11.26.08
It’s not for the cock, it’s for the hat trick.
Dananananaykroyd, Tubelord and Favours For Sailors/The Lexington/12.11.08
Gigs where even the local support band are something to get excited about are few and far between but on this non-descript Wednesday night The Lexington is hosting one and London based four piece Favours For Sailors are most certainly that band. Their catchy, low-fi melodic pop which sits somewhere between The Cribs and The Beach Boys is currently making definite waves at the moment. Their stage manner is by no means confident but it’s their almost clumsy enthusiasm that’s most likely charming them into ever increasing amounts of hearts across the city.
Next up is a band that are firmly becoming an INFTC favourite, Kingston based trio, Tubelord who deliver their rather unique brand of poppy, punky, melodic rock with sheer energetic fury. As they stride and tumble about the stage blasting out high pitched ‘woah ohs’ in between verses the band evoke thoughts of what a band of 15 year old Blink 182 lovers could have become if they’d kept at it and opened their eyes and ears to every bit of music they could get their hands on. That is to say that all three are most certainly worthy of the instruments they play, Dave in particular is impressively talented at combining frantic drumming and vocals, and while their music is essentially pop-rock with just three instruments the band managed to create a depth of sound which makes it so much more. The sound tonight at The Lexington is also set up to display this perfectly and songs like, ‘I am Azerrad’ and ‘Propeller’ , forcefully bound through the venue and draw the audience towards the stage. Tubelord are quickly becoming a band who are impossible to ignore and, as Johnny Foreigner have said before us, they are the future.
Due the sterling work of their support bands the crowd awaiting Dananananaykroyd tonight are most definitely ripe for the picking and front man Callum grabs them all into the palm of his hand in one fale swoop and commemorates this with a triumphant “We did it” at the end of most of the songs in and amongst other bizarre and hilarious banter. In usual Dana style many band members can be found in the crowd while they deliver what sounds like a chaotic mix of The Maccabees’ poppy sound and Johnny Foreigner’s brand of messy garage with a mix of screaming, shouting and singing on top.
Mid set the band bring back what is quickly becoming a notorious part of their live show, the wall of cuddles, which is every bit as twee and fun as its name suggests. As well as that firm classic the ‘tunnel of love’ is introduced and again sets the crowd into a grinning mess and ends with Callum rolling around the floor while still managing to bellow into his microphone. While all this is going on it’s difficult to notice what song they’re even playing never mind how well they’re playing it but it has to be said that tonight the band are precision sharp and, as always, the tunes are amazing. Due to stubborn and relentless demand we are treated to even more than usual as tracks such as ‘1993′ are whipped out for a rare encore.
Dananananaykroyd are possibly the best live band in the country at the moment and their recorded work acts as either an enticing preview to the live show or as a blissfully chaotic reminder so buy their e.p., get yourself a ticket to see them and then wear the fucking t-shirt with pride!