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Hirameka Hi-Fi - are more, well, mellow by comparison I guess for most of their set. Initially the songs seem a bit too long, but by the third one I am really getting into what they're doing - two of the new numbers included in the set stand out above the rest, and then they let fly in an almost awesome way with their last one. Nice guitar work. Les Savy Fav - what to say about them? They are very tight (and very loud), and slightly weird (in a southern records, quirky, maybe even stump kind of way). It's very accessible and enjoyable, even though I had only heard one track by them before. The vocalist pretty much grabs the attention. He gets away with being older than your average indie band front man, and takes audience interactivity as far as he can by using them as a source of props - seemingly without missing any of the vocals - and is only restrained by the length of the microphone lead. The lighting guy proves he is listening by turning on the disco mirror ball when it's mentioned. The fact that we are in the loft with the rafters visible lends the proceedings the air of a surreal village hall event - particularly when the red curtains at the back of the stage are utilised in a song (which mentions red in the lyrics). Somewhere near the end of the set Tim Harrington throws his shoes into the audience, asking for them back at the end, and seems relieved at the honesty of getting them, though bewildered that some guy was wearing them. We got an encore without the hassle of them going off stage and us going 'whoo' etc. Sapphire |