Friday 16/09/05 The Furies, Ping Pong Bitches, No Bra, The Modern @ Barfly, London

The crowd is crammed into a small, dark space waiting for the first band to come on. They’re facing the stage like robots, as if it’s all part of a routine - rather than the calm before a rock storm. The Modern appear on stage and the crowd is beginning to stir slightly; more of a simmer than a boil. The female lead, Emma Cooke, looks the spit of Blondie’s Debbie Harry, while a tall gangly guy is sporting makeup and a tall top hat. They’re trying a tad too hard to be different, but as they make their way through a set of cheesy, electronic, eighties influenced music they sadly don’t show too much individuality. The crowd don’t seem bothered, clapping  between songs despite having seen it all before.
 
There’s a lot more “look at me don’t I look weird and different” before the night’s out. What appear to be two men come on, one with an immaculate pair of ‘real’ breasts. This must be No Bra. What a statement. If the guy had those implants just for the sake of the show then it’s quite impressive, but the gimmick overshadows the music. By the end of it, we’re all a bit drunker but not even booze can whip us up into a suitable frenzy. Ping Pong Bitches are as awful as their name suggests. Their gimmick seems to be that they can’t sing.
 
Fortunately, by far the best band of the evening are The Furies. The lead singer struts like Johnny Borrell and dons the obligatory indie regulation army jacket, which is annoying, but the songs have energy. Dressed like Che Guevara after a successful coup on Ghandi’s wardrobe, the guitarist is the star, his studious rebel look and fantastic skill the only truly original things on show this evening. The Barfly has a rep for trendy bands that make it, unfortunately tonight it seems it has fallen victim to it’s own reputation. So used to looking cool, tonight everyone seems to have tried very hard for little reward and at the expense of the most important ingredient: the music.