London's infamous White Heat club night continues apace with yet another outstanding selection of bands. Opening to sparse crowds, the plodding electro-isms of South London's THE XX may not be the most fun you can have with a 303 and a box of guitars, but it does beggar belief that a bunch of kids so young and fresh-faced could reinvent Womack and Womack's Teardrops in such a radiant and memorable way. There's potential there, even if they do look like poster kids for Top Shop's latest nu-rave collection.
At the other end of the spectrum, ONE MORE GRAIN stir things up with their curmudgeonly take on rock 'n' roll. Serving up a fine blend of Fall-ish, dubby instrumentals and wry, poetic ramblings courtesy of Daniel Patrick Quinn - the most anti-charismatic front man to emerge in a long-time - they're good at what they do and disappear far too quickly for my liking.
And so to headliners, WILD BEASTS. Another band bowing under the weight of praise from a multitude of 'ones to watch' lists. If 2008 has been marked by anything at all, it isn’t the inevitable fall of New Labour but the year that such lists went into overdrive and people actually started to take them seriously.
I could wax on about the reasons for this but it's easier just to remember that this raises one's expectations to an almost impossible degree. So let's ignore such meaningless plaudits and stick with the facts first: Wild Beasts are from Kendal, which is famous for its beautiful fields and hills, snuff (which I believe is now illegal) and mint cake.
Their videos cast them as natural predecessors - ideologically at least - to Franz Ferdinand. Certainly, both bands share a liking for the collective output of Postcard records (particularly the lilting twang of Orange Juice) and they're a band totally upfront about their influences. In fact, it's hard to get away from them…led by the toothsome Hayden Thorpe - who delivers a falsetto that, thankfully, doesn't recall Mika but lies in a happier place, somewhere between Billy Mackenzie and Russell Mael with added snarl - they punch out what can only described as baroque-post-punk. Is there such a thing? There is now, and it comes from the lake district. Whodathunkit?
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Their first single on the Domino label, Assembly, is a joyous homage to their Scottish heroes but also reaches for the oblique free-jazz/funk leanings that alienated many from Factory's A Certain Ratio. But this is largely a commercial sound and there’s nothing too controversial here - Through Dark Night and Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants stand out in particular, even if their live delivery is a little stilted in places. Their success on record is largely down to some very respectable production but with a hissy soundsystem that doesn't quite do them justice in the basement of Madame JoJo's (better suited to the warbling of drag queens perhaps?), it's easy to tell that their confidence is easily knocked tonight. Maybe when the weight of expectation is upon you, that's only to be expected.
Towards the end of their set, I'm reminded again of Franz Ferdinand and the initial euphoric burst that accompanied their early success and live shows. Wild Beasts could easily replicate that and prove that there's more to Kendal than mint cake.
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