What's in a name? Well, if I'm honest, I'd always given The Hair a wide berth because the name was simply lousy (if you'll pardon the pun). So the change of name may count for more than the change of direction, at least inasmuch as it was enough to bring me down to tonight's show.
Of course, there's always the small matter of the warm-up acts first. As a rule, I try to make an effort to hear whoever's supporting because, well, you never know. For every (few) dozen lousy supports I've seen, there have been one or two absolute gems, class acts who've outshone the headliners and convinced me that this is a band I need to hear again. I consider it worth sifting through the chaff to make these discoveries: I'm patient like that.
Bearfoot Beware aren't one of those gems. Just as there's a fine line between genius and madness, there's a fine line between avant-garde art-rock and shit. Some of the component parts have potential - some neat guitar riffs, strolling basslines and loping drum rhythms. Sadly, they don't come together: out of time, off key and not held together at all by one of the most irritating front men I've seen and heard in a while, they are, frankly painful. It's a shame: if they did a few things only slightly differently, they'd be one of the coolest bands on the planet, but as it is, they're really, really bad.
In contrast, Alvin Purple are a real revelation. The mix and overall sound is substantially better for a start, and they play tightly and deliver a full and clean sound. There's texture and variety here: the guitars move effortlessly and when least expected from soaring sonic cathedrals to naggingly catcy elastic sounds via all-out shredding riffs, and are complimented by some deliberate, solid and precise percussion. Ok, so it helps to have a singer who's a bit slinky, but that's only worth so much - which means it helps a lot that she can sing, too. It's good stuff: not so much dream pop as dream rock, theirs is a sound that's both meaty and melodic.
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This sets the scene nicely for Club Smith who are touring their debut EP. There's no denying their musical abilities, or the tightness of their performance. From start to finish, they give us songs that are well-executed, rhythmically-led and of the electro/guitar retro (or is that neo-retro? Pseudo-retro?) style that's currently all the rage. Perhaps this is why they failed to really excite me: there's just so much of this sort of stuff around at the moment.
The vocals are on the nondescript side, and in places they're on the verge of the territory occupied by Keane on their last album. That said, atop the smooth synths and crisp mechanised skeleton, there's a New Wave angularity that's reminiscent of The Cure in their early days, and the bedroom angst is carried to good effect by a mesh of guitar treble.
So while they might not have had me going wild, I really can't knock 'em. On the evidence of the turnout tonight, there are a fair few who really do dig them: deservedly so.
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