good shoes / operator please / ida maria

There’s something quite distinctive about IDA MARIA, a female solo artist that doesn’t fit into an easily identifiable mould. While others have laid on thick accents to make them stand out (yes, I’m talking about Miss Nash & Allen), Ida Maria’s is barely noticeable: instead she relies on the songs. Alas, on first exposure these don’t seem to be entirely memorable, at least until set closer ‘Oh My God’ is played. She twirls her way round the song, which is destined to be played on many festival main stages… OPERATOR PLEASE are, on the other hand, more immediate. To begin with they’re plagued by sound problems, but once these are sorted they go on to perform a set that ticks over gently, although it doesn’t ever quite hit a stride. Their songs are a mixture of non morose violin lines, frantic energy and occasionally slightly funky basslines. It’s in songs such as ‘Song about ping pong’ and ‘Leave it alone’ that they really hit their peak: these are full of choruses that just beg to be sung back and have people pogoing along - and tonight that’s exactly what happens. It’s initially tempting to write them off as yet another light weight pop group, but it seems they’re capable of becoming a lot more then that. Which brings us onto GOOD SHOES, who have matured much over the past year. The angular tag that once plagued them has been shed, leaving us with a guitar pop band who are at least ten times more appealing then The View. Heavy touring has at last left them looking comfortable on stage: the nerves are gone and they are all the better for it. But no bands get by with a solid performances alone: what Good Shoes have in abundance are songs that get the audience singing back and dancing along. Opener ‘Pictures On My Wall’ causes a rush of excitement, and from then on in the band have the audience eating out of their hands. The reaction to ‘Southwest Trains’, with it’s off time guitar opening, only goes onto emphasize the point. Good Shoes have successfully found a way into people’s hearts with album one, let’s hope that album two lives up to the high standards they’ve now set.