Bombay Bicycle Club

+ Sky Larkin

MacBeth, London - 22 Sep 2008

by Jim Merrett

Fan assisted oven

"Some fans know every word already, so Bombay Bicycle Club only try harder. Throwing everything they have, the heat generated is frightening. It’s hotter than a tandoori oven in here and if the hand towel thrown at a cute girl in the front row isn’t very hygienic, it’s a nice gesture."

“Good evening, we are Bombay Bicycle Club and we are ones to watch,” spouts frontman Jack Steadman. And so begins the first episode of the OnesToWatch revue, a Levi’s-branded five-night residency in former Hoxton old man pub turned Shoreditch Twat hangout Macbeths. Not exactly biting the hand that feeds you, especially when the denim label presumably thrives on such edgy rebellion. “I hope everyone is wearing lots of Levi’s jeans.”

But really, we can’t complain. Where most corporate tie-ins smack of ill-advised suits throwing money at buzz bands that have been long since rendered a background hum, Levi’s OnesToWatch is a showcase with bands that are not even so-hot-right-now – they're consistently plucking acts that are just coming up to the boil and then turning up the heat. No ham-fisted, two legs in one trouser leg clumsiness from The Man here, thankfully – these guys actually, like, listen to music or something.

Bobbing close to the surface like they are about to break through for a while now, Sky Larkin play the warm-up slot admirably. The Leeds lot fill this tiny east end dive with a lot of sound, but nothing quite like the main event, who’s rapid acceleration has seen them overtake most peers. They're like Lewis Hamilton, skirting corners and all. From word go, Bombay Bicycle Club set out to tear down the ceiling, whether metaphorically or with decibel-levels alone. This would prove a double-edge sword for Levi’s, who obviously want a good show but also want some sort of structure to protect them from the elements for the weekdays ahead.

“Here is an old, old song about being 16,” Steadman yelps ahead of ‘Sixteen’ – just a peek at their hairless, pimpled faces proves time is relative. Youth has its pitfalls, such as gawkiness, clumsiness and a tendency to oversimplify things (as well as bad poetry and acne) – none of which are exposed here. Even if this four piece hadn’t already ground a path on the London circuit, experience is not everything it is cracked up to be as any team that’s faced Arsenal’s reserve side knows. 

Some fans know every word already, so Bombay Bicycle Club only try harder. Throwing everything they have, the heat generated is frightening. It’s hotter than a tandoori oven in here and if the hand towel thrown at a cute girl in the front row isn’t very hygienic, it’s a nice gesture.

To say the likes of Metronomy who close this five-night shindig have a hard act to follow is an understatement.
Fletchy fletch fletch said on September 26th 2008 [report abuse]

Ace

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