Sunday 25/09/05 Louis XIV @ Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth

All the way from Sunny San Diego, Louis XIV have been plying their trade for two years and are at last destined to emphatically spill their sexually charged glam rock all over England. Tonight, however, they’re playing in not so sunny Portsmouth and sandwiched between supporting Five O’Clock Heroes and headliners The Rakes, they’ve got a lot to keep up with.Their performance is good but generally what you’d expect from an American band playing a British tour; in another country… make a bit of extra effort… spike up mandatory mullet… etc. Sadly, despite all the promise and the hype, only one or two catchy songs keeps Gigwise engaged in the otherwise distinctly average set.

Their live sound, however has a certain rawness that’s not so apparent on the record and ‘Finding Out True Love is Blind’ – Louis XIV’s forthcoming single has a fullness to it that makes it stand out from the rest. The only other song that stands out is ‘Illegal Tender’ but not for quite the same reasons. It’s like a curdle of Status Quo’s ‘Whatever you Want’ and a Rocky Horror Show tune. Each to their own? Finding Gigwise’s thoughts drifting onto whether or not the sparkles come off the drum kit is a sure sign of wavering concentration. But their stage presence is undeniably enthusiastic and adds the ‘j'ne se quoi’ that the musical performance lacks.

Photo By Lucy Schorn