You’d think London transport might have had a bit of nous about them before shutting key tube lines down. For those of you who know of the hassle in getting from Shepherds Bush to Brixton on a good day, never mind a bad one may at least psychically sympathise. Despite the transport shortcomings (both replacement buses broke down as well) the proverbial gold at the end of the rainbow awaited in Islington Academy in the form of THE RAKES among others.
11am isn’t a clever time for a gig to take place, especially when the tubes are taking the piss. Still it doesn’t matter to The Rakes. Intent on shaking the sleep from your eyes by any means necessary, their own take on everyday life is delivered in a combination of Joy Division and Franz Ferdinand whilst front man Alan Donohue threatens to implode in his own intensity.
The Rakes launch themselves into a taut, aggressive set that for those who haven’t been up since silly AM provides a bit of a wake up call. From the acidic irony of ’22 Grand Job’ to the cacophonic and shambolic ‘Strasbourg’ they prove that intelligence in pop music still exists. An early morning slot may not be as illustrious as a forthcoming Bloc Party support slot, but the fact that The Rakes remain perfectly everyman is what makes them. Expect big things from the album and those who chose to claim a lie in missed out.
After fellow Leeds cohorts 10,000 Things whipped up the Academy into a carnival atmosphere with bongos, cha cha cha rhythms and the blunt northern charisma of front man Sam Riley, T'KAISER CHIEFS need no further incentive than proving the eyeliner and a meteoric rise to stardom hasn’t meant an ego massage just yet as they live up to their headline slot status with a near flawless effort.
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At their best they’re like a tribal Super Furry Animals crossed with a Yorkshire Blur. They have their sing along’s and they have their choruses and it’s all delivered in a buzz of enthusiasm and breathless energy. Front man Ricky Wilson stomps and star jumps the band forward even and does his bit for inter audience band relations by half stage diving, half falling into the Academy front row. They’ve also got their pop appeal and although the sound tends to be a little lightweight at times, songs like ‘I Predict a Riot’, ‘Oh my God’ and ‘Born To Be A Dancer’ have the build up and key change to make them a live favourite anywhere.
Despite his stunt like shenanigans onstage, Wilson as do the rest of the band played second fiddle to fan hero and keyboardist Peanut, who somewhat coyly took up the mantle of cheerleader for a song or two before the finale. It wasn’t quite a riot but it’s still kinda early, after all
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