Thursday 21/09/06 Redcarsgofaster @ The Metro, London

As Gigwise swans its trendy way down to Metro to see redcarsgofaster, one of our A&R management-type friends calls us.
"Can you check 'em out for me?"
"In what way?"
"Mate, these guys are hot. Every A&R has been all over them."
 
The fate of these young boys covered in over-enthusiastic band hunter-gatherers is slightly worrying, but we’re pleasantly surprised to see only one or two blokes, slightly older than the rest of the clientele, tapping one foot madly to the set- guess who they are. And it's not difficult to see why some of them have sacrificed their hygiene yet again to investigate this band. A group of clean cut boys go mad make an impressive impact with their stuttering guitars and electro-gutteral rhythms. They bear more than a passing resemblance to Bloc Party with their fear of choruses, and a dance lilt to their repetitive patterns that briefly nod to New Order.
 
'I am the Storm' is a great track with bending notes, and a strong build - in fact there is a strength to their music as a whole. While the boys still seem a little uncomfortable with each other, and some of the tracks are disorganised without the vocals to connect the segments ('Micro' isn't always that strong in terms of melody), there is a real strength here that signifies these boys could go on to great things. There’s so much creative energy bubbling under the surface, it just needs to be aimed the right way. And occasionally it’s really seen, such as when acutely-focused guitarist Matt leads the note chase, or when you realise their drummer is playing with some great beats so subtly that you hadn't even noticed.
 
Of course there are problems. The seeming acres of guitarists flail their fret boards wildly across the stage, and seem to be infrequently connected to each other, largely living in their own world. In fact when lead vocalist James springs away from the centre of the stage, none of the guitarists seem happy with the vacancy left behind the microphone stand. They all rear back like musically-talented Shetland ponies. Of course this may be because James has spent most of the set inexplicably fiddling with his trousers. Maybe we should all avoid that spot on the stage.
 
While the dead-tone drawl of James on his vocals is what this band thrives on, you cannot help but feel he is emulating Bloc Party a bit too much, and would benefit from bending his personal mesh of rules a bit more. That said, there’s plenty to be excited about in the dingey matt black of Metro.