NME Tour @ UEA Norwich

Arriving at the UEA Norwich, I wondered if this year’s offering from the NME tour could live up to last year’s billing. I kinda knew the answer before the gig started. It’s a strange mix this year with Maccabes and Bombay Bicycle Club, having released albums way back. Also, this year we had no female artist (Florence would of been a hard act to follow). If we want to draw comparisons with last year, Big Pink for Glasvegas, The Drums for White Lies and Bombay Bicycle Club for Friendly Fires. Well onto the gig itself, opening were the much hyped Drums…

“We are the Drums from NYC” was the opening gambit from lead singer Jonathon Pierce, while the rest of the band displayed varying degrees of uninterested coolness. Moving onto the substance-versus-hype debate, they were okay but suffered from sameness. The use of backing tapes somewhat annoyed me, I thought this band could of been something the industry was waiting for after the debut Lets Go Surfing. In all honesty, they left me pretty much as cold as the falling snow outside. If someone could please tell lead singer Jonathon Pierce that he will never be Ian Curtis maybe he will stop throwing himself around the stage like a poor imitation. I hate being uncomplimentary about bands but my criticism here is meant in a constructive way. It may be that in time The Drums will develop as a live act.

Plumes of smoke and dry ice welcomed fuzz masters Big Pink onto the stage with the only female of the night in drummer Akkiko Matsuura. Although not the most compelling set of the night, I really enjoyed them! Maybe the Drums should take note of how to rock with attitude. I’m a sucker for some decent Shoegaze and if you take out the annoying hit single ‘Dominos’, they pretty much won me over. Fronted by ex-Alec Empire guitarist Robbie Furze along with Milo Cordell, the touring band really does them justice! More substance than hype for The Big Pink!

From the moment those guitars crashed through the sound of Cypress Hill’s “I Wanna Get High”, it seemed as though the evening was starting in earnest. Layering melodies with as much roughage as possible is a beloved Phil Spector and Jesus & Mary Chain trick. The Big Pink will possibly never hit those heights but in “Velvet” they have a song that does.

The award for the most unassuming entrance of the night belonged to Bombay Bicycle Club. Strolling on almost as if they had inadvertently stepped from the crowd, they seemed slightly embarrassed by the reception. What Bombay Bicycle Club lack in theatricals they make up for in quality of musicianship. This was a much heavier sounding BBC than I have seen before, ‘Magnet’ certainly has never sounded better.

With a mosh pit extending back to the sound desk they seemed to grow and revel in the affinity and love from the crowd. The more the crowd went wild the heavier the beats and phat basslines got. It seemed to me that the young indie crowd had not bought into the hype and wanted more substance. ‘Evening Morning’ even had me singing along much to the disgust of some of the kids in attendance. By the time the distinctly danceable ‘Always Like This’ finished an all too short set, it was plain to see that despite many music snob’s reservations, their second place on the bill was more than deserved.

Apologies for the lack of photos of the Maccabees, this was my fault. So onto everyone’s favourite lovelorn indie band…to be honest they were not on as good of a form as when I have seen them in our fine city on other occasions. I’m loathe to say it as the additional brass section in ‘The Black Jack Horns’ certainly added to the already vast sound they are capable of. Personally, the tracks from the new album like ‘Wall Of Arms’ had an added panache, but as with the earlier acts it was the hits the kids reserved their fondest acclaim for. With that being the case, ‘No Kind Words’ had the greatest response. Maybe it was just me but I felt last night that this was a tour too far for the Maccabees. I am more than sure the next time they come ’round refreshed they will knock my socks off like before.

To sum the evening up: Did it match up to previous years? No. Remember this is the tour that has showcased such giants as The Killers, Kaiser Chiefs, Stereophonics and a little known Coldplay. Tonight, the only band that looked capable of getting anywhere near that level of achievement was Bombay Bicycle Club. In fairness, it is a difficult format to make work with four contrasting styles and short sets. Has the tour run its course in these days of cyber interaction, introducing and raising band’s profiles so quickly? I hope not. Judging by the sellout crowd of mostly 14-20 year-olds, not all this demographic enjoy PS3 and eurotrash dance music!

Finally some thanks are in order Matt for the listing and Shane Allen Photography yet again for the superb live shots (although I do miss getting in the pit I’m sure you don’t miss the results)!

The Drums – Let’s Go Surfing

The Big Pink – Velvet

Bombay Bicycle Club – Magnet

The Maccabees – One Man Holding

Tags: bombay bicycle club, the big pink, the drums, the maccabees