NME Awards Tour - January 27th 2004 : Articles : Paperjam

NME Awards Tour - January 27th 2004

Gigs // James // 31st January 2004

Lesson learned no.1 - if it’s a four band line up - get there early! Lots of people didn’t and they missed a treat.

Franz Ferdinand

Makes a nice change to see a band that actually deserve the hype - they sound good, they look good and they seem like a genuine bunch of honest
gents. The smash no3 in the charts single - “Take Me Out” is duly delivered (not the last number either) and I can’t help feeling sorry for those
still freezing their wotsits off outside (Lesson 2: Get tickets early to avoid queues - which we did - but still missed the start.)

The band must’ve come on at about 7:30, and were excellent even at that time- they’re on tour soon - definitely recommended... 9 ot of 10 - top notch will see again - can’t wait for the LP

The Von Bondies

Don’t mention Jack White says I ... too late - as a hundred Brummie voices chirp “Woiite Stroipes!!” ref. the recent pasting Von Bondie singer
Jason Stollsteimer took from Mr White and his apparently damaged hand. No bruises evident tonight on Mr Bondie thought - and I am pleasantly
surprised by his band too. They are faster and harder than I expected- their rather attractive guitarist looks harmless but delivers riffs like
Black Sabbath all night. (7.5 out of 10 - must investigate further…)

The Rapture

Despite hearing bad to mediocre reviews of this band from a certain young man not too far from this website, I do like House of Jealous Lovers
and the Radio 4, ESG, DFA Records production sounding types - so I went into this one with an open mind hoping to be entertained. and I was. First
thing I noticed was how much the singer sounds like Robert Smith - a fact others have also picked up on it seems. The only problem I have with
them is it seems they contracted a bad case of hippie-itus, their next single being a truly awful slow number to the drum beat of Bowie’s “Five Years”.
It ain’t good live. The bassists New York “aw gimme a break” facial expressions make up for this however, and they go into some techno-goth type
songs and all is forgiven. (8 out of 10 - now I’ll go get the album)

Funeral For A Friend.

Whilst buying my Franz Ferdinand t-shirt in the bar upstairs, I caught in the corner of my eye a child signing a poster. Hmm I wander who that
is? What ? That’s Funeral For A Friend? Yep it sure was. One member of anyway. FFAF resemble the type of skate rock kids you see knocking about
around the town at night. They deliver the kind of three hundred bass drum kicks per second rock that aparently Welsh kids like. Well it seems
some Brummies like ’em to - maybe its an MTV2 thing… (Not my kind of thing out of ten - fair play to them though)

Conclusion.

I enjoyed myself. Surprised how good the von Bondies were, and will now buy The Rapture album. Confirmed how good Franz Ferdinand are. As for the
FFAF… not my kind of thing.

Comments

House of Jealous Lovers is indeed great, rest of Echoes not as good. That bloke does sound like Fat Bob and all…

Jim : 15/02/2004 01:17:06

Paperjam