Gig Reviews

It is an old cliché but they do say, 'variety is the spice of life', and with this in mind, it was time last weekend for Stag and Dagger to make its debut in Leeds after a successful launch in London last year. From White Denim to The Mae Shi, Vivian Girls to Micachu and The Shapes, its line-up offered something of an aural pick 'n' mix of up-and-coming acts.

Opening the evening at the brilliantly cheap Woodhouse Liberal Club were Wintersleep. Not Canada's greatest export band yet, but extremely popular at home, they yield thoughtful, lovely music. Think Bloc Party but with more soul, the last single 'Oblivion' and the sweet, unadorned melody of next release 'My Ghost' suggest that their new album is well worth investigation.

Abe Vigoda

Their musings give way to more lively exploits, coming from LA-based punks Abe Vigoda. The band possess the ramshackle brilliance of looking like they were put together by picking random names out of a phonebook, and as the ageing black percussionist pounds out a rhythm on a set of bongos whilst grinning manically, its easy to get swept along with the tide of glee.

The vigour of their set puts down a marker for White Denim, arriving next. Their debut album, 'Workout Holiday' was generally well received and brimming full of dirty, guitar-led pop. But live, White Denim are simply phenomenal. They sound as if they have been held at gunpoint and told to play the tightest, fastest set or face death. Loud, frantic and dispensed with niceties, they get straight to the point and then get out before anyone has time to catch their breath.

The decision to move to The Library turned out to be a good one, as Vivian Girls, who I catch halfway through their set, turn out to be the most surprising success of the evening. Last year's eponymous album was good but the intentionally grubby sound of it may have masked their talent. In the flesh, their tight harmonies no longer wallow in feedback and the songs scrub up well.

Next up, after a lengthy sound check were Telepathé  who like Vivian Girls and many other bands at the moment, hail from Brooklyn, NYC. Telepathé are quirky, one-off electropop. They sport an enormous array of equipment for two people but it means that they can recreate their layered production style on stage. The girls' dulcet vocals complement the heavy sampling; enjoyable and throwaway in equal measures.

Moving on finally to the Brudenell Social Club, and the remainder of the evening is left to Cursive. They may have been going for more than a decade now without a huge amount of commercial success, but have collected an army of die-hard fans and critical praise along the way.

If they are criminally unsung in general, tonight's more than appreciative audience make up for it, and they seem grateful in return. They finish with a flourish that was barely needed to make Stag and Dagger a successful occasion; in fact even if there were half as many decent new bands it would have still been worth a look. Enjoyable and not a single dull moment.