The Brascoes / Escobar / The Vehicles / The Mannequin Republic The Rainbow Digbeth Friday 17th August 2007

The second week of Kamikaze's Club 444 and another cracking line up of local bands. I've said it once (last week in fact) and I'll say it again (right now) 4 bands for £4...by anyone's standards, that's a freakin steal. Okay, economics lesson out the way (£1.50 for vodka and coke or bottles of Grolsch too...why can't the Academy do that huh?) on with the show. Once again I'd not heard a great deal about any of the bands, but that's part of what makes nights like this so great. You don't know what to expect. Think of it as a musical lucky dip...anyway, The Mannequin Republic were first up. They've got a really strong vocalist in Lorien Sankersingh (now that's a name...seriously...that beats yer John Smith's), at times recalling a younger James DB from the Manics. The music's melodic rock (hard not soft - you know what I mean), shades of Red Hot Chili Peppers with a dash of QOTSA in there too. Impressive set. Hot on their heels (Mannequinns have heels see, I don't just throw this together, there's real thought in every word...) came New Wave power popsters The Vehicles (pictured). Catchy choruses, strong riffs (thought I caught a snatch of The Knack's My Sharona in ther somewhere - try saying that after a few vodka and cokes) and the kind of energy that makes you want to stamp your foot on the ground like Weller did in The Jam. Even stronger live than on their My Space tracks I'd say, which is always the best way round. Hot on their wheels (see, I said this wasn't just thrown together) were the hotly tipped (and pretty popular already judging by the sudden swell in the crowd) Escobar. You can pretty much hear every song being sung back at them in stadiums - just listen to Top Of The World - you can hear it can't you? I've read in interviews that they wouldn't like being compared to Oasis. So I'm not going to. Besides, musically speaking, they're not that similar...the kind of feelings that they generate and the following that they potentially stand to gain as a result (they just could be massive) are similar though. I'd plump for The La's mixed up with first album Kasabian as a fairer comparison, but they've definately got their own sound developing too. Performance wise they put on perfect show, loads of attitude, tight as a drum and 'real' accents. I ended up liking them a lot more than I thought I was going to.

Last, but by no means least, we were treated to a great slice of The Brascoes. Older readers (or younger readers with a nose for such things) may remember a record label called Stiff. It was one of those great indie new wave labels of the late 70's, early 80's...home to Ian Dury, Elvis (no, the other one), Nick Lowe, Madness...oodles of good stuff. What the chuff am I going on about? Well, if Stiff weren't (stiff that is...it's gone the way of most indie labels), then The Brascoes deserve to be their latest signing. Tina Do The Splits is a cracking Stiff track. Listening to the selection on their My Space page they've got a much wider range than a lot of new bands though, so who knows how they're going to develop. Personally I love the spikier new wave-ish stuff...Tina Do The Splits...YAY...The Hearing Aid's Record of the week...if The Hearing Aid had such a thing.

So there we have it. Like I said at the start, another great line up of local bands. I'm going to miss the next few 'cos of random stuff and a holiday (San Francisco and Las Vegas since you ask) but you have no excuses (unless you're coming with me...) Friday nights, get yourself down The Rainbow.