Tuesday 05/12/06 Men, Women & Children @ The Barfly, Liverpool

The Rapture have a very long list of bands to be thanked by. After tonight’s electro-boogie-crazy shenanigan of a show at Liverpool’s Barfly, fellow New Yorkers Men, Women and Children have much to thank them for. But considering you can’t help but notice the new-woven trend that’s governing the Indie Planet right now, the Children’s’ set is by no means in isolation to its post-punked counterparts.
 
Nonetheless, ‘Photosynthesis’ is certainly a highlight, filled with the usual buzz drumming and erratic keyboard-ed madness but with an added ingredient of amped-up and strumming guitars. Throwing into the equation some choreography where each of the three guitarists dance away playing in tandem, it’s undoubtedly a flawless and well-practised effort.

Halfway through and just when we thought the show couldn’t get any weirder, lead singer TJ Penzone develops the idea of heading through the crowd along with his five respective band mates, creating some sort of train around the floor, to which he pulls off pretty well.

As an example of yet more genre crossing works its way into the show in ‘Monkee Monkee Man’, the emo-driven ‘whiney’ vocals sandwiched in with what can only be described as ‘funked-up bass action’ sounds like Fall Out Boy and the Red Hot Chili’s rolled into one. Not all that bad really.

While hit single ‘Dance In My Blood’ finishes the set with the ever-so inspiring line “You don’t need a reason to get out on the dance floor”, Gigwise is struggling to decide whether this was simple novelty drab that’ll expire next month, or a delicious slice of modern rock in the midst of a craze. Hmm, after witnessing a display of bubbles explode throughout the room departing from the stage area, we’ll go for the latter.