Another album,‘that difficult second one’ and so, another tour for Brighton’s very own party poppers The Go! Team. This time as headliners on NME’s none too shabby Freshers tour featuring, amongst others, young upstarts Operator Please. A perfect platform it would seem, to showcase the merits of ‘Proof Of Youth’ – the ramshackle new album that was met with decidedly mixed reviews on it’s arrival last month. Free from the constraints of the studio however, is (usually) where the fun loving sextet thrive, so an opportunity to wow a bunch of beered-up, impressionable freshers should be just the ticket. Well, it should be.
The band charge head first into the lead single from ‘Proof Of Youth’, the raucous ‘Grip Like A Vice’ to open up. It’s opening 2 minutes lacks any sort of cohesion, not helped by the muddy sound, but in a second half dominated by snarling guitars and stomp a long brass it redeems itself somewhat. So we’re up, if not yet quite running. More of the same features on ‘The Wrath Of Marcie’, before which effervescent front-woman Ninja gleefully informs us is the bands new single. Again it splutters into life during the second half, but it’s not the most auspicious of openings. Indeed, aside from the wonderfully energetic and endearing Ninja, the remaining band members appear disinterested - their lack of energy all too apparent.
A blink and you’ll miss it two minute thumper finally engages the crowd, and the band hit their stride on the cartoony but likeable ‘Fake I.D’ Ninja switching to drums for this one and at last it feels like the Go Team are here to party. But, inexplicably what we get next is a dreadful, slow acoustic number, stalling all momentum. So much for the party.
They manage to save face somewhat with a string of hits from ‘Thunder, Lightning, Strike’ that fill the remainder of tonight’s set. The best of which are, rather predictably ‘Ladyflash’ and the achingly beautiful ‘ Everyone’s A V.I.P to Someone’, showing that when they get it right, there really is little to compare to them. If only they could get it right a bit more often.
