victorian english gentlemen's club + 4 or 5 magicians + THE duke raoul

The Duke Raoul performing tonight is a male solo artist, and one that could, at times, be described as a more testosterone filled version of Theoretical Girl. There’s something endearing about him that makes many other male solo artists look stale in comparison. Infact, when he mentions that when he might come back next time with a full blown band in tow, it’s slightly worrying - as it may just cover the things that separate him from everybody else. Next up is a local band called 4 or 5 Magicians, who contrary to their name are a quartet with not a single Paul Daniels lookalike between them. This band have the slacker American guitar pop vibe going; discordant SonicYouth style guitars collide with Pavement type choruses, and all the while simple Pixies bass lines are played by a person that looks like a grunged up Alex James. Watching them, I can’t help feel that if this was 1992 the UK press would be lauding them as Britain’s next big hopes. But this is not 1992 and things have changed a lot since then. Which brings us onto the headliners Victorian English Gentlemens Club –a band you are no doubt fully aware of, and if not then why not? VEGC are a band that deserve to be better known than they currently are, as their performance tonight puts a lot of bigger bands to shame. It begins with drummer Emma wandering through the audience, ringing a bell of the type normally suited to town criers. It’s a good way to inform people that the show is beginning, and draws attentions away from the bar. Like the previous band they also have a slight American influence. The Pixies, in particular, is a comparison that is hard to get too far away from at any point during the set. But they don’t just rehash the same ideas over and over again, and songs like ‘Amatuer Man’ and ‘My Son Spells Backwards’ stand up as great slabs of art rock goodness - ready for all to consume. If only there were a lot more bands out there as special as VEGC.