Fresh Legs, La Shark
Southampton Joiners,
06/11/09
Last night I was invited to a smallish gig in the depths of Southampton. One of those gigs where hundreds of people cram into the back room of a pub with a leaky ceiling, drink beer and talk about the way music used to be.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when Fresh Legs, a local Southampton band, opened the show with a lot of noise. Imagine Paramore’s Hayley Williams with Snow White’s dress sense and you have some idea what the bands lead lady is all about, and my god she was loud. If she had been lower in the mix you could have heard the amazing drummer in this band, the guy was a machine.
The next band, La Shark, we almost indescribable but I’ll give it a go. They are kind of a melodic 5 piece boy band with unexplainable outbursts of French… playing an eclectic mix of 80’s beats and samples, laced with karaoke style rapping. I would be the first to admit that that sounds horrific, but strangely it got people going. Their new song ‘Bones’ is worth a listen, but an acquired taste to say the least.
The appearance of Good Shoes pulls the show back for me. Having been around a while now they’re definitely sounding fine-tuned. They haven’t suffered from second album syndrome, and new singles The Way My Heart Beats, and Under Control have got as much punch as any song from their addictive first album Think Before You Speak. I’m eagerly awaiting the rest of the new album at the beginning of next year; it’s been a long time coming.
Good Shoes are one of those bands who throw out good live music effortlessly. Despite the hype, they were as relaxed as if they were performing in someone’s living room, not a packed out pub of barely legal teens. The crowd weren’t so restrained – one girl showed her dedication by jumping on stage, she was quickly picked up by singer Rhys Jones, and then thrown back into the crowd in front. Not how most bands treat their female fans.
It struck me how much this band are changing and I really hope this is a good move for them. They seem to have attracted attention since they supported Mystery Jets a few years ago, and since then they’ve changed direction. I’ll reserve judgement until I hear the rest of the new stuff, but I hope I won’t be disappointed.
A miss-match of bands, dodgy leaks, crowd surfing in a pub and girls on stage. Well done Southampton, you know how to have a good night. I’ll definitely be back for more when Good Shoes return.
Watch their new video here:
Caitlin Mogridge