Monday 06/02/06 El Presidente, The Upper Room, Flying Matchstick Men @ Academy 3, Manchester

Having been likened to the Scissor Sisters, Glasgow-based El Presidente released their debut album in Autumn 2005 but failed to match the success of Jake Shears’ band.  Support slots with Oasis and Kasabian have helped them gradually build up their fan base, with this latest jaunt coinciding with the release of their new single.  Beginning proceedings tonight are Flying Matchstick Men, a group as shit as their name suggests.  Musically they unsuccessfully try for something between the The Killers and Dogs Die In Hot Cars, but it’s their singer who really pisses Gigwise off – he laughs at his own gags and thinks it’s funny to joke about sex with kids.  Tosser.  Thankfully The Upper Room concentrate on playing, bursting through a short set of decent pub rock.  They won’t set the music world alight, but tracks such as upcoming debut ‘All Over This Town’ are worthy of a listen.

El Presidente take to the stage led by their gorgeous female duo of Dawn Zhu and Laura Marks, but the biggest cheer is reserved for Dante Gizzi, singer and mastermind behind the band.  The thudding bass and power chords of ‘Keep On Walking’ sets the tone for an energetic performance that sees Gizzi strutting around stage confidently and with an air of cool, but most importantly the Scotsman demonstrates he can comfortably reach the high pitch vocals found on the band’s records.  The slick production on their album is replaced by a rawer, guitar-driven approach that is at no time detrimental – quite the opposite in fact – with ‘Hanging Around’ and ‘Come On Now’ punching with more impact than would have been expected.  Even when equipment failure causes a slight delay in proceedings, Gizzi continues to perform, engaging in good-humoured banter with the audience, as well as receiving a kiss from one of his more enthusiastic male fans.

In addition to the rockier sound that El Presidente produce on stage, the live arena also allows them to utilise the vocal talents of keyboardist Marks, particularly on ‘If You Say You Love Me’.  Somewhat restrained on record, she proves to be as strong a singer as Gizzi.  The band end their set with the singles from their self-titled album, much to the delight of those in attendance, with ‘Without You’ being the highlight of the lot.  Gizzi uses the encore to express genuine gratitude for his fans, before a surprising and decent cover of Pulp’s ‘Common People’.  El Presidente surpass all expectations as live band, putting in an enjoyable performance that is both professional and passionate.