THE ORGAN *snigger* are certainly causing waves at the moment, with their new-wave inspired, stripped down ethic (i.e. they sound just like The Cure and Morrissey) and the heavy use of an, erm an organ. Well it does what it says on the tin.
There was something disconcerting about the way that Katie Sketch (vocals) stood motionless on stage, looking like a 16-year-old boy, all thin and wiry with very short cropped hair. Yet when she starts to sing, this amazing voice comes out and swims around the room - there is the bizarre impression that the voice is totally detached from the person making the noise.
Despite the energy of their music, there is a weird serenity that comes from having five band members stood practically motionless on stage, looking very aloof and scruffy, as one would fully expect from a 'nu-new-wave band', it was a compelling sight. And although their music goes beyond derivative, verging on being seen as a Cure/Smiths tribute band (and a very good one at that), seeing them live is something else. And, hearteningly, their performance was seriously genuine (with emphasis on the serious) and they captivated the audience with their outstanding mixture of fab tunes and stage presence. And credit where its due, they were bang on note-perfect throughout. They managed to play their entire new album, of which contains practially their entire repertoire apart from some early singles. On requests for an encore, Sketch stated that "We only have one album, and that was it". Shame really.
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The Organ scream authenticity, however you get the impression that, although they are renowned for being perfectionists (Sketch apparently trained band members up to play from scratch, rather than have other influences dilute the sound she wanted), they have practised the art of sounding and looking like a certain type of band, as opposed to actually "being" - which begs the question, is this their natural state or is it forced? Or has it gone beyond that? Does anyone care? What is the capital of Paraguay? Perhaps there's a little over-analysis going on here, after all they are a superb band and deserve the hype they've had.
www.theorgan.ca
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