Toot ! Toot ! All aboard the indie express ! Another clutch of new bands hurtle towards the upper slopes of indie greatness by entertaining a packed Sneeky Petes . The new student term saw the young team out in force and intent on creating atmosphere reciprocated by all three bands . Again , it looks like indie guitar bands are back in vogue and each of these brought fresh , entertaining vibes to a very warm room.
The Cowards kicked off and blended some traditional post punk with a slightly celtic sound as the featured a bit violin. A six piece outfit , giving a varied and layered sound . Also the range of the singers voice added to the depth of the songs. A slice of Red Lorry , Yellow Lorry in their sound with a more contempary nod to Pozzi. It was a bit difficult to track down information on them but this iteration of The Cowards were not the Parisian metal band that use the name .
Velvet , a five piece hailing from Glasgow , brought a typically sophisticated West Coast sound to the proceedings . Tight and professional , the songs stuck out and as the band members swapped vocal duties and guitars. The single Spine is well worth a listen and I imagine the lads made the most of a recent support slot playing with female funksters Los Bitchos.
The New Routines used their set to showcase tracks from their forthcoming album Staying In Place. They do have an enthusiastic following and there was much singing along and dancing with the melodies soaring to the maximum. Also , there is a certain radio friendliness to their material and it would not be a surprise if The New Routines make the breakthrough. Stan , on vocals and bass , gives a hint of Interpol with his performance . Add on the cohesion throughout the band and they could certainly follow the likes of Friendly Fires into day time airplay.
Another good set of bands for a tenner at an excellent local venue . There is a lot to commend a six piece , five piece and four piece outfit for getting out and delivering top quality sounds. A few years ago there was a bit of head scratching due to the divergence between good and popular . Happily popular and good may become closer and it would be great to see The New Routines as part of this . You cant stop a runaway train …
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