Saturday, March 29, 2008

Mirror! Mirror! / Ok Tokyo / The Vehicles / Your Biggest Fanclub @ The Rainbow Friday 28th March 2008


If music be the food of love tonight was a smorgasbord, four tasty nibbles guaranteed to make you dribble a bit, although that might just be my age. Up first Your Biggest Fanclub...who actually seemed to have a fairly healthy fanclub judging by the gaggle of young folk getting down at the front. They're a beguiling (yes, I've been reading the dictionary again) blend of indie riffs (witness the Bloc Party feel at the start of Lights Out and the Los Campesinos 'You Me Dancing' bit at the beginning of Paper Bags...although the band made it clear they wrote it first...so there) and metaltastic slabs of brain mashing guitar all played with enough energy to power a small town. They have a song called David Dickinson's Lover too...which sounds like Led Zep having a house party with the Arctic Monkey's. Consider me another fan for the club.

Next Hearing Aid faves and almost 444 Club regulars now (third time I think) The Vehicles, on the first night of their world tour! Of...er...the Rainbow and Cannock. Don't knock it, it's more than Guns N'Roses can manage these days. They played another great set tonight including brilliant versions of Trouble In Paradise, Bright Young Things and The Best Things Come to Those Who Wait. If they keep playing like that maybe the world tour ain't too far off after all...

Perhaps this tour might take them to (wait for it...can you see the link coming up...yep there it is...) Tokyo, which leads us neatly onto...Mirror! Mirror! No, I jest its Ok Tokyo, who were rather better than ok. I'd not heard any of their stuff before but it's a glorious mash up of electropop, funk rock, disco and rap...sort of reminded me of Sparks having sex with Outcast at an Eagles of Death Metal house party. If you love Men Women and Children (who doesn't?) then you'll lap up Ok Tokyo like a porn star in a bukkake movie...whatever one of them is.

Last up, and equally as jizz worthy, Mirror! Mirror! Channeling the spirits of Gang of Four, with lashings of The Rapture, a touch of Selfish Cunt and a fine dusting of Foals, its all mixed up into a unique blend of new wave disco rock that's guaranteed to move even the dead. The whole band gave it 110% (not mathematically possible I know, but then I failed maths 'O' level...twice...ha! That's what I call sticking it to 'the man') and, after just a few songs most of them were topless...phwoar! Lady Baron (who is reaching that difficult age in a women's life) certainly thought so. They put on a seriously impressive show and I've not seen so much audience boogieing in The Rainbow for many a moon...some brave soul even managed to go crowd surfing (no easy trick in the 'bow). Happily the band seem to be on some kind of gig orgy over the next few weeks and I'm confident that they'll return to Brum considerably more famousererer than they are now. Go get 'em boys!
PS: Kudos to the DJ's again tonight (Plastic Noise I think) who kept us in da mood between sets...extra kudos for playing Sparks' This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us and Concrete Schoolyard by J5.

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