Saturday 14/10/06 Luxembourg, Swimmer One @ The Metro, London

Sadly, Gigwise arrives too late to catch the amazing Low Edges.  In all honesty though, even if they had farted on stage and played a recorder through their collectively genius nostrils, they would receive a glowing review.  Even sadder perhaps is the fact that arrival coincides with the set by Swimmer One.  Possibly the Metro’s terrifying bouncers has caused come kind of petrifaction of them, or they really are that bored.  Their glorious redeeming feature which provides no end of entertainment is the fact that their appointed knob-twiddler is highly likely to be the actor in the Mint Card advert (where he so comically sneezes in a restaurant, causing tables and chairs to fly all over the shop, and highly unimpressed potential in-laws.) 

Their supremely bored take on static surfing of the eighties new wave hints at Kraftwerk, Soft Cell and even Pet Shop Boys, but their frighteningly still double act sadly screams dull rather than charismatic ennui.  Funnily enough, their EP is titled ‘We Just Make Music for Ourselves’.  Thankful, really.  I’m not sure that many other people would be overly enamoured in listening to it.

Thank the lord, then, for Luxembourg.  Arriving on stage, delectably dapper, superbly camp and achingly sincere, they all put their suited and booted hearts and souls into each not of their unashamedly expansive pop-noir.  They have a fantastic sense of togetherness: poignant keys, jangly guitars and impassioned drumming fuse together alongside the epitome of witty banter, not to mention enough innuendo to get the flashlights on the gay and lesbian switchboard creating a disco of their own  

Almost comically enunciated vocals strut with a wavering stiff upper lip over melodies fuelled by pure bittersweet heartache.  There’s a definite shoulder-padded swagger of eighties glam alongside Jarvis Cocker-esque vocals and Roxy Music leanings.  Latest single ‘Sick of DIY’ is a definite highlight: there’s a unanimous crowd sing along to the infectiously catchy hook of the chorus of “It's not enough Friday to Sunday, I want you here from Tuesday to Monday”.  It screams ‘shit I’ve heard this before’, but is carried with such conviction that frankly, it doesn’t matter. 

Fortunately, it doesn’t take much arm twisting to get an encore, and the guitarist’s extraordinary technical ability is shown in a glorious intro of ‘Wuthering Heights’, perfectly offsetting the front man’s superb vocal talents and rounds off the night with ball-breaking falsetto. Ending on the profound chin-stroker of “Pop music is the highest form of art known to man or woman.  Discuss.” Luxembourg undoubtedly prove their superb arch wit and through the superbly high art form of delightfully decadent pop.