|
Tonight,
the line-up at the 100 Club on Oxford Street has more indie kudos
than everyone on the NME's recent Cool List put together.
Predictably,
it's completely sold out and on show are two of the coolest bands
doing the rounds at the moment. Just ask Radio One's Zane Lowe,
he's even got a Go! Team T-shirt.
|
"The
Go! Team manage to fuse Ski Sunday horns with a flurry
of samples and playground chants. The outcome is part Lemon
Jelly, part Avalanches..."
|
When
heavenly support act The Pipettes float onto the stage, I am nothing
short of transfixed.
Before
now, I'd heard tales of three sirens enticing crowds on the unsigned
band scene with their mesmerising dance routines and matching polka-dot
dresses, but I'd never really taken heed. How foolish I was.
On
the surface, the Pipettes (pictured below) have all the playful
allure of The Ronettes or The Shangri-Las, but if you look for long
enough (and trust me, you will) you'll notice a mischievous glint
in their eyes, the kind that The Donnas used to have.
 There's
a brunette (Rose), a blonde (Becki) and another brunette that used
to be a red-head (Julia). Backed
by a band of equally attractive blokes named The Cassettes, they
doo-wop their way through a cheekily great set of tunes about school
uniforms and the pleasures of being tied to the kitchen sink.
How
these girls aren't signed yet is anyone's guess.
clattering
beats
If
any band is entitled to abuse punctuation marks, it's The Go! Team.
They're a Brighton sextet - three girls, three guys - led by musical
mastermind Ian Parton and fronted by a female MC named Ninja.
Debut
album Thunder, Lightning, Strike manages to fuse Ski Sunday
horns with a flurry of samples, clattering beats and playground
chants. The outcome is part Lemon Jelly, part Avalanches, but more
frantic, with more hip and definitely more hop.
 For
the majority of their set tonight, it seems The Go! Team have two
drummers, but with the band swapping instruments like stickers it's
hard to keep up.
Layered
on top of Parton's omnipresent, busy guitar fuzz are angelic recorder
solos and wistful harmonica melodies.
In
truth, though, it's all about the beats and the
relentless groove of 'Ladyflash' and 'Bottle Rocket' means you're
more likely to find the album filed misguidedly under 'dance'.
The
only trouble is, faced with such a bewildering, rich assault of
sound, Ninja's vocals get lost somewhere in the mush tonight.
You
can't fault her enthusiasm, though, and she works the crowd like
a seasoned pro.
By
the end of the night, every pair of feet in the house dances in
unison. That's what I call teamwork.
interested?
| 
