Girls @ Scala 24/02/10

After a long winter break with a complete dearth of gigs we're back with a packed program over the next few weeks. First up, Girls. So I downloaded some songs and gave them a listen, and original they are not. I don't think I've ever heard an album before and picked up so many tunes that I've heard before - two of which are Jesus and Mary Chainer's. Big Bad Mean is Kill Surf City, Darling's lyrics are delivered to Quo's "well here we are and her we are and here we goooooo" (Rockin' all over the WORLD man!). Then back to the Mary Chain for Ghost Mouth which rips of the distinctive start of Just Like Honey. Then they rip off Iggy for a title (who would call their own song "Lust For Life" - it's bound to be a disappointment). Then they rip themselves off... Curls is just a slower version of Darling. Vocally the singer is fairly feeble and lyrically it's all a bit 6th form poetry (I'm just crazy/and totally mad/im just crazy/and fucked in the head). Tcch.

But this is a gig review, not an album review. Live they are actually a better prospect than the songs suggest. They CAN play, and he loves to stick all those arpeggiated chords in, which he does quite well, but it does just sound like someone strumming a new guitar in guitar shop. Just getting a feel for the neck I expect. Plus he's into re-tuning every bloody string between every bloody song - it's all a bit "David Gray" (cf. Luke Haines). For a half hour slot it would all be pleasant enough, but they do milk it for the best part of an hour and a glance round the audience shows the majority of people are texting, chatting or just staring vacantly ahead.

Back for the encore and Kill Surf City and they butcher their "own" song as they just can't do noise. Returning to the mass arpeggiations (if the word does not exist, it needs to for these boys) and what sounds like Rain Drops Keep Falling on My Head. This is just too much to stand and so the sniffer sneaks out the back.

I'm obviously not the only one to make JMC comparisons - as standing in front of me were two twenty-somethings the dead spit of the Reid brothers C1986. Hang on - they're meant to be IN the bloody band!!! (2/5)