they introduced a fresh spin to the evening, rocking out some snappy, well executed dance routines before each song, earning rapturous applause from the audience. Their set was equally as impressive, reeling off light, bouncy tunes, while their biggest British hit so far, “Radar Detector”, gave a nonsensical riding-on-air sensation.
Although Darwin himself said he had hurt his ankle, this didn’t stop him and the rest of the band putting on a storming show, as the New Yorkers’ confidence grew, the guitarists furiously bopping around the stage, while the bubbly vocals complimented the fluffy rhythms.
So it seemed that Darwin Deez had set the bar for the night, and one of the main attractions, Everything Everything, was up next. The electro noise was a stark contrast to the poppy melodies that it had followed, but songs such as “Suffragette Suffragette” and “My Kz Yr Bf” got the crowd bouncing along. In between the hard-hitting electronic beats and thumping vocals, Jonathan Higgs’ voice treating us to a few softer numbers, delivering velvety lyrics alongside quiet synths and guitars. The lead guitarist also tried to stake a claim to the area, shouting, “I was born down the road from here”, however getting the promptest of replies, “You should feel lucky you got out!”
By the time the headliner of the tour, Hurts, came on it was feeling like an eclectic line-up. Indie, folk, electro-indie and now four men in suits stood before us, their clean-cut style putting the other acts to shame. Standing rigidly with their slick hairstyles, Hurts acted like they belonged in the rat pack, not on an NME tour. However, as the piano kicked in with its echoic sound, coupled with the choirboy vocals, Hurts really did shake things up to end the night.
There was some negative feedback from the crowd, but this only worked in Hurts’ favour, with their songs gaining more momentum, with the lead singer Theo Hutchcraft actually looking like he meant every word. “Better Than Love”, their new single, was the closing song of the night, and this offered a new take, a more upbeat tempo getting everyone up dancing and jumping.
After such a long time away from the gig scene, it was a relief to experience upcoming bands that are bound to thrive in the future. Every band was impressive in their own way, and are sure to make their mark in 2010, but if I had to pick one that will storm the charts, it would have to be Darwin Deez.
Hopefully all these bands will reach your ‘radar detector’ sometime soon...
This article can also be found at About My Area Portsmouth
No comments:
Post a Comment