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PLAYING OUT LOUD!
REVIEWS
Gig Reviews -
CD Album Reviews - CD Single
Reviews
Gig Reviews
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FRANZ FERDINAND - Southampton Guildhall
Tuesday 10th March
 After
4 years out of the limelight, it would be understandable if Franz Ferdinands
fanbase had dwindled and their spark as a live act had perhaps lost some of its
punch. Not a bit of it! A partisan sold out crowd at The Guildhall were there to
welcome the long awaited live return of the Glasgow four piece who have kept a
low profile since 2005s You Could Have It So Much Better was unfairly met with
indifferent reviews.
Californian rock & roll band The Soft Pack warmed us up nicely with a raw, sharp
set. Not much time was wasted on banter with the crowd and they let the likes of
Bright Side and Beside Myself do the talking. It was easy to see why these boys
are one of NMEs Top Tips for 2009.
Good evening Southampton. We are Franz Ferdinand from Glasgow. Alex Kapranos
dryly announced before the band stormed out the traps with menacing intent. The
opening three numbers Matinee, latest single No You Girls and Do You Want To?
ensured a euphoric response and big grins all round. The band picked highlights
from their slightly patchy latest offering Tonight:Franz Ferdinand with Twilight
Omens taking us back to the 80s and the thrashy finale of What She Came For
provoking the kind of sweaty audience frenzy usually saved for a Gallows set.
Whilst most bands would lazily save their biggest hit for the encore, Franz
cunningly unleashed a colossal Take Me Out halfway through the set. Outsiders
finishes with a drum solo by the whole band and tonights climax, and arguably
the highlight, This Fire is as crazed and chaotic as it deserves to be.
Tonight showed that Franz may have been gone but, as a live act at least, they
certainly were not forgotten and, with plenty of festival appearances pencilled
in, 2009 could see them making that long climb back up to the time of the pile.
Review by Paul Lane.
JURASSIC MARK LAUNCH NIGHT – Talking
Heads, Friday 6th March
 Friday
night saw the launch of double CD “Jurassic Mark – Volume 1”, a exciting and
eclectic collection of tracks by up and coming bands from in and around
Southampton.
To celebrate this, 5 bands played live before a large and lively crowd at The
Talking Heads. Kicking us off were Strange Without Medicine who played songs
from their current album “Tomorrow, Yes!” Epic songs such as “14 Hours” proved
the band to be capable musicians with an eye for a melody and a promising
future. It was difficult to take your eyes off of their eccentric frontman
although, if anything, he could be criticised for trying too hard.
Up next were Today’s Eden whose singer Abi seemed a wee bit lost on stage at
times. “Leave” and “If You Want Me” are decent enough pop songs but they were
not done justice in the live environment.
Dlugokecki however were a completely different kettle of fish, Ben Dlugokecki
had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand. Not only is he a great
songwriter but he knows how to keep a crowd entertained. Forever sharing in
banter with both the crowd and his band members whilst seeming genuinely touched
by the size of the audience and their sheer passion for his songs, Dlugokecki
and his band ensured everyone had a good time.
You won’t hear more radio friendly songs than “Set In Stone”, Save My Soul” and
“Too Many Borders” which begs the question….”Why aren’t Dlugokecki huge?” These
are timeless songs with great melodies and memorable yet simple arrangements.
The band are off to America later in the month and will be supporting The
Proclaimers as part of the South By South West Festival. Let’s hope this is lift
off to stardom they and their songs so richly deserve.
Young Mods The Queue were next and their spiky brand of guitar pop went down
well with guitar driven gems such as “Hayfever” proving the band are all too
happy to wear their influences on their sleeves. They’ve a big future ahead of
them.
Closing tonight were The Vision whose frontman Rob Brown had what can only be
described as Gallagher-esque swagger and confidence whilst his band bashed out
indie anthems like “Don’t Try To Be Me” and “Jealousy”.
Friday night proved that the future of music in Southampton is very bright
indeed with some very talented and distinctive bands coming through. There’s a
real determination and spirit to push this forward now and that shone through on
the night. Let’s hope it’s a success! Review by Paul Lane.
The Phantom Band/Owen Tromans/The Lois
Lanes/Andy Reilly - The Railway Inn – Tuesday 24th February
  Glasgow
sextet The Phantom Band have earned enthusiastic plaudits for their debut album
“Checkmate Savage”. However, after posing for many press photos with plastic
bags over their heads, a mixture of mystery and eccentricity surrounds the band.
Therefore an intrigued and nicely sized crowd arrived at The Railway Inn
possibly not knowing entirely what to expect. They were made to wait to find out
though.
Opening act Andy Reilly treated us to his pleasant enough acoustic ditties about
lost love with songs like “Take It Easy”
 and “Man Down” standing out. Next up
were Salisbury’s The Lois Lanes whose brand of angst driven punk seemed to be
lost on a lot of the crowd. An horrific cover version of The Clash classic “Guns
Of Brixton” did not help their cause. Whilst frontman Ryan Molyneux is
undoubtedly a talented guitarist, his weak vocals were often overpowered by the
teenage rage and energy of the music.
Things improved no end when Owen Tromans & The Elders took the stage. Despite a
slightly
 awkward stage presence and more than a passing resemblance to Jack Dee, Tromans led his band through a triumphant set which included songs from his new
album “Hope Is A Magnet”. Guitar pop gems “Korea” and “Hey Moon” were greeted
with knowing nods from a crowd being gradually won over. Whether he has the
“star quality” to go all the way is another matter, but if the music business
was based solely on the tunes, Tromans would be coining it in!
“Star quality” is not something that you would immediately associate with
tonight’s headliners, Glasgow oddballs The Phantom Band either. Not by a long
stretch. Looking like they’re six strangers dragged in off of the street, you
could feel the unease in the crowd as the band set up as they had no idea what
to expect. However, kicking off with a downright creepy rendition of “Burial
 Sounds” (which is creepy enough on record), it was easy to see these boys meant
business.
The Phantom Band’s songs are almost two, sometimes three, songs within one.
Playing their own brand of groovy-Kraut-folk and making rhythms by banging
broken wood blocks together, they are very much the sound of six people with six
very different ideas trying to pull in six very different directions but somehow
it works.
Oh, it more than works.
 With spine tingling gems like “Island”, the crazed majesty of “Halfhound” and
the wonderful instrumental “Crocodile”, it creates quite a unique and exciting
magic. These are songs that keep you on your toes as you really have no idea
where they’re going or what’s around the corner and the beauty of it is that you
feel that the band feel the same!
Don’t expect them to appear on the walls of any teenage girls any time soon or
to threaten U2’s global domination crown. However, if it’s originality and
eccentricity that you’re after, look no further than The Phantom Band.
Review
by Paul Lane
CD Album Reviews
(top)
Tear It Open by Le Reno Amps
Le Reno Amps have been knocking on the door of mainstream commercial success for
some time now and this album might finally provide the key. Tear It Open is an
eclectic but often compelling mix of different styles, each guaranteed to appeal
to at least some of your own particular musical sensibilities.
The album opens with the Kings Of Leon-influenced Outlaws, which while a prety
good choice as the last single is not wholly representative of this collection.
In truth Le Reno Amps are much more subtle than that, whether on quirky
offerings like If You Want A Lover or Slow Decay, which both ably take on They
Might Be Giants at their own game, or on the softer acoustic numbers such as
Body and Send Me On My Way: the former a saccharin-sweet ballad, the latter as
distinctly folky and Scottish as anything The Pretenders ever managed.
Occasionally LRA get start to heavy (Dangerous Boy, The Gilded Road) which is a
shame as they are at their best when playing simple, understated pop-rock.
Threads is a great pop song chock full of neat hooks while The Stand Off has
that same kind of classy edge to it as much of Snow Patrol’s output - not
everyone’s cup of tea but catchy enough to brighten up anyone’s day.
All in all, a worthy effort and one that hints that Le Reno Amps may have
finally come in from the cold.
Review by Martin Sarl
CD Single Reviews
(top)
BY MARTIN SIRL
The Calm Before The Storm by Mybe (EP)
Yet another promising new act from Sheffield. This free-for-download EP from a
South Yorkshire quartet currently negotiating their debut abum release suggests
that The Arctic Monkeys and Milburn may soon have yet more competition. Opening
with State Of Emergency, a ska-tinged chunk of 100mph indie rock, this quickly
settles into a routine of simple yet very clever pop songs. The sickeningly
catchy The Long Goodbye provides more evidence of a fast-developing songwriting
talent while the obligatory ballad Falling Down inserts a timely change of pace
and demonstrates that Mybe are anything but a one-trick pop pony. Early days it
is, but on this showing negotiations for that album cannot conclude quickly
enough.
Outlaws by Le Reno Amps
A hypnotic bass line that would do Johnny Cash proud underpins this piece of
mock psychobilly from Glasgow’s Le Reno Amps. It’s a dark daft love story which
has a lot in common with the kind of sleazy, whisky-swilling rock so much in
evidence on the first Kings Of Leon album. The other two tracks offered up here
are equally silly but more upbeat and hint at some level of versatility yet to
be fully witnessed fom the Scottish Arts Council‘s great white hopes
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