Not your average gig venue, the offices of EMI Recordsd. The interior sports some impressive décor. Bowie, Blondie and The Beatles all have their mugs nailed upon the walls of the endless corridors, overshadowed only by the mighty force of framed Vengaboys and Cartoons records. Woah, yeah – that’s right, big things happen here!
We follow the yellow brick road through the labyrinthine passageways and eventually arrive at the gig area, bedecked with alcohol, alcohol, and what appears to be someone’s left over Christmas sprouts. We are then introduced to Sizer Barker with a somewhat rambling speech, pointing out the four-year lapse between the single ‘Day By Day’ and the new album ‘Hotel Juicy Parlour’.
And then they take to the stage.
The instantly uplifting ‘Hotel Juicy Parlour’ kicks things off with funky riffs galore, featuring vocals that quickly personify previous comparisons with Bob Dylan. Album track, ‘We Came Up Favourite’ reveals itself to be the catchiest – and most likeable tune of the lot. Whilst the rest of the set is peppered with cascading melodies, driving bass lines and some solid drumming.
So, as was pointed out the start, much time has passed since the single and the album. But ultimately that appears to have paid off, with newer material from the album being much stronger than ‘Day By Day’. Very promising stuff indeed.
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