Saturday 10/03/07 The Pigeon Detectives, Cheap Hotel @ Thekla Social

It’s a mismatched affair in Bristol tonight as the support act doesn’t quite fit the main attraction.  London three-piece Cheap Hotel open the night with 20 minutes of pseudo-erotic femme rock.  Lead singer Anna cradles her guitar suggestively as she saunters through her formulaic set.  But the reception is mixed.  Some nod their heads, transfixed by the sultry vocals, while others mock-yodel her orgasmic cries.  They haven’t come for this… 

The Pigeon Detectives arrive to a sell-out crowd on board Thekla Social.  Deep in the ship’s hull, it’s the Leeds five-piece’s first time playing in Bristol, but an already-devoted crew of fans awaits their infectious brand of everyday indie-pop. From the first note of the insistent opener ‘You Know I Love You’ the crowd goes mad. And the chaos is only fuelled by charismatic front-man Matt.  Like a mate on stage, he urges everyone to sing the backing vocals to ‘I Found Out’ (“going out with! Going out with!”) and ‘I’m Always Right’; he crowd surfs and swings his mic and, like an older brother, he bans crowd surfing from the gentler ‘Take You Back’ to save the girls at the front from getting crushed.

Things reach fever-pitch at the boisterous Romantic Type (number 19 in last week’s singles chart – “It’s amazing” says Dave, the Matt-proclaimed “best looking bass player in the North”)  Beer flies everywhere, crowd surfers storm the stage and boxer shorts and a bra are flung to the front. The riot lasts right to the close of final tune and forthcoming single ‘I’m Not Sorry’. 

The band’s energetic sound betrays their true state.  “We’re a bit tired actually,” says Matt afterwards.  “Last night was the end of the Kaiser Chief’s tour, so we’re feeling it after the end of tour party.  But the crowd were ****ing good.  They pulled us through it.” The music is joyous in its repetition: with relentless guitars, chants of ‘I’m Not Sorry’ and insincere pleadings in ‘You Know I Love You’, these songs are destined to be sung as loud as possible after a few too many drinks on a Saturday night.