Camden Barfly
09.06.08
There’s something a little sinister and mysterious about South Central as they take to the stage at XFM’s X-Posure at The Barfly. Having been touted by XFM’s Jon Kennedy as the ones to watch this year, there’s an air of expectancy hanging over the crowd rammed into the venue – dance, indie and scene kids all swirling together. South Central are a slightly arcane band, there’s no niceties or introduction, they stand unsmiling staring down on the crowd, their hood ups throughout the set, which could make them look like slightly fierce Hobbits, but actually makes them look unbelievably sinister, giving a dramatic air to the show.
They throw themselves into the set with Aoen, a melting pot of heavy guitars, thumping drum beats and synths – it’s trance with a hefty dose of rock, a euphoric shot in the arm of soaring and screaming melodies that wouldn’t be out of place in Ibiza. Revolution has a heavier beat, you can feel the bass in your chest as the band storm through the song, luring the dancers in the crowd to the front. Strobe lights flicker as they punch their way through the rest of their set, ‘Nothing Can Go Wrong‘ and ‘Higher State‘ have the crowd at fever pitch – the tempo never drops, and the neither do their hoods.
Having recently toured with The Whip, South Central are fast making a name for themselves as one of the most exciting nu-electro bands on the scene, and with a set like this it’s not hard to see why. They take elements of trance, rock, indie and punk and throw them all into the mix, demanding your attention with a set overwhelmed with ferocity and bristling vitriol. They’re one step on from Enter Shikari and Pendulum, taking it to a new level – with pounding guitars intertwined in electronics and synths tearing through the venue, and bass lines clawing up the walls. South Central are a band that are going places- catch them now before they go stellar.
For more info www.myspace.com/southcentralmusic
Dee Massey.