Caught in the Crossfire

Undercut
Central Station, Wrexham
31.05.07

You have to admire the energy and passion of Bristol boys Undercut. Playing their blend of enigmatic rock to a half full room in Wrexham, they could have been playing a packed out Wembley for all the vigour and unwavering enthusiasm on display.

Looking like a band completely comfortable with each other, they continue to put on a blistering performance that would make even the most experienced of live performers envious. Utterly enthralling to watch, frontman Johnny Benn weaves his way through stomping tracks which swing between 90′s inspired indie and all out rock n roll.

Undercut play every note like they mean it and their flashes of brilliance tonight only hint further towards their overwhelming potential. It surely is only a matter of time before they evolve into a band that everyone is talking about.

It’s The Crimea though that most of the slightly older crowd have come to see tonight. Forming from the ashes of The Crocketts, their music lies somewhere in indie mixed with punk and folk, taking cues from artists like The Pogues. The heat has got up to epic proportions on stage and the band, led by Davey MacManus look to be wilting but with pleasantries out of the way they kick off their show and instantly their music seems to work much better live than it does on record.

There is no jumping around here, no leaping or shrieking, in fact your man MacManus barely moves an inch all night, but what they lack in charisma they make up for in emotion. Refreshingly unpretentious, the feelings and passion in their songs is authentic and although they won’t whip you into a frenzy, it’s an assured, well rounded performance in this intimate environment by ones of the UK’s most underrated bands.

Words and photos by Jane Hawkes