Tuesday 28/03/06 The Feeling @ Shepherds Bush Empire, London

We arrive at the Empire with our critical knives poised for a hearty carving up of fresh young hopefuls The Feeling.  Surely a bunch of soft indie bed-wetters, if that grating “na na na” single on the radio is anything to go by?  And what an absolutely pathetic excuse for a name. Two songs into the set and we’re using the aforementioned cutlery to tuck into some tasty humble pie.  These boys aren’t even concerned with being “indie”, and they’re far too self-assured to urinate on any duvets.  Already we’ve learned to not judge a book by its cover, or a band by their rubbish name.

What we have here is further evidence of the rise in MOR, cheesy pop.  There are hooks and choruses a-plenty as we all get sucked into the cosy, nostalgic world of The Feeling. It’s doubtful that these chaps are old enough to have been Supertramp or Eagles fans during their pomp but each song is from the same school of 70s or 80s easy listening. It’s worth pointing out, however, that what we are watching is not a pastiche, or parody.  There are no tongues in cheeks, just a band playing music they love and reminding you that you feel the same. 'Never Be Lonely' is pure ELO-style quirky, radio-friendly  perfection, whilst, given a live airing, even Top 10 single 'Sewn' becomes enjoyable, rather than bearable.  Perhaps we’re missing a bit of meat on these carefully constructed MOR bones?  Oh, here you go then: 'Love It When You Call' bounces along on the back of chunky guitars and an irresistible chorus, begging to be whisked back in time and used on the soundtrack to a Michael J. Fox film.

Singer Dan Gillespie is enjoying every second, leading the seemingly hypnotised crowd in regular finger clicking exercises.  He has a conviction about him (and possibly a haircut) that reminds one of Alex Kapranos.  The whole impression is of a polished outfit, ready to take on the airwaves of the world.  Fittingly, the set ends to a sea of hands clapping rhythmically overhead, and the applause and cheers are of a crowd well and truly won-over.

Afterwards an unsuspecting punter neatly finishes off my review with a strange repeated mantra at the urinal: “Cheesy.  Supertramp.  Really good.  Cheesy.  Supertramp.  Really good. Cheesy…..”