The Borderline, London
19.02.10
Unfortunately missing out on Tall Ships who were first on tonight, we turn up to the newly refurbished Borderline in good time to catch St Louis’ So Many Dynamos who reel out a substantial set to an attentive and moderately busy crowd. Suitably geek-chic (actually, more geek than chic which makes it all the more authentic), the band present their rhythm-heavy rocked-up indie with aplomb.
Their music has a lot in common with Q And Not U and the jaunty nature of the tunes is rooted in a rhythm section that consists of synths and drums (no bass guitar needed here). Couple that with the scuzzed-up chords, catchy choruses and interjectory vocals and you’re definitely onto a winner. It’s a shame it took them three albums to come over to the UK!
Tubelord have been causing quite a stir amongst both underground indie and straight-up rock fans over the past year or so. They describe their music as “pop songs for rock kids” but the appeal of their recorded and live performances has the potential to be wider reaching than that. Looking slightly awkward on stage, Tubelord are more than comfortable when it comes to having a grip on their material. And what material it is!
Poppy, rocky, but also having that slight edge of originality which raises them head and shoulders above the plethora of pop-rock bands that seems to be teeming around UK venues at this point in time. there are singalongs but few straight-up clichés, making the band an intriguing prospect in the live arena. Tubelord have clearly built themselves quite the following (how else are you going to achieve live singalongs with crowd participation so well?) and theirs is an honest, simple sort of music that has enough flair for the innovative to set them apart from the crowd of clones.
Winegums.