Friday 04/05/07 The Sunshine Underground, The Rumble Strips, The Whip @ Nottingham University

The Whip, The Whip, The Whip.  Learn the name now, because this is a band that deserve to be heard everywhere.  Blending the 80s synth influence of the recently split New Order with very ‘now’ dance-influenced indie, this Manchester band have hit the metaphorical nail on the head and created shit hot tunes (most notably ‘Trash’) that you cannot help but bounce along to.  Unfortunately, tonight no one is dancing, but The Whip really set the right mood for The Sunshine Underground.

Next up, The Rumble Strips, unfortunately ruin this carefully crafted dance-fuelled mood. They stroll on stage looking like a bunch of hillbillys and play just the kind of music you would expect from how they’re dressed: ska/country influenced punky pop, which isn’t bad, it’s just not the time nor the place.  With such a contrast in styles it is hard to understand why they have been picked for tonight’s support, let alone why they were higher on the bill than The Whip.

Luckily, South Central, the DJs between the sets bring the energy back up to speed in preparation for tonight’s headliners, The Sunshine Underground, who do not disappoint.  Set opener ‘Put You In Your Place’ transforms the expectant crowd into a writhing mass, each member with a grin plastered on their face.  Marching straight on to ‘Borders’, the band are on top form and sound electric live.  The crowd go mental, even for the new tracks, which the band play a fair few of, with varying degrees of success.  All of the new material starts well but don’t really develop into anything noteworthy, suggesting that the band may well be suffering from second album syndrome.  It’s not as if they don’t have the talent, so they could be exploring new avenues, maybe experimenting more with different styles or concentrating on the dance aspect clearly evident on Raise The Alarm.

New stuff aside, the Leeds four piece storm through ‘The Way It Is’ and ‘Commercial Breakdown’ before leaving the stage before the obligatory encore.  Regrettably, it isn’t really worth them coming back, as the band bombard the manic audience with an incredibly self-indulgent finish.  Echoey vocals, excessive use of strobe lights and deafeningly loud treble seem to be aimed at satisfying themselves more than their fans; not only that but the set finishes after less than an hour, despite all the new material they played.  It’s a shame, as the band are surely more than capable of filling at least an hour and a half.  Hopefully things will buck up a bit before album number two.