I was hoping that my return to the Anson Rooms
would be a lot more enjoyable than my first visit.
Although Get Cape Wear Cape Fly were amazing,
I felt less than well and thus it resulted in
me not being able to take in the atmosphere of
the place. However, the venue remained pretty
much as I remembered it. Resembling a 1970’s
office block on the outside, and what can only
be described as a school gymnasium on the inside,
it is a place of great intrigue. Acoustically,
it suffers slightly depending on the setup of
the band, and therefore it is the type of venue
where the music can come across slightly in the
wrong manner.
This may be the excuse that the support band
XX Teens would like to provide, as their set was
extremely less than impressive. Apart from the
guitarist, the band seemed to lack any energy
whatsoever, in particular the lead singer, who
gave the presence of not quite being with it on
the night. Billed as a ‘bouncy art punk
band’, this did not come across on the night
whatsoever and in fact ended up being quite a
lethargic set. This reflected itself in the reactions
of the crowd, who much like me seemed very confused
as to what XX Teens were trying to achieve. After
30 minutes of their set, they departed from stage
and it would seem no-one was overly bothered.
A band I wouldn’t mind seeing again, purely
to see if they had just had a bad night.
The main event, however, should have been a completely
different matter. Despite this, I had my reservations
due to the email interview conducted with the
band, which came across in a severely sarcastic
and haphazard manner. This did not seem to reflect
the band I had come to really enjoy on CD, and
therefore I wasn’t sure what to expect from
the live show at all. Yet, my fears were blown
away safely by the end of the second song, when
it became very apparent that the Long Blondes
had come to rock the party. Although I ended up
slightly disappointed that not one of them was
blonde! Playing their way through a good mixture
of their album tracks, fusing the old classics
like ‘Weekend Without Makeup’ with
catchy new songs like ‘I’m Going To
Hell’. The crowd reflected what sort of
band the Long Blondes are however, and that is
one who has attained a very much cult status without
brushing the edges of mainstream. There were some
severely hardcore fans contained within the crowd,
knowing every word to every song and seemingly
picking up on any faults the band may have made.
Personally, for me, the highlights of the night
were the songs ‘Guilt’, which is being
released as a single from the new album ‘Couples’,
and possibly the band’s most famous song
‘Once and Never Again’, which I am
reliably informed is a favourite on Topshop Radio!
But that sums up the aura around the band, one
of cutting edge fashion and ultimate cool. The
slight downside came from bassist Reenie, who
seemed methodical and uninterested throughout
the entire set. Despite the obvious positive edge
in the room, she only managed to crack one smile
and resembled a moody electro girl from the Mighty
Boosh. Maybe it is little surprise that she was
one of the band responsible for the less than
enthusiastic interview before the show.
However, this is not to take away from what I
believe to be one of the best live shows I have
ever been to. The Long Blondes certainly know
how to handle themselves on stage, and hopefully
I will get to see them again on a slightly bigger
level. Musically, they deserve it. But if they
continue down the same PR track as our interview
received, then their talents could all be for
nothing.
Review by Anthony
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