Band of Skulls, Electric Ballroom, 14/5/10

A group featuring the less commonplace combination of both male and female lead vocals is bound to draw comparisons to bands which already possess such an atypical amalgamation. So it's unsurprising that after teaming this ingredient with raucous guitars and some flogging of drums, Band Of Skulls have received more than their share of correlations with the male-female combo of The White Stripes. Both critics and audience members alike have been caught saying as much, and the British trio singing onstage tonight with an American twang are doing little to try to dispel these comments.

Opening with an extended selection of thick guitar riffs prior to launching into 'Light Of The Morning' sees the band start as they mean to go on; lengthy instrumentals are proven over the course of the evening to be somewhat of a speciality. The strong guitar and drum fusion demonstrated from the very beginning certainly makes for an impressionable sound, as it reverberates with such intensity around the space that rib cages are shaken to their very core. Single 'Death By Diamonds' produces a more frenzied tempo, providing a refreshing change and really whipping the group of young'uns down the front into somewhat of an excitable stir. However, slower songs such as 'Fires' induce a noticeable amount of loud chatter from the crowd which dampens the atmosphere somewhat and makes the reintroduction of their weighty sounds in 'I Know What I Am' surprisingly welcome. 

If there's one thing that is evident as the night progresses, it's that the ferocious nature of their sound rather than the lyrics lead their music. Lyrics that are there are undeniably catchy and you find yourself chanting along with the chorus, but their repetitive tendency eventually appears lazy rather than captivating. The majority of their songs feature strong guitar riffs which are sporadically broken by fleeting pauses before launching into another set of hooks, and as a result there remains the omnipresent feeling of a certain Mr. White throughout the duration. They say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery, yet we can't help but leave with the feeling that Band Of Skulls would be far better off determining their own style rather than trying to recreate someone else’s.


This review was originally posted on www.the-fly.co.uk

Gig review - HMV Next Big Thing: Band of Skulls, General Fiasco, Birds of Tokyo

The second of my HMV gigs took me up to the Relentless Garage in Islington for a rather edgier affair than the jovial pop extravaganza I had been treated to at the Borderline a couple of days earlier.

To start the review off in true unprofessional style, I am unable to comment on the first band of the evening Birds of Tokyo, purely because I got too sidetracked by food and the pub prior to the gig starting. However, I will say that there were several people in the venue wearing the band's T-shirts and everyone looked pretty happy when I rocked up after their set had finished, so make of that what you will.

General Fiasco were up next and despite some promising pre-gig listens to their music, their live performance was not quite up to the same level. Kudos to lead singer Owen though, his voice is strong which carries the songs well and this makes the overall sound they produce hard to ignore. The main problem that this eager trio face is the fact that there are currently so many new bands emerging from the woodwork that it's hard for them to distinguish themselves from their woodworm neighbours. General Fiasco's music is appealing and listener friendly, and it certainly doesn't make me want to switch it straight back off, which is always a start. Unfortunately it's also the kind of music I would listen to once and probably discard again until a very rainy day.

Ultimately the evening was completely stolen by headliners Band of Skulls, who were more than worth the ticket fee by themselves. Dominating the crowd with their blues-y rock from the beginning of their opening guitar-led stormer of a track, 'Death By Diamonds', it was blindingly obvious that the trio on stage were there to make one hell of an impression. To say that they succeeded would be somewhat of an understatement; I have not been so impacted by a live performance of a band in a while. Quite reasonably, the band are drawing comparisons to the White Stripes, what with their startlingly similar gritty yet fluctuating guitar riffs, and the lead singer's twangy vocals in particular. Add in to the mix the fact that lead vocal duties are split with a female and some might say the group are London's equivalent of Michigan's finest. Their lyrics are meaningful without being cliched, and the melodies catchy without being annoying. Powering through their set with a raucous intensity, they impressively managed to sustain the watching masses' attentions during songs that clocked in at over five minutes in length. After an hour long set the band departed before returning for a disappointingly modest one song encore, with the enthusiastic crowd reaction demonstrating the fact that they could have easily carried on playing for yet another hour still. If you haven't heard of Band of Skulls yet, I can promise it won't be long before you find yourself basking in their progressive glory and doing yourself a favour by going to see them play live.



www.myspace.com/bandofskulls
www.myspace.com/generalfiasco
www.myspace.com/birdsoftokyo