White Heat has a great reputation for booking bands that really are the hottest thing around, and tonight was no exception.

Laurence Arabia were first to take to the stage, and the scene instantly reminded me of the school dance in Back to the Future. The décor of the venue and the look of the crowd suggested that some people would be pretty close getting their jive on, and if it wasn’t for the bassist in a Cut Off Your Hands t-shirt the band would have looked the part too. Although their songs do have a definite rock n roll vibe to them, there’s definitely some strong song writing capabilities and a few modern influences to go along with it.

The main reason for my attendance this evening was to see whether The Virgins would live up to their massive amount of hype. I wasn’t all that impressed by what I’d heard of them before, but live I found them infinitely more appealing. They reminded me of that era not so long ago when The Strokes were good, The Cribs were underground and it was cool to have ‘the’ in front of your band name. They’re making music that girls can swoon over again, with lead singer Donald Cumming’s vocals being sure to melt the hearts of many. The main attraction for me however was the purely funked-out basslines that accompany each song. The bassist even pulls that face often used for comic effect in air guitar championships. My conclusion is that they are deservedly hyped; I just had to get over the stigma that bad second albums from similar bands 3 or 4 years ago have left me with.

Headliners They Came From The Stars, I Saw Them are probably the most difficult band I’ve aver had to review. The set didn’t get off to a good start, due to some technical difficulties, but as soon as they were let loose it was nothing but sheer entertainment. Fantastic showmanship seems to be the their ethos, and everyone who had stuck around to see them was treated to a dazzling display of what deep space may well be like. The only hang-ups I had was the attempts at crowd interaction – something I’m not a fan of to begin with. I just always find it a bit naff, and there it’s only on rare occurrences that anyone enjoys it. Definitely worth seeing and believing, even though they’re not my usual sort of thing (then again, they’re pretty unusual).

Written by Charles Drakeford on Monday July 21st, 2008 1:17 pm

Similar Posts:

• Dananananaykroyd
• Barringtone w/Lord Skywave and Wet Paint – This Is Music Launch Party
• Late of the Pier
• Born Ruffians
• Buraka Som Sistema