It's not often you see the lead singer of a band strip down to his boxer shorts and send his bandmates offstage while he performs a number on his own. But, to be honest, this occurrence brings some much-needed variety to a performance that up to that point had seemed lacking in invention. Following variable support from Californian Franz Ferdinand-a-likes The Blood Arm (good) and Sheffield rockers Hoggboy (not-so-good), Electric Six arrive onstage to a riotous reception, and launch into "Dance Epidemic", a rousing start. However, from this point they begin to stumble. The slightly repetitive nature of their material causes problems when chugging through album tracks, and if you can't hear Dick Valentine's lyrics, then their samey synth-powered disco-garage can begin to drag.
It's not until a frenetic performance of "Gay Bar" that things pick up. Their biggest hit, it's surprising to see it show up as early as halfway through the main set, but it's the shot in the arm the show needs. After that, the crowd is theirs, and following the aforementioned boxers moment for "Jimmy Carter", the band rattle through their highlights - including "Rock and Roll Evacuation", easily the liveliest of the new songs, and a storming version of "Danger! High Voltage!" - with newfound vigour. By the encore, the pace has flagged a bit, but the crowd are still happy. A shame, then, that there's a distinct sense from Valentine of going through the motions, doing the same things that he did two and a half years ago but without the same sense of fun and spontaneity. Nevertheless, it's still a good show overall, but it definitely leaves you wondering how long they can go on doing the same thing before it really gets tired. A bit more diversity, both in the songs and the stage performance, would do them the world of good. For now, though, they still know how to entertain – just. |
