Whoever was in charge of the face lift given to the Camden Palace, now known as Koko, deserves a huge slap on the back and a very large cigar. Always a stunning venue it now revels in rich reds and chandeliers lending an air of gravitas to the evenings events. Events which tonight are served up to us by the lovely people from Playlouder.com, the second best music website on the net.
CASS McCOMBS is already on stage as we arrive. Awkward and pensive he looks as though he’d rather be anywhere away from here, a feeling magnified by his laboured vocal presence that veers towards flat on occasion. There are however flashes of sublime, fuzzed up, jangly guitar rock that grab this reviewers attention and would persuade me to lend an ear to his recorded work where perhaps the awkwardness and, shall we say, unique vocalisations would possibly make more sense.
Nottingham veterans SIX BY SEVEN are up next with a streamlined 3 piece line up of guitar, keyboards and drums. Any misgivings regarding the lack of a bass player are soon kicked into touch by the sheer noise emanating from the stage. Great sheets of guitar are heaped on top of throbbing electronic pulses as they pump out their distorted yet consistently melodic set. Probably realising that they’re not the prettiest of bands they swamp the stage in dry ice and impressive lighting to add to the disorientation produced by their gigantic swirling sound.
Playing in front of a crowd unfamiliar with your material is always an uphill struggle but Six by Seven convert a fair chunk of the audience tonight to add to the pockets of supporters singing along already.
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A crowd which thins quite alarmingly for the appearance of THE DELGADOS. Hitting the stage late (after 11 on a Tuesday night? What is the world coming to?) they immediately offer to pay for everyone’s taxi home if they stick around for the whole of the set. Which is certainly one way of endearing yourselves to an audience.
Musically this Glasgow 6 piece deal in what could possibly be called indie folk with some rousing anthemic touches thrown in for good measure. Vocalists Emma Pollock and Alun Woodward compliment each other nicely, her voice lends a sweetness to the songs whilst he throws in a little more bite when needed. There are some nice touches including judicious use of a violin and they have a rich full sound when they rock things up a bit.
Whilst not overtly twee there is certainly an air of tweeness about them that grates somewhat. Their set may clock in at under an hour but towards the end time begins to drag and ultimately even their offer of a cab home cannot stop a dash for the last train home.
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