Pegasus Bridge are part of the fine crop of young,
up and coming bands signed to the excellent Manchester
based label LAB Records. In a room this saturated
with teenage girls, they were never going to struggle
to make new fans, but tonight they prove that
they are more than capable of producing as much
in the way of substance as they are style. With
most of their set being stripped from their soon
to be released While We’re Young EP, Pegasus
Bridge seem reenergised and ready to take on the
Roadhouse with their indie power-pop. They close
their set with the sublime ‘Yoko’,
which has Radio 1 A-List written all over it.
Next up are Aberdeenshire come Brighton trio
The Xcerts. With the debut album In The Cold Wind
We Smile under their belts and a second full-length
Scatterbrain due for release in a matter of weeks,
the young threesome do not seem perturbed by the
rather odd under billing of this tour. They rattle
through a short half hour set, showcasing new
tracks such as ‘Slackerpop’ and manage
to keep the hardcore contingents happy with older
tracks such as ‘Do You Feel Safe?’
and ‘Crisis In The Slow Lane’. For
many down the front, The Xcerts don’t epitomise
the happy go lucky attitudes of tonight’s
headliners, yet for the old boys at the back,
they are one of the most exciting bands around.
Tonight’s headliners are Futures, a band
that seem to have the Midas touch. Recently signed
to Mercury Records, they seem to be riding on
the crest of a wave straight towards the top.
Since releasing their debut mini-album The Holiday
as a free release with Rock Sound magazine earlier
this year the band hasn’t stopped, clinching
headlining spots at Slam Dunk Festival and winning
over scores of adoring fans along the way. Tonight’s
9pm curfew means that many are able to stay up
past their bed times resulting in the almost immediate
selling out of this venue.
Despite appealing to a younger audience, Futures
seem to have a maturity many years their senior.
They appear to be old hats when it comes to putting
on a live show, knowing exactly which songs to
play and how to ensure people have a good time;
a testament to how hard they have worked in the
last year. Songs such as ‘Sal Paradise’
and the obvious set closer ‘The Boy Who
Cried Wolf’ sound too big for a venue of
this size, but it’s this aura surrounding
Futures that make them such an exciting prospect.
Pegasus Bridge: 4/5
The Xcerts: 5/5
Futures: 4/5
Review By Ben Connell
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