GHOSTS (London Water Rats, 23/1/07)
I'M FROM BARCELONA (ULU, 24/1/07)
THE BOY LEAST LIKEY TO (London Scala, 25/1/07)



Having being slightly derailed by the leak of Neon Bible, here is my slightly belated review of my “Three Gigs In Three Days.” It’s not something I’d overly recommend unless the calibre of bands are really good because it’s bloody tiring! But hey, I had a lot of fun and that’s what matters I suppose. First off- Ghosts at the Water Rats pub in Kings Cross. Nice little venue actually; dark, dingy and with surprisingly solid acoustics. The band itself has been often touted in the music press as a contender to be the New ColdplayTM, so I was intrigued whether they’d live up to the hype. To be honest their EP is a bit wussy for my tastes but luckily, their live show is far more confident, and although nothing stands out as particularly innovative they do show a flair for writing catchy, hummable pop songs. Their influences are clear- you’ve got the art-rock bounce of Franz, the twinkly piano lines of Keane and the amiable MOR poppiness of the Feeling and it is a formula that could seriously see them hit the big time. Still, for me, supports ‘Make Good Your Escape’ were more impressive, combining the ambitious scope of Hope of the States with relentless, clinical drumming reminiscent of 65 Days of Static- all tied together with a ferocious energy impossible to resist. I’ve heard positive things about this band for ages, and having finally seen them I reckon they’ve definitely got the talent and originality to go far.

The next day saw me trekking to the infernal pits of the University of London to see a little band called I’m From Barcelona. Who’re they, you ask? Well, as one commentator accurately put it, they’re ‘the low-budget lovechild of the Flaming Lips and the Polyphonic Spree’- twenty nine mates from Stockholm (not Barcelona, the Trading-Standards-baiting bastards) who are in the business of purveying unadulterated joy to the masses. I knew they would be good, their anthem “We’re From Barcelona” was one of my favourite songs of last year- what I didn’t guess is that it would be one of the best shows I’ve ever been to. True, if you wanted to be critical, you could point out any number of flaws- the nursery rhyme lyrics (half of which are ‘NA-NA-NA’s’), the laughably childish sentiments, the complete lack of subtlety or variety in musical tone. But then you’d be a charlatan and a fool of the highest order, because with I’m From Barcelona, only one thing matters and that’s pure, out-and-out FUN. I mean, you’ve not lived until you hear two dozen crazy Scandinavians perform Madonna’s “Like A Prayer”, or sung along to the ‘bababa’s’ that underpin ‘Collection of Stamps’ until your voice is hoarse. As mentioned previously, the lyrics are rather simplistic, but this is actually an asset in a band like IMB; the fact is, whether you’ve heard the song before or not, you’ll know all the words by the end of the first minute. Add in crowd-surfing, kazoos, balloons, home made confetti, ukulele-chucking and the full-scale encouragement to dance, sing and jump about like fucking lunatics and you’ve got less of a gig than the HAPPIEST PARTY EVER. It’s all very silly and light-hearted, but to their credit, the set never once flagged in its irrepressible joie de vivre. Even the less exuberant moments were brilliant, especially ‘boyband ballad’ “Grizzly Bear”, an ironically upbeat tribute to Timothy Treadwell and a new song based round the plot of “The Life Aquatic”.



But it was the dance-party climax that totally sealed this gig’s legendary status. Once the band had played their last song, lead joymeister Emmanual declared to the assembled crowds that it was time to get down and dance. And with that, a rave remix of “We’re From Barcelona” blasted out of the speakers and the band invited the whole audience to join them on stage! Which, to the utter bemusement of security, was an offer that was swiftly taken up; I reckon there was well over a hundred of us on stage bopping about like retards before the end. It was just amazing- I had a grin on my face the whole way home back to Watford! On the evidence of tahat night, I’d like to propose that we replace the UN with I’m From Barcelona and usher the world into a new era of peace, joy and harmony. Because if anyone could do it, they could.

In a way, it’s a shame that I was to see The Boy Least Likely To the day afterwards, because there’s only such happy-clappiness a man can take. Still, I still had a great time, and their twinkly, gleeful songs tempered with bittersweet lyrics still draw a nostalgia for childhood like no-one else; I mean, they’ve got a paean to Magic Cola (that chemical-sweet 10p stuff you always got at summer fayres)! How cool is that! They perhaps slightly over-did the balloons, but then again it was fun throwing them at the band, who took it all with good humour. Also, getting their tour managers to dress up as the band mascots during “Be Gentle With Me,” (which remains one of the most thoroughly delightful songs in existence) was a very cute touch. However, what will remain with me most from this gig is the support act Lonely Dear, who are yet ANOTHER great band from Sweden (in fact, it just so happens that they’re good friends with I’m From Barcelona.) The last few weeks have led me to believe that Swedes have this natural ability to craft perfect pop tunes, and Lonely Dear marries this innate talent to beautiful, ethereal vocals sometimes reminiscent of Sigur Ros- the delicate harmonies of “Been A Loser” were particularly mesmerising. A band to keep an eye on, methinks.

So how can one top such an outstanding three days of music, this veritable triumvirate of terrificness? Oh wait- I’m seeing the Arcade Fire on Monday. SCORE!

(Photo's courtesy of UKK's Wonky)