New Music Round Up: 30th June 2009
So, through the month of June I’ve been to many more gigs that have been pretty damn good. In that time I also saw countless new artists and support bands and, even though I did an article about YACHT and I briefly mentioned The Horrors in my Jarvis Cocker live review but there were many other bands I saw. This is a sum up of these said bands.
Serafina – This duo supported Patrick Wolf at his Electric Ballroom gig at the very beginning of the month (see my review for Sonic Dice here). Armed with just a keyboard that they’re resting on their knees and a harp, they almost convinced me to keep watching for their whole set but there were a fair amount of nerves and false starts involved, which was distracting. What I heard was potentially quite twee but it just seemed to get lost in the ballroom. Perhaps a smaller venue would suit them but here they were a bit forgettable.
Adem – This guy supported the Manic Street Preachers at the HMV Forum and I have to say that he was also not really attention grabbing in any sense. It was very gentle and fragile sounding and also ridiculously out of place at a Manic Street Preachers gig to be honest. It was similar to Serafina in a sense that Adem would probably be better in a smaller venue but when you’re in front of a crowd of pretty dedicated Manic Street Preachers fans you need to do a lot to get a crowd on your side and he probably could have engaged himself in more banter with the crowd.
New Young Pony Club – This band had the same crowd as Adem, also supporting the Manic Street Preachers at the HMV Forum, and they were slightly better but not great. Frontwoman Tahita Bulmer did her best to convert the crowd to enjoy their dance-infused indie rock with her best moves and engaged in banter wherever she could but they was just faced with a pretty stiff audience.
The Horrors – Music is a strange, strange business. Two years ago I was one of the people that dismissed The Horrors, Britain’s most hyped new band, as complete and utter tosh and just a band built by the press types like the NME. Two years later, I’m now considering seeing them at Reading in what must be one of the most radical turn arounds in opinion I think I’ve ever had. Their new material sounds more focused and despite the fact they still look like utter idiots with their haircuts and fashion sense, their performance was one of real intensity, without being over the top.
Reggie Watts – Dresden Dolls fans may recognise the name as he supported them at the band’s Roundhouse shows in November 2006 and last night he supported Regina Spektor at Hyde Park. He is only armed with his voice and a four-track but his acapella singing and beatboxing is still a brilliantly entertaining watch. I am a sucker for this kind of thing anyway because I admire the talent but he managed to get the crowd completely on his side and was a worthy support and I wish he had played for longer than he did.
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Posted on June 30th, 2009 by Max
Filed under: New Music, New Music Round Up
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