Music Features and Interviews

DARTZ!, 14 Lloyd St

Mixing math rock and punk funk with a side swipe of emo, it’s impossible not to shake yourself to Dartz!

They play a frenetic set to heaving room of people that clamour for photos and whoop as their mysterious masked saxophonist lurches round the stage. If this lot aren’t one of ITC’s success stories, I’ll eat my balaclava.

The Fratellis, 14 Lloyd St

According to my mate this lot sound just like The Supernaturals, which obviously isn’t a good thing. I think that although they’re full of energy, their sound is that of the many other bands who are still paying homage to the glory days of The Libertines. It’s over. Leave it!

¡Forward Russia!, 14 Lloyd St

I’ve never seen a bassist play with enough to force to snap their strings but ¡Forward Russia’s! bassist does, and it’s not surprising.

They hammer at their instruments, and in the case of the singer, at themselves, whilst delivering a manic mix of electro disco madness. This lot deserve their exclamation marks.

Sunday

TSE are retro as. They have and old fashioned blues rawk sound, a singer who ahs obviously been studying Robert Plant’s moves and their set ends with the guitarist on his knees, coaxing feedback from his guitar, with his Cuban heels poking out from under him. Bloomin’ eck.

We Start Fires, Life Café

WSF get a rapturous reaction from a room of industry people, who usually barely clap never mind cheer, but it’s unsurprising as fresh from their tour with Nine Black Alps, WSF are slick as a rockabilly quiff and have the 50s girl group ‘ooh baby’ lyrics to match.

Their fast, poppy guitar led songs are catchy but are made memorable by the mental keyboards that hover menacingly over them.

DARTZ!, Life Café

After last nights triumphant show, DARTZ! start off well today with the jerky ‘ Prego Triangulos’ - a slice of math rock with handclaps and a spaghetti western guitar line that only the daring could dance to.

A broken cymbal half way through grinds things to a halt, but they manage to bring it back with the infectious ‘Teaching me to dance’ and let out their frustrations at their shortened by roaring, “it’s not a crime to have opinions”. Indeed lads, indeed.

Kubichek!, Life Café

Opening with your biggest song could be a foolhardy choice for most bands, but with the swoon-inducing ‘Night Joy’ out of the way, Kubichek! manage to top it.

Like WSF, they manage to make a roomful of normally nonchalant industry folk scrabble to get to the front and moving like no ones watching.

Keeping an upbeat pace throughout, they finish with a track that starts off fragile and segues into a crescendo of full on guitars and military drumming. Just beautiful.