04 April 2007 (gig)
09 April 2007
The Strange Death of Liberal England were nothing like I expected them to be. I was given The Smiths as an immediate comparison, but what I was privy to was a younger, angrier New Model Army-ish, experimentalist, almost-punky, five-piece.
Though I was less than convinced with the first couple of tracks, one thing the band had managed to do was engage my curiosity. And with that embedded, the rest was just a matter of waiting.
The did so by employing gimmicks, such as a seemingly chaotic overlaying of sounds with each band member swapping instruments, a little bit haphazardly, so it seems. The performance sways between overdone theatrics, such as the almost Vaudevillian number with a bit of a ska beat, 'An Old Fashioned War’ or the way they stand shoulder to shoulder in a cult-like explosion of lyrical shouting for the opening of Mozart on 33. The tongue in cheek 'I See Evil’, another homage perhaps to popular culture.
TSDOLE don’t talk to the crowd, they hold up big hand-painted signs ' another gimmick, but with all these visual and performance-related devices, I was confident that musically, there was better to come, as they simply couldn’t pull it off otherwise.
I was not disappointed.
Looking like a folk band, with a mad enormously (the hair, not himself) curly-haired singer, Adam has one of those charming voices that sounds almost out of tune when he sings, but is deliberately intended. Will is the mental guitarist who has more energy than I have witnessed since Iggy Pop (well, maybe that nutty keyboardist in The Automatic, but I’m sure they won’t appreciate that in the same way), and Kelly is a whole lot of talent wrapped up in a slightly awkward-looking angelic but ever so slightly ethereal vision of beauty. Andy (mainly drums), who I had the pleasure of meeting before the gig, was lovely. Confident for his tender years but neither cocky nor pretentious (unlike the band’s overall performance, which was unbelievably contrived). He even got nervous because Edith Bowman turned up to find her name not on the guest list. Aw, bless. And keyboardist/bass player Andy W holds everything together, apparently the calm one, but who knows. Looks are somewhat deceiving with these guys.
Likened very much to Arcade Fire, this band are a breath of fresh air. They sound semi-political, pro-agnostic, and very very eclectic. Definitely one to watch.
http://www.myspace.com/tsdole
http://www.fantasticplasticrecords.com/tsdole.htm
Forthcoming gigs:
Apr 11 2007 8:00P Hope Brighton
Apr 13 2007 8:00A Motel Mozaique Festival Rotterdam
Apr 14 2007 8:00P AB Domino Festival Brussles
Apr 23 2007 8:00P ICA/ supporting Maps London
Apr 26 2007 8:00P Boarderline (6 music) London
May 6 2007 8:00P Joiners (Ejector seat all dayer) Southampton
May 11 2007 8:00A Luminaire London
May 17-19 2007 8:00P Great Escape Festival Brighton
May 28 2007 8:00P Norwich Arts Centre supporting Of Montreal Norwich
May 29 2007 8:00P Cargo supporting Of Montreal London
May 30 2007 8:00P Soul Tree supporting Of Montreal Cambridge
May 31 2007 8:00P Nottingham Social supporting Of Montreal Nottingham
