Wednesday 04/05/05 Tom Vek @ Barfly, Cardiff

Britain has witnessed a distinct upsurge in new musical talent that has endured to provide enough clout to take on all corners of the global market. Unfortunately there is one striking omission in recent years, a decent male solo artist. Tom Vek could change all this. Sure, he nestles into the musical gene pool that back slaps the indie label and spits vitriol at the major but he is hell-bent on blending as many musical genres together that unbelievably scream out ‘originality’. The end result is his debut album, 'We Have Sound', lit strikingly in bold neon white behind Vek throughout his idiosyncratic set.

 

Opening tune 'C-C (You Set The Fire In Me)' draws influence from the apocalyptic soundscapes of The Doors and saw Vek at his most animated. Just when Vek and his excellent backing band galvanize their rustic groove, proceedings are called to an abrupt halt with Vek mumbling at his sound engineer. Much to the enjoyment of the bemused crowd, a second stab at the opening gambit proveS more successful. Any slight worries about Vek being an annoying perfectionist are swiftly extinguished as the slap-heavy bass of his early single 'If You Want' drives Vek into 80s synth-pop mode. 'A Little Word In Your Ear' too sounds eerily like early Talking Heads with Vek’s vocal tones mirroring those of David Byrne to a haunting extent.

 

The set isn’t indispensable, but then that's the real beauty of Vek’s ultimate oxymoron. The music is reassuringly unpredictable but never verges on the unlistenable. 'On The Road' distorts the kaleidoscope of flashy samples and drum cut-ups to a controlled rhythm but recent top 40 single 'Aint Saying My Goodbyes' concluded the set with a masterful stroke that held true its quirky and angular pop sound.

Popular music has always been keen to focus on specific images - images that can undoubtedly provide commercial success to those who are willing to play the game. Vek though is painting his own musical canvas, drawing both influence and appreciation from others but emitting a sound that his uniquely his. Tonight's sell-out crowd at the Barfly  is just one of the crowning glories of a special artist.