Indie disco is back, it would seem. With Franz Ferdinand having enjoyed a decidedly disgusting amount of success in the last 12 months and The Killers spewed their alt-pop all over the top 20, it is little wonder that bands like the Departure have managed to capitalise on all the hype.
Not far behind them are The Sunshine Underground. Confident, yet unpretentious, they take a handful of people through a short, yet nonetheless entertaining set of quirky pop tunes interspersed with funk, disco, rock and even a samba drum solo from frontman Craig Wellington. In other words, one-trick ponies they aint. They take a couple of songs to really make an impression and it is more towards the end of the set that their talent shines through. Penultimate offering 'Commercial Breakdown' appears to be a dark, objective attack on the media, which is vigorously yet tunefully delivered by Wellington. Leaving us with a song reminiscent of Sleeper's 'Nice Guy Eddie' (which includes aforementioned Samba solo), The Sunshine Underground prove their worth, and leave this cynical hack annoyingly impressed.
Next on agenda are the diabolically named Cherubs, a jerky,
Scandinavian indie oufit with definite punk leanings whose frontman resembles a twitching, jibbering Ian Curtis. Unpredictable and no less spasmodic, he is an imposing figure. Just as well then, as the band don't exactly have many strings to their bow. Beardy drummer Glenn Wange knocks out some catchy, danceable beats, which of course keeps everyone happy, but they don't offer anything particularly memorable, save for their guitarist's Monkees hairdo. The Cherubs once teetered on the edge of the limelight supporting The Libertines at their famous post-chokey reunion gig, but tonight they fall on rather deaf ears.
The knowledge that The Departure have just signed an ambitious 5-album deal with Parlophone is enough to give your average gig-goer a healthy feeling of optimism, especially as their opening number 'Be My Enemy' has become a regular fixture at indie nights up and down the country. The rhythm section play an important part in this band's sound and
add a smooth, funky element to their dynamic. This, however, tends to work against them, as although they produce a clean, original sound, it is too refined and lacks any real soul. They may be good looking and photogenic, but the phrase "all style, no content" leaps to mind like a rather large leaping thing. The Departure are certainly no one-hit wonders, boasting catchy hooks as in recent single 'All Mapped Out', but they unfortunately represent the whole problem with the new British
indie revolution. They are dull, vain and rely on an individual sound, which keeps their heads only just above water, and, even more worryingly, an alarming number of their fans appear to be impressionable teenage girls. Don't write them off yet though, as they have proven they can indeed - in the words of Franz Ferdinand - "make music for girls to dance to", but if their second album sounds anything like their first, then a third may be a mere pipe dream.
