Cut Off Your Hands

+ Cazals

Camden Barfly, London - 19 Feb 2008

by Jon Fletcher

A double bill of straight-forward, fun-filled rock brings spit and stage invasions to the Barfly

"Nick, the foppish, blond haired sharp edge of Cut Off Your Hands, looks as though he hails from the English gentry circa 1940 rather than his native Auckland - at least until he fires one of several fine sprays of spittle over the heads of the audience"

All photos © Jon Fletcher | For more pictures of the Cazals set click here. For pics of Cut Off Your Hands, click here.

The singers of both Cazals and Cut Off Your Hands are, in their own ways, utterly improbable. Phil, Cazals’ front man, looks like a librarian, sporting pencil moustache and shoulder-length, lank hair (with side parting). In contrast, Nick, the foppish, blond haired sharp edge of Cut Off Your Hands, looks as though he hails from the English gentry circa 1940 rather than his native Auckland - at least until he fires one of several fine sprays of spittle over the heads of the audience. Class it seems, is about more than appearances.

Not that such toffee nosed snobbery has anything much to do with either of these bands. Tonight is about class of a very different, visceral kind.


Cazals front man Phil: not a librarian

Cazals arrive first and from the moment the singer opens his mouth, it’s apparent that this is not a man who belongs in a library. His vocals, whilst making more than a nod to Allen-esque cockneyism, are crystal clear and perfectly match the energy of the rolling riffs and bass lines spewed out by the rest of the band. It’s no surprise at all when the frenetic mass of teenagers in front of the band first throws out a couple of crowd surfers – not a particularly appealing proposition in a venue with as low a ceiling as Barfly – and then takes possession of the stage.


"Did you just touch my arse?"

It’s a tough act to follow and when the diminutive Nick steps out, it’s hard to imagine Cut Off Your Hands being able to hold the attention. Not so moments later when the first break-neck guitar refrains power out, accompanied by vocals that are half-shouted, half-sung, half screeched. And yes, we know three halves make an improbable whole, but this little man can make one hell of a noise.


Cut Off Your Hands: cross

The singer carries the look of a man who doesn’t really want to be there, muttering to his band mates towards the end of the show to herald what seems to be a slightly premature close and it’s a sign of the strength of the material that this does nothing at all to dent our enjoyment. Songs like ‘Closed Eyes’ have an immediacy that grabs you at the first listen, while the appeal of reggae-tinged single ‘Oh Girl’ will only grow.

The bar may not have been as packed as we’ve seen it for these showcases, but this was another night of top talent from the Levi’s folk.

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