Wednesday 18/04/07 Louie @ The Barfly, Glasgow

The Libertines were a great force in music. Unfortunately their success also came at a price for any band following in their footsteps, that being that they were doomed to be compared to Carl N’ Pete… forever! Or at least until the next big fad came along. So pity Louie who not only play adrenaline fuelled gutter guitar rock but also have two frontmen possessed with charisma. Thus, endless comparisons have been made.

And there is some truth to them. Both Gaz and Jordan bound around with the same ramshackle charm, with the same chaotic feel and with the same habit of nifty call and response vocals. But there’s far more to Louie than that. At their best, they’re like the entire litany of punk icons being thrown into one package, with a sprinkling of high quality retro guitar pop draped over it. Plus added swagger. Opening with current single 'I Know What You’re Doing Tonight' it takes, oooh, about eight seconds before the six piece are flinging themselves all over the place. It may not be original but it’s sure as hell fun to watch. Follow up 'Young Evil Souls' is just as good,  the clatter of the Pistols and the pop sheen of the Buzzcocks in one package with some fierce guitar feedback thrown in too.

The arrival of 'The Curves And The Bends' mid set is another cause of celebration, an utterly delirious riot that suggests the band are actually racing each other to be the first to finish the song. Louie deserve extra credit too, for not letting the half empty Barfly get to them, instead ploughing through the set as if it were a packed arena bouncing along and not just three folk at the front.

Of course, Louie are not perfect. The appeal of their pop/punk does wane a bit as the set develops while there simply isn’t enough variety with them and all the energy in the world can’t disguise it. The band may play as if there’s a law against having a song go beyond three and a half minutes but it’d be nice if they shook things up a little. And occasionally the melodic touches go by the way side, leaving vitriol and venom but not much else, a case of all noise, no substance.

Hopefully, in time, Louie will expand their boundaries a bit and wipe out the tedium that set in from time to time. Still, there’s no doubt that they’re good fun, offering enough rapid thrills to outweigh the negatives.