Caught in the Crossfire

The Dublin Castle
24/01/06

At first glance, Living Things are your run of the mill American rockers. Dressed uniformly in black, slick fitted trousers and shirts, eyes sullen and air of seriousness shrouding the stage, you expect some hardcore rock to come pounding off the stage – but then front man Lillian Berlin bounds onto the stage…wearing skin tight turquoise trousers, a matching chest re! vealing waistcoat and a pair of cowboy boots ; it’s like the love child of Mick Jagger and Justin Hawkins …only there’s not a hint of humour or Darkness style high kicks – this is deadly serious.

The Living Things are led by three brothers, Berlin, Lillian and Eve Bosh (drums, vocals/guitar, bass respectively) with friend Corey Becker ( guitar) and once you can get past Lillian’s Axl Rose-esque snaking hips shimmying across the stage, it’s a performance that sets you back and draws you in. Loud, brash and in your face, Living Things have that contented swagger of a band who know they’ve got something special. Thumping beats and ripping guitars mingle with Lillian’s intelligent lyrics and carefully constructed hooks.

Jumping on and off stage he leans out to the crowd, spinning out lyrics about the war and political righteousness with a curl of the lip- all wrapped up in radio friendly licks and easy catchy lines. The anti war Bombs Below strikes a chord as does the poignant God Made Hate but it’s upcoming single Bom Bom Bom which stays with you, it’s unmitigated pop, an easy on the ears track with a bouncing chorus which steals the show. It’s hard to know what the band are trying for – the pop sound doesn’t quite sit with the band’s punk rock styling, but the heavier glimpses we get are worth the wait.

With a Steve Albini (Nirvana/Jawbreaker/Your Codename is Milo) produced album set for release in UK shortly, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of reception the band enjoy here.. They have a point to prove and the show tonight goes along way towards that, although with such serious scowls on the brother’s faces, it’s hard to believe the stories that their stage show once included bandying around straps on. With Lillian they have a flamboyant, engaging frontman, and the set is a commanding ferocious performance from a band who are clearly here to make a mark…it only those turquoise trousers weren’t quite so tight…

Dee Massey

For further information check out www.myspace.com/living things

www.livingthingsmusic.com

The Dublin Castle
25th January 2006

Sweaty men and rock seem to go hand in hand, so fresh faced girl band The Delilahs are a breath of fresh air. Hailing from Zug in Switzerland, the three members [Muriel Rhyner (vocals/bass), Isabella Eder (guitars) and Sonja Zimmerli (drums)] met at school and formed the band in late 2003, and have been going strong ever since, with opening slots with The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Stereophonics under their belt and a record deal with Jexed Records.

On a whistle-stop visit to the UK the band are openers at The Dublin Castle, and there’s an impressive queue waiting to get into the show. Kicking off the set with upcoming single This Is It Rhyner’s voice is clear, sharp and steady, with strains of Chrissy Hyde echoing through. Eder on guitars smiles from behind a sheet of blonde hair, a perfect mix of coyness and guitar princess that sums up the band – you can practically see the drool on guys’ chins in the crowd. Whilst Rhyner is economic with her on stage banter the blistering riffs more than make up for it.

Let’s Tango has some engaging drops in tempo, as its name suggests the music dances around the listener. Trouble With Mondays and Someone Dadada are equally catchy, a barrage of guitars and surprisingly heavy drums enveloping the venue. They have a clear distinct sound, which they never deviate from, and tracks could almost merge into one – but as the saying goes, if it aint’s broke, don’t fix it.

It’s refreshing to come across a girl group who are more L7 than Avril Lavigne, there’s nothing fake or manufactured about them, and their performance is slick being too overly polished. However whilst they look content on stage, there’s little movement, or audience relationship formed, which would bring another dimension to the set. All in all – an interesting introduction to a girl band who prove tonight they’re not just pretty faces.

Dee Massey

For further info check out:

www.myspace.com/thedelilahsch
www.thedelilahs.com