Thursday 04/08/05 Art Brut, Yeti, New Rhodes, The Rifles, The Secret Hairdresser @ Koko, London

 

Gigwise is in despair tonight at being confronted by several bands which all look and sound the same with varying degrees of indie haircut ™. Koko are hosting their Stylish Riots night which seems to go on for days so that by the time Art Brut appear, Gigwise is not entirely sure which band is which any more The first band we stumble upon is The Secret Hairdresser who give us with a pleasant enough scuzzy sound with heavy drum lines and the mildly risque lyrics, “I couldn’t give a **** if you like me or not”, certainly grab your attention. However, it seems a bit overly aggressive and noisy, and you can't help feel this is yet another angry indie outfit too far. While there are spatterings of harder rock in their sound, there's also melodic moments which remind you of a trashier version of The Subways. Don’t get too excited though - these are only flashes.

 

The Rifles are a welcome relief from the volume of The Secret Hairdresser, but soon emerge as a Jam tribute act. While they have the neo-Mod presentation necessary in the current Hard-Fi, Dead-Sixties, Ordinary Boys climate, they seem to lack some of the innovation and edge of their contemporaries. Thankfully though, some of the melodies aren’t too shabby, and surprisingly at times they retain the flatness of certain shades of R.E.M. rather than a Clash accolade.

 

Having witnessed two unspectacular bands, thank God for the infinitely better New Rhodes armed with innovative rhythms and a pretty endearing, if slightly quiet lead singer. Fresh from supporting the mighty Bloc Party, their soaring interpretations veer from being a bit safe to crashing into escalating chords. The fast pace has no let up and the boys are clearly not afraid of having some fun while surprising the audience with the freshness of some of their singles. A slight criticism is that they may lack depth and variation at times - but that doesn’t mean that you wouldn’t be interested to keep an eye on them.

 

The climax of the night brings us closer to more distinctive bands. Yeti have an interesting watered down Coral-like selection of peaceful tunes which are surprising given their Libertines-dogged back story. Attempts at Beach Boys-style harmonies permeate their renditions which provide a pleasantly joyous interlude to the evening. There’s a more Morrissey sound to these guys (minus the manic depression) that leaves the audience won over for the first time of the night. It also helps that a mass of ardent Libertines fans clogging up the front rows are obviously very much there for support.

 

Art Brut start their set with AC/DCs 'Back in Black Riff', which is a damn bloody good idea because it certainly gets the attention of the lethargic audience at midnight. A few people are even glancing anxiously at their watch wondering how the hell they are going to get to work tomorrow - the majority are unbothered, and it emerges they're obviously on their school hols. With the AC/DC opening, most of Koko leap to attention with the promise of the headliner. Art Brut bring a bit of impact and theatricality to the night with the urgency of their performance. Their drummer is standing behind his kit as if urging the audience to get on their feet too. Mark E Smith would be proud at this tribute to his legacy, as front man Eddie screeches his way through a set while communicating with the audience. Deliberately invasive and deliciously arty, their cynical yet self-conscious performance provides something a bit different with a mildly political stance on modernism, but you can’t help but wonder if they’re a little bit too smart for their own good.

 

Photos by Linda Chasteau