Saturday 12/09/04 The 747’s @ The Caledonia, Liverpool

The 747’s make quite a picture, rock and roll stars in the making maybe? They’ve got the sunnies, they have the leather jackets but do they have the talent and the tunes?

Recently signed to Island Records this band is a mish mash of Irish, German and Italian personalities all merging to create a distinct punky rock and roll sound. Situated on a tiny stage in these boys are a bit squashed together and this only adds to their magnetic dynamics and the obvious mutual respect that these guys share.

Plied with tea and seeming totally hyper and ready for anything, they start their set with ‘Elaine’. The pub at this point is bursting at the seams with local bands, obviously here to check out the new competition that has opened tonight so impressively.

The whole set of The 747’s is energetic, full of slightly scratchy but utterly convincing harmonies from front men Oisin Leech and Ned Crowther. ‘Magnificent 7’ by the Clash goes down well and even encourages some tentative dancing from the tightly packed people at the bar. ‘One Constant Rhythm’ is a total crowd pleaser, full of electrifying riffs from lead guitarist Freddie Shtz and totally crazy drumming from Massimo Signorelli. ‘Set Me Free’stands out from the rest as a possible hit, a track that is as comical as it is tender and is more ballad-like then rocky but it still sets itself apart from the rest of their tunes if only because it has the power to cause singing and adoration from the audience.

As a ‘new’ band in Liverpool The 747’s have a long way to go to prove themselves but there is no doubt that bigger venues will bring bigger audiences and in turn bigger and better performances that will have the city's scene on its knees gagging for more.