Some gigs just get off to the oddest starts... this was definitely one of those gigs. Had to show ID at the door and was then given a wristband that would have to be shown at the bar in order to get served... yes, it was also one of those gigs. Once inside, however, I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t packed with 14 year olds, flashed my funky paper wristband at the barman, got my pint and headed onto the floor to catch the opening act, living in hope that they were some major undiscovered talent...
...they were not.
It was a shame really because they nowhere near managed to create an atmosphere. Their major flaw, apart from the bland guitar-pop sound they decided to perform for us, was their equally bland attempt at an image. Preppy (posh public school style, not The Ordinary Boys pseudo-posh style) didn’t work. Not for me, definitely not for them.
...they were not.
It was a shame really because they nowhere near managed to create an atmosphere. Their major flaw, apart from the bland guitar-pop sound they decided to perform for us, was their equally bland attempt at an image. Preppy (posh public school style, not The Ordinary Boys pseudo-posh style) didn’t work. Not for me, definitely not for them.
Their lead singer then did the all-too-familiar MySpace talk (we know you are on MySpace! All bands are on MySpace!! I’M even on MySpace!!! Please just drop the constant self-promotion…) and, when introducing another song, says that he sometimes forgets the song titles... what kind of band are you if your lead singer can’t remember the names of your songs??!! I couldn’t figure out if he was trying to be funny but by then I was so bored of them I couldn’t care less and abandoned their rather poor effort and headed to the bar.
Another gig at cabaret voltaire, another random mix of tunes to fill the time between the bands on stage. No robbie this time but instead we were treated to some heavy-metal tracks... at least it was better than the first band.
Apparently, impromptu booing is a rather effective way to bring a band on stage because right as the crowd started getting rowdy, The Pigeon Detectives are on!
1st thing I’m struck by: the 2nd guitarist’s bowlcut – impressed that someone is trying to pull that off just 10 years after it was the equivalent of today’s indie curls in my 6th grade class. Fortunately, the hair isn’t the only thing working in this band’s favour (although I do prefer the lead-singer’s chosen hairstyle to the bowlcut…) and their non-stop energy, catchy songs, and microphone swinging antics set them a cut above a lot of the up-and-coming indie bands I’ve seen over the past year and a half.
I really wanted The Pigeon Detectives to impress me before I went to the gig and I have to love them for managing to do so. Without gushing about these 5 Leeds lads too much, expect them to be The View of early 2007. and if they haven’t been featured on an MTV2 tour during the next 6 months or don’t grace the stage of a few major summer festivals, I think it’s time to head to MySpace and start the hype... (good thing I feel confident such drastic measures won’t be necessary and we’ll all avoid the ‘the new arctic monkeys’ references that everyone can happily live without)
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