The Shakes

The Borderline, London - 17 Oct 2006

by Steff Price

Shakes, your money maker...

"‘Liberty Jones’ is a slice of pop genius that promises to raise the band’s profile to dizzying new levels"

The Borderline is bursting at its nicotine-stained seams tonight, raking in its largest ever New-Band crowd. All the attention is directed squarely upon South London’s fiercely up and coming ‘The Shakes’.

Having toured the circuit extensively over the last year since signing to Tough Cookie, they are finally enjoying the media attention they deserve. With numerous outings on the airwaves of 6 Music, Radio 2 and Xfm, their instantaneously catchy music (namely first single ‘Goodbye New York’) has earned them a fanbase which stretches far beyond the realms of friends and family.

Tonight we’re all here to celebrate the launch of their second single, ‘Liberty Jones’, a slice of pop genius that promises to raise the band’s profile to dizzying new levels. Juxtaposed with the band before them – a dreadful, sweating hair-band without a shred of irony, whose grizzly rock moves went out with tasselled leather jackets and the likes of Skid Row – The Shakes are like a breath of fresh air with their retro take on modern indie-rock.

The band’s excitement from playing to such a hefty crowd is almost tangible, bounding onstage and launching straight into the riff of ‘A Year Alone’, and the tune's jagged hooks have teeth. A series of memorable melodies follow, from the classic poppiness of ‘Valentine’ to the raw power of acoustic number, ‘Daylight’.

Touring extensively has matured The Shakes and while their youthful enthusiasm still abounds, they have the comfortable complacency of knowing the spots how to please a live audience. Singer Ed’s presence upon stage is akin to a young Jagger as he struts, pouts and brandishes guitar, tambourine and kazoo in succession.

The crowd rises in unison with the opening chords of ‘Liberty Jones’ - pretty much everyone knows all the words. If you’ve yet to hear it, you’re missing out and should log on to their website pronto, because this is music writing at its very best. And judging by the whopping grins on the band members' faces, this is exactly the reception they were hoping for.

Better still, brand new song ‘Little Sun’ doesn’t deflate the spirit of the night, and enjoys a triumphant roar from the crowd. Some bands only have a few good songs in them, but The Shakes, although only on their second single, have a repertoire of consistently strong melodies that cannot fail to strike a chord with a larger audience. And the audience is rewarded for its support with an encore of ‘Janine’, boasting an almost ska riff with huge sing-along potential – always a good thing for a final number.

Catch The Shakes while it is still possible to enjoy them in intimate surroundings – it won’t last long.

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