Monday 02/06/08 Cute is What We Aim For, We the Kings, @ Oxford Academy

For a very small band playing their first shows in the UK, We the Kings appear to be doing something very right indeed. For when we’re walking past the Zodiac earlier in the night there’s a queue of fashion haired lovelies outside. We’d think none of it, but it’s 6pm and the chances are, they’re not queuing for the headliner. When we race across the road just in time for the Kings’ set, we’re ushered in the side door as the venue’s changed. The room is pretty packed as We the Kings bound on stage - there is no other word for it really, they’re so young, and so excitable, like puppies. As they launch into the punchy rift of ‘Secret Valentine’, screams fill the venue. For a new band, we haven’t seen a response like this in a while. The pretty youngsters (or Jailbait – or whatever) know how to rile a crowd, and sing their untarnished hearts out about writing songs about ‘turn (ing) out the lights, when boy and girl start shaking inside’. ‘Skyway Avenue’ is great too, cute little rifts that beat the crap out of Fall Out Boy’s latest effort. We’re beginning to think the line up has gone awry, and these guys should be headlining. The play out with ‘Check Yes, Juliet’, which is so loud and fun and poppy, we can’t help stomping our feet. Check yes, great band!

When Cute is What We Aim For hit the stage straight after the little kings, we’re mighty confused; aren’t they meant to be headlining? On further inspection, it seems that this is a joint headlining tour, which is great news as we’re all dying for cigarillos and the Academy has a ‘**** you’ policy on dirty smokers (If you wanna smoke you don’t get re-admitted to see the bands – end of).

It’s not that Cute is What We Aim For are a bad band. But it’s really hard to take them seriously. In a similar way that Hellogoodbye are laughed at by industry insiders (as fun as they are), CIWWAF are falling foul of a similar game. The thing with these bands (what with CIWWAF being on Fueled by Ramen’s roster) is that there’s an underlying guilt that style is overcoming substance; and it’s more important to give good hair than produce the kind of songs, Vinnie Fiorello would deem worthy of a record contract (co-owner of FBR – before he quit). For example, songs like ‘The Curse of Curves’ are saccharine to the point of ADD. It’s when CIWWAF slow it down a bit and get to the ‘Lyrical Lies’ that they really show their strength. It’s a really sad, sweet song.

Unfortunately for CIWWAF, tonight was We the Kings. We were glad to hit the road by 9.30pm. Well, it’s a school night. And we’ve got homework in tomorrow!