Anyone with a passing interest in the beautiful game knows that wearing golden boots is a bit of a statement. David Beckham could; Tomas Brolin not so much. So when Volcanoes frontman Sam Bedford rocked up on stage in aureate sneakers, the chunk of this reviewer’s brain that is forever football curled a metaphorical lip, as if to say ‘Think we’re good, do we? We’ll see about that’.
Which only goes to show how warped and cynical the f.f. part of my b. has become, because the Yorkshire four piece had class enough to spare. Bedford, guitarist Kevin Shirley, drummer Chris Hall and improbably-named bassist Boa Internationale gave Camden a set made of pure grade indie goodness, with songs such as ‘She’s On Me’, ‘What You Came For’ and the excellent ‘Temple’ showcasing their funky hooks, tight guitars and clear, Arctic-Monkeyesque vocals. There’s also more than a smidge of The Coral’s psychedelia in Volcanoes’ make-up, as the second song of the evening, ‘Lucy Lambado’, made evident.
However, none of this quite puts the finger on Volcanoes’ ingredient X, that nebulous quality that makes a group stand out from the good, but ultimately forgettable, bands that you can hear every night in pubs and clubs across the country. Perhaps it’s that Volcanoes have a breath of fresh air feel about them; a bunch of likeable guys playing catchy, inventive indie pop and having fun while doing it. At the risk of getting all hagiographical ‘n’ shit, Volcanoes gave us a full-length set that seemed over far too soon. Gentlemen, you can wear whatever shoes you like.
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DaveAxbey is a minor character who became a series regular in season two. A London-based journalist and entertainment industry PR guy, he is depicted as a genre-savvy geek obsessed by videogames, anime and indie music.
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