They may have recently changed their name, but for Battle Lines – formerly Alvin Purple – it’s business as usual, and that business is good. They’re a class act, polished and cohesive and make it all look so natural and effortless. The drumming is particularly strong: crisp and precise, it provides a sturdy backbone to the band’s sound, which as ever is superb. ‘Stare to Declare’ made for a powerful opener, followed swiftly by the sassy ‘Huh Her’ and solid ‘Please Please’. The second half of the set was just as strong, but was rather harder to give my full attention to on account of some irritating bim who’d just shown up and was shrieking to her mates and gesticulating expansively no more than two feet to my right.
Leeds 5-piece Kali certainly have no shortage of ideas, but sadly lack the ability to draw them together in a coherent way. It’s a shame, as their set featured many interesting passages, let down chronically by the execution as they lurched from one identity crisis to another, all housed in a rough-hewn alt-rock shell. Ok, so it’s early days and they’re not as bad as Enter Shakiri, but the material seriously lacks a sense of focus. Plus, when you’ve got three guitars, they all need to be in tune, at least with one another. The result was a fairly ugly mess.
Ugly messes are Fawn Spots’ stock trade, and frequent gigging hasn’t dulled the abrasion or the rough edges of their super-frenetic no-fi racket. You can’t accuse these guys of selling out by any stretch. But then, by Fawn Spots’ standard, learning a fourth chord would be considered selling out. Perhaps the songs are much of a muchness and blur together after the first couple or three, but it’s a formula that works and has landed them a single release on John Robb’s mighty Louder than War label in the coming months. The duo burn with raw energy and there’s no let up as they tear through the set and shred a few guitar strings along the way.
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The place fills fast ahead of Officers’ arrival on stage. They’re a shade late, but rather than breed impatience, it only ramps up the eager anticipation. A couple of years ago (since when they’ve dropped the definite article) I raved about their last show in the very same venue, and, utterly blown away, declared they’d be huge. And while they might not be household names, I still stand by that statement. A recent tour supporting Gary Numan – not to mention a collaboration with Gary – have seen them connecting with the audience they merit. So having wowed arena size audiences, the to see them back in a venue with a capacity of 120 is quite something.
Officers know all about atmosphere, and their moody and enigmatic stage presence fits perfectly with their dark, shiny metallic-edged sound. With absolute precision they meld driving electro to chunky rock guitars, and while Nine Inch Nails is perhaps the most obvious reference point, Officers’ sound is entirely their own.
Officers know all about dynamic range, too, with quieter, brooding verses exploding into choruses that throb and sneer as menacing sequenced sub-bass frequencies vibrate the floor. Single cut ‘Co-Education’ is a standout but by no means an exception in a set that’s strictly all killer as they stomp through a large chunk of their recently-released debut album. The quality of the material – and their performance – is nothing short of stunning.
In case you weren’t listening before, or thought maybe I was getting in on some hype, pay attention: Officers are going to be huge.
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