Caught in the Crossfire

Dogs & Humanzi
Koko – Camden
12th February 2006

The line up is promising, the gig sold out, the queue long enough to built anticipation. The bar as always living chaos! First up are Humanzi who sound quite a bit like Talking Heads and Primal scream in a bitch fight. A 4-piece from Dublin, with a Pete-Doherty look-alike guitarist, play a short but effective set. Check their interview out on this site as they are a band to definitely look out for this summer.

Opening next, a band called Dogs. I saw them open for The 80’s Matchbox B-Line Disaster, and I must emphasise on how much they have improved. They are sounding pretty awesome at the moment! This 5 piece were a great choice for hotting up the crowd with their post Clash mish mash and even have a hit in their set called End of an Era that you can sing along to with the words “…what a wanker, Oh, what a wanker, I’m going away from here” – class.

The Paddingtons have it all, the image, the sound, and the attitude to match. If you don’t know them off hand, chances are you have probably stumbled across their music without knowing about it. They look like something from a Hoxton gentlemen’s fashion mag, but all of that is lost as they start tearing into their tracks. Singing Clash-esque songs, expressed through an almost emo voice, makes it easy to see why this fast up and coming indie band is believed to be hanging out with the likes of Pete Doherty who incidentally was spotted at the side of the stage in a shocking purple shirt! They have enjoyed their fast rate success by touring with the likes of The Bravery and Babyshambles, a fast-paced start for any band and the hard work seems to have paid off.

By mixing influenced sounds of The Sex Pistols, Saints, Strokes and The Clash, they play an energetic tight set with no gaps, just a fuel injected sequence of well rehearsed and well structured songs. The crowd was engaged, they were captured and the bouncers were rushed off their feet managing the crowd surfing situation, especially throughout hits such as Sorry and 50 for a Pound and the cover version of Mollys Lips, not that it bothered the band whatsoever as this is Brit-rock at its finest from the darkest depths of Hull.

They even have room tonight for a few new numbers, Broken Man, Rat Race and a massive sounding track called You and I that could well be a future single. Punk-poet vocalist Tom Atkins works beatnik charm as he swaggers on stage singing, and smoking simultaneously. Considering his manager had to cart him around Soho to get Chinese medicine so he could speak earlier on in the day after the soundcheck, he managed to pull it off with style. Tonight, the drummer Grant Dobs kills the drums topless in the background and with the addition of a violinist in one of the songs these days, the sound has become something else.

There is no mistaking how talented these guys are. The Paddingtons have a sound that is now individual and powerful, yet still swaggers that energy and attitude you want in a band. They finish off with Loser and 21, and the encore of the b-side Yarmouth Town before the sweaty but ecstatic masses are swept out by grouchy floor staff.

The Paddingtons have a full line up in the UK until March, so it’s not to late to catch them, find them at www.thepaddingtons.net.

Niki Kova’cs

Brixton Academy
28/01/06

A huge sense of excited anticipation fills Brixton Academy tonight as the strange mix of goths and geeks await the arrival of the battle of prog rock gods, Thrice Vs. Coheed and Cambria.

The last time Thrice graced our soil was September 2005 and this long wait shows in the enthusiasm of the fans. As the ambient yellow light preys down on the stage Thrice enter to a raucous applause, Dustin Kensrue enters alone to a pre-recorded intro that winds the audience up as they take their time to begin. The quiet slow start soon makes way to enormous riffs and soaring melodies they are famed for. The pit starts to move but the rest of the crowd seem dumbstruck, just staring as the band writhe around on stage, only joining in by nodding their heads to the beat. Past hits such as Artist In My Ambulance start to engage the crowd a bit more, but you do get the impression that everyone is just waiting for Claudio and his cohorts to take over.

So they do with one of the best performances I have seen from this band. Coheed fans are like no other, this is more than just music, this is a way of life. Dragon fly tattoos adorn many an arm here tonight and everyone shows their appreciation by singing along to practically every word. Favourites such as Favor House Atlantic and the huge anthem Welcome Home give this heavy set light relief. Claudio’s awkward shy manner is non existent as he engages the crowd with showman like guitar playing that has now become his trademark. The ten minute finale does slightly take its toll and as the band finally leave the stage, the eerie winged guillotine drops and puts an end to this energetic engaging set. If this was a battle between bands there is clearly one winner.

Victoria Barrio

Koko – Camden, London
10-02-2006

The gig was sold out, the queue snaked around the corner of Koko. What bothered me was touts selling ticket at 2 for £5, and 6 girls just giving their tickets away…it made me wonder about what to expect. What did they know, that I didn’t…thankfully f*ck all! As I walked in the doors I could immediately feel the sardine syndrome. The venue was packed, you couldn’t move, and trying to get a clear view of the stage became a never ending battle. The bar in itself was a moshpit of elbows!

Silence fell through the entire room. People react in 2 different ways at gigs, they either go completely off their heads or stand in silent appreciation. This gig was the latter. The crowd was a mixture of all ages, and people who were clearly into various types of music other than rock, which made it interesting.

Being compared to the likes of Modest Mouse, My Morning Jacket, Arcade Fire, Talking Heads and even Interpol. It is easy to make the mistake in thinking this band has no smack of originality, and that their publicist is a living legend. They manage to throw all these influences into a melting pot and pull it off in their own hippy-go-lucky way. They strangely exude a Krishna procession vibe as they scuttle around on stage and clap, and dance to their own songs. I have never seen anyone quite enjoy playing the tambourine so much!

What struck a chord with me was how the drummer pulled all the eclectic sounds together. He was on top form, while the rest of the band swapped instruments, and moved themselves around. Great harmonising led by Ounsworth, had the crowd staring in dumbstruck awe. Satan Said Dance was one of the few tracks that got everyone to close their gapping jaws and shake it! It was great to watch such a random mix of people have such a great time together. Koko was a perfect venue for this type of band-the sound and lighting are always superb and I have never been a let down!

They played all their songs-they had to! They only have one album. For their encore they saved about 3 songs. I am a firm believer that as a new band you should have a stash of un-released covers up your sleeve to dish out to the starving crowd for encores. It was heartbreaking watching everyone come to realisation that the 1 hour set was indeed over, and no amount of hanging around the stage was gonna change that.

With a self-produced, self-released, self-titled debut album behind them. CYHSY stand as icons of hope for many aspiring bands. This band will leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside!

Even their website is cute!

Niki Kova’cs