The Road to V(TM)
04/05/06 03:36 PM
I went to the Carling Academy in Islington last night to watch some of the bands competing in this year’s Road to V™ competition (4000 bands play gigs around London and Liverpool to win the chance of playing, nay, opening the Festival). Channel 4 were there filming and it’s going out on telly some time in June. Stay tuned.
There were three bands on; The Immediate, Keith and The Pinch.
The Immediate are a four-piece from Dublin and had the unenviable task of getting the ball rolling, although they did so in cracking style. They won the crowd over pretty much straight away with their energy and just seemed to want to have fun, something often lacking with a lot of bands I’ve seen recently. They’re clearly a talented bunch and seem to shy away from traditional band roles; throughout their set they share vocals, guitar, bass and drums; one minute the ‘drummer’ is exactly that, the next he’s lead vocals and jumping in the middle of the crowd. Craziness. They manage to get away with the whole instrument-swapping shenanigans without seeming too gimmicky, that’s a feat in itself surely. And as for the cardigan, well!...
Keith were up next, another four-piece, this time from Manchest-oh, and I admit to being a little hesitant when I saw the acoustic guitar come on (after the energy from The Immediate, the place needed more of the same!). I was wrong, these guys absolutely went off (girlfriend)! They lured us all in with a pretty dark, soft sound before getting the place literally bouncing with electric Goldfrapp-y disco beats and tinkly-tink piano. Hell they even had bongos! They’re pretty impossible to pigeon hole, (personally I think the lead singer has an early-Roses ‘Sally Cinemon’-esque Ian Brown sound to him) kind of mixing indie and rock with a sense of funky grooves. Their appeal could easily cross over seamlessly to the dance crowd and Red Thread, their debut album, is definitely one I’ll be buying. I’m sure there’s more to come from these boys and who knows, it could be another ‘I was there’ moment to tell your kids about if they make it to V™. Regardless of whether or not they win, they deserved the crowd reaction they got. Just hope they’re as good on a CD as they are live…
The night’s final ‘headline’ act, The Pinch had a hell of a lot to live up to. They’ve been described as “throwing the Cooper Temple Clause into a high spin wash with Elbow and Bjork”, and they certainly had an Elbow-y sound to them. They had a large following in the crowd, I guess because the band’s from London, and again were good live. I assume they’re the most well-known of the three as they were the headliners as it were, but to be honest they were good without being anything special. I’d already forgotten their sound before I listened to to some tracks on their site again today, and personally I’d have sandwiched them in between the others with Keith ending the night.
Still, check out the downloads on all their websites and judge for yourself!
The night was a good’un, talking to a Virgin ‘Angel’, she said even after The Immediate’s set it was better than the previous night already. It was a bit brand-tastic though; you could get a free beer if you texted ‘beer’ to a number and likewise a kebab afterwards – and reminded me of why it’s Glastonbury all the way for me as far as festivals go! Still, if it gets these bands noticed it’s a great idea, the crowd had a good, free (bonus!) night out and even the kebabs were nice. My ears are still ringing too.
Make sure you watch it on telly in June, I’ll be sure to let you know if I appear on screen (after my legendary appearance in Kerrang! mag at the Green Day gig in Milton Keynes)!...
commenting closed for this article
On Thursday May 4, 2006,
Steve Tucker said:
My, my. The money I must have spent on Karrang mags over the years… Cant say ive heard of either of the three bands you speak of, but they sure sound good by the writup you gave ‘em. Im trying to get to Leeds festival this year, but struggling (as usual) to find the funds to support around an impending mortgage.
On Friday May 5, 2006,
Stu said:
Yeah, me too. Mortgage schmortgage, bah, spoiling everything.
Think I’m gonna be festival-free until the mighty Glasto returns in the 07!