Another Exciting Review
NME Indie Rock Tour 10/02/07
The NME Tour rolled into Cardiff last Saturday, showcasing the bands that NME have tipped to make it big this year. Sadly The Horrors didn't make it to the show tonight so we were without their rockabilly goth punk but that still left us with three bands to enjoy.
Openers Mumm-Ra spat angry estuary vowels over sweeping choruses. They sounded like Cardiacs' Tim Smith fronting early Suede, except for the odd raucous moment when they just sounded like Cardiacs. They could do with a few more solid tunes but they're definitely ones to watch for the future.
The View had plenty of support here in Cardiff, with fans chanting, "The View, The View, The View are on fire!" With their ramshackle guitar pop they've been called the new Libertines but their music, rather less credibly, often recalls The Proclaimers. Still they've got enough bouncy pop songs to get the crowd jumping and at one point they pull out what is by some distance the funkiest bassline of the evening. Singer Pennie even manages a passable Paul Weller impersonation for their more rocking moments until he spoils the illusion by leaping into a higher register.
They leave local boys The Automatic with a hard act to follow but the Headliners aren't daunted. They start with a suprisingly heavy opener before whipping the crowd into a frenzy with their best song, Raoul. The bands sound has progressed over the past year and they are developing into a heavier live proposition with almost a nu-metal edge to their sound. It's just as well they're moving on because last years mega-hit Monster is already beginning to sound tired. I couldn't help but think that XTC did that spikey pop punk thing a lot better about 25 years ago. Ultimately though, even the fresher stuff fails to make much impression. The crowd here seem happy enough but whether the new, heavier Automatic can sustain their chart success remains to be seen.
Maybe the talent has been spread too thinly, the NME Indie Rave tour was on the same venue the night after, but I couldn't help feeling that this was a slightly dissapointing crop from a tour that has previously brought us The Kaiser Chiefs, The Killers and Franz Ferdinand. Still, there's always next year.
The NME Tour rolled into Cardiff last Saturday, showcasing the bands that NME have tipped to make it big this year. Sadly The Horrors didn't make it to the show tonight so we were without their rockabilly goth punk but that still left us with three bands to enjoy.
Openers Mumm-Ra spat angry estuary vowels over sweeping choruses. They sounded like Cardiacs' Tim Smith fronting early Suede, except for the odd raucous moment when they just sounded like Cardiacs. They could do with a few more solid tunes but they're definitely ones to watch for the future.
The View had plenty of support here in Cardiff, with fans chanting, "The View, The View, The View are on fire!" With their ramshackle guitar pop they've been called the new Libertines but their music, rather less credibly, often recalls The Proclaimers. Still they've got enough bouncy pop songs to get the crowd jumping and at one point they pull out what is by some distance the funkiest bassline of the evening. Singer Pennie even manages a passable Paul Weller impersonation for their more rocking moments until he spoils the illusion by leaping into a higher register.
They leave local boys The Automatic with a hard act to follow but the Headliners aren't daunted. They start with a suprisingly heavy opener before whipping the crowd into a frenzy with their best song, Raoul. The bands sound has progressed over the past year and they are developing into a heavier live proposition with almost a nu-metal edge to their sound. It's just as well they're moving on because last years mega-hit Monster is already beginning to sound tired. I couldn't help but think that XTC did that spikey pop punk thing a lot better about 25 years ago. Ultimately though, even the fresher stuff fails to make much impression. The crowd here seem happy enough but whether the new, heavier Automatic can sustain their chart success remains to be seen.
Maybe the talent has been spread too thinly, the NME Indie Rave tour was on the same venue the night after, but I couldn't help feeling that this was a slightly dissapointing crop from a tour that has previously brought us The Kaiser Chiefs, The Killers and Franz Ferdinand. Still, there's always next year.
posted by Chris Chopping @ 5:16 AM
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