Intriguing squeals from a theremin introduce Welsh wonders The Hot Puppies who, albeit named after a scornful poem, do sound rather saucy. The four musos of the quintet arouse the onlookers and barefooted vocal temptress Becky makes her entrance. Having heard good vibrations already this does indeed look interesting.
The boys in the band - guitarist Luke, bassist Ben and sticksman Bert - humbly share the upstage area and deliver nothing more than sonic contributions while the ladies lead on. Becky and her girly comrade Beth - queen of the keyboard station - sometimes sing at each other as though oblivious of the male contingent.
There's a certain naivety to the frontwoman with a hint of tease. She seductively runs her fingers up the mic stand then steps up onto the speaker to (unintentionally) let the light shine through her cotton skirt. Maintaining flirty eye contact with an intimate audience who she invites to “come a little bit closer” her feminine cool is appealing but not very convincing.
All dainty pearls and gingham on show, there's a pleasant Fifties feel to the band who salute a less spunky Voice of the Beehive, offering vocal echoes of Gwen Stefani and warbling tinges of Patsy Cline. With a few years indie service behind them this support slot is limited to a smattering of their best including 2004 7” ‘Green Eyeliner', open letter to Mariella Frostrup ‘The Girl Who Was Too Beautiful' and breakthrough track ‘Terry'. Lilting segues into wilting towards the end when whinging Becky penultimately sings ‘How Come You Don't Hold Me No More?' with a fitting a look of pain. The welcome taunts of the theremin full stop the set and it's a real shame it didn't stir things up any earlier.
A mix of various tempos, thudding drums and distinctive keys met with approval from the select crowd who danced away on this dazed summer night, but quite how hot The Puppies will be on a winter's eve remains to be seen.
After all the promise this really wasn't the desired live effect and provided no impetus to buy forthcoming album ‘Under The Crooked Moon' which will no doubt prove itself in the end actually.