This is the third time I have seen Pocketbooks and like the previous time I caught them they seem to be going backwards rather than cementing their position as one of London's better indie pop acts.Tonight they were all over the place, apologising for not rehearsing their songs and Andy's voice sounded so frail and weak but to be fair the whole band did. Whilst some bands I have seen over the years can get away with being a shambles Pocketbooks don't, failing to impose themselves onto the listener for the majority of their set.
The only time the band get pass go is on the better known songs such as the The First World Record and the forthcoming single Cross The Line. These songs show their obvious potential but on this form I wonder if they can actually fulfil it.
No such trouble for Butcher Boy though. Once you get over the fact they sound like Belle & Sebastian - the early years - you realise you could be watching something pretty special indeed.The band are wonderfully dynamic with the string section shining, supporting John Hunt's vocals down to a tee. Already the songs are well known with the audience joining in deeper into the set. The band even surprise us with a stunning version of The Weather Prophets Almost Prayed. This is good as it gets and looking around the crowd tonight most had a glint in their eye. I can see this band becoming a Smiths like obsession for some!
I previously wrote about the band here. The Girls Make Me Sick single, with tracks not available on the forthcoming album, is out today and can be purchased from the How Does It Feel indiestore.
Pictures from HDIFTBL. And yes I missed Stars of Aviation!
thats totally not the impression i was left with after friday's gig.
I thought Pocketbooks were excellent. I've seen them now about three of four times, and yes, they were sorta shambolic, but I think thats part of their charm, and they pulled it off marvelously. I'm really lookin forward to their new single.
Stars Of Aviation were also really good, but i couldn't believe how disappointing Butcher Boy were.
I was really excited to see them, and being scottish myself, i have a soft spot for scottish bands, but to me, they sounded like a bad New Year's party - a very traditional scottish sound, with about 5% indiepop content.
I wasn't the only person who left with that impression either - the other lad i walked home thought they were okay, but couldn't understand why everyone was getting so excited about them. Admittedly the album is a bit better, but in general, no, i was sorely disappointed.
Each to their own mate. That's what makes music so good isn't it! Funny enough the person I was with agreed with. Whilst there is some sort of naive charm in being shambolic as Pocketbooks were it didn't fit that well with me. This is the third time I have seen the band and their live appearances just seem to be getting worse. To be honest I think Andy's voice is letting them down. It seemed to be stronger when Pocketbooks were his solo project but live certainly I don't think his voice can carry it off.
Yes I do think Butcher Boy sounded like all things Scottish (Camera Obscura, Hermit Crabs, B&S, Aberfeldy etc) but I thought they were pretty entertaining. Granted it's not exactly original but what is these days?
I am glad we don't agree. The world would be a boring place if we did.
That should be agreed with me by the way :)
I totally agree with Sideboard. Pocketbooks were great, especially "Cross the Line". They've got an array of fantastic songs now and - although they were a little nervous on Friday night- I'm sure they'll continue to go from strength to strength. I can't wait to see them at Indie Tracks in April.
I missed Stars of Aviation but I thought Butcher Boy were vastly over-rated, I just couldn't understand why everyone got so excited about them....What was all the fuss about?
Hmmmm. My definition of great is obviously something else. Indie mp3 has supported the band from the start (just search the blog and look at all the compilation mp3 albums we have put together) but Friday night's performance whilst not terrible wasn't very good.
Seems I not the only one who thinks so.
http://www.drownedinsound.com/event/view/21702
The Butcher Boy backlash has begun already!