Sunday 14/05/06 Boy Kill Boy, The Automatic, iForward Russia!, The Long Blondes @ Pyramids, Portsmouth

With a sold out crowd ready to cast their harshly critical mind to the stage, up and coming, Sheffield hailing, The Long Blondes appear smoothly before launching into a sublime mix of sounds both old and new. Sounding quite Brit-Pop at times, they appeal to all sides of the market with their infectious melodies and powerful Punk backing, although after some time the tunes on offer do seem repetitive, maybe some work is needed on song individuality? Blurting out such originals as the wonderfully catchy and positively great ‘Once and Never Again’ gets every member of the 1200+ crowd on their feet dancing to this up and coming group.

Moving forward through the crowd, it becomes apparent that 75% of the assembled have iForward Russia! T-shirts adorning their chests as the band themselves appear jolting, screaming, shaking and lead vocalist Tom hanging himself with the Microphone. With the frantic, energetic showmanship of Iggy Pop & The Stooges, they belt out tunes that are lapped up immediately by the crowd and convert the non-believers out there. As soon as the beginning of ‘12’ is heard, the floor erupts and the limbs flail, and so the mood is set for the rest of the night as people are dragged from the pit and young teens stagger along, with Tom declaring: “This has been the best gig so far!” before ripping through ’15 part II’ as the set closer, leaving the crowd more than satisfied and a little dumb-struck

The Automatic. Having received massive critical acclaim and huge hype from the masses, it’s quite obvious that these guys are what everyone’s waiting for. From the beginning of opener ‘Recover’ it’s clear that these youngsters really know how to work the crowd. With a pulsing Bass and Rhythm section, danceable groove and the characteristic harsh and contrasted vocals of Singer Rob, they career through the familiar singles ‘Raoul’ and ‘Monster’, as well as free download ‘Rats’ and a host of other catchy tracks. With iForward Russia! assembling at the side of stage and singing along, The Automatic prove to us that their reputation is well deserved, as Synth dweller Pennie launches himself from the speakers into the adoring crowd, capping off a jaw dropping set.

Looking much like a young Paul Weller, Chris Peck and his band of merry men take the stage with their staccato, energy fuelled Indie Rock. With a special blend of familiar hooks and breaks, you instantly feel the need to sing along with their Muse-like choruses as the crowd erupts into appreciative screams and hollers. ‘6 Minutes’ is a parade of Rock/Pop fusion, sounding very fresh and new, a tad like early Supergrass, whilst ‘Ivy Parker’ is a great example of their talent with clear influence from Athlete and Snow Patrol. ‘Suzie’ is what follows, as the crowd erupt into a mass sing along with arms waving high as Katie of iForward Russia! mills about the crowd. All this goes to show that Boy Kill Boy are one of the gems to watch in 2006.