The 2010 release of
Darwin Deez's self entitled album caused a significant ripple in alternative music circles. The group fronted by the bizarre yet captivating Darwin Smith, had written and produced one of the best albums of the year and last night was my long awaited opportunity to see the band in the flesh.
First on stage were
Rams Pocket Radio (RPR), an unsigned quartet from Northern Ireland, a region increasingly represented by indie and alternative acts such as
Two Door Cinema Club,
General Fiasco and the indie-pop band
Snow Patrol.
RPR's music style is unlike such bands, however when performing live their broad Northern Irish accents are as evident as their local counterparts. They played a confident and energetic thirty minute set combining steady if unspectacular drumming with generic keyboard playing and ambitious and enthusiastic yet ultimately indistinct vocals.
RPR regularly interacted with the audience speaking humbly and appreciatively, but it was clear they were out of their depth. This was particularly apparent in the song
Love is a bitter thing, which sounded amateur and lacked punchy nor emotionally provocative lyrics. It sounded exceptionally cheesy, to the extent that if I hadn't have known otherwise I would have assumed it had been written by a deluded fourteen year old attempting a love song. Overall,
Rams Pocket Radio weren't dreadful, but they certainly didn't justify the amount of space I have used to write about them.
Listen to
Dogs run in Packs (
http://www.myspace.com/ramspocketradio)
Shortly before the arrival of
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (TEED), there was a buzz of excitement amongst the audience. More so than your ordinary tipsy crowd awaiting the second support act. Whether unlike me, the audience had researched
TEED prior to the gig and had an expectation of what was to happen was unclear. My bewilderment increased, as the lead dj/vocalist, Orlando emerged out of thin air before donning a red indian headdress and shooting confetti into the crowd. This was shortly followed by him beckoning talented singer Louisa and two minimally dressed blonde dancers onto the stage. Accompanied by various musical equipment including a keyboard, a record player, a microphone and a laptop (see my
NME Big Gig blog for scrutiny of such an 'instrument'!), he began to play a blend of futuristic alternative electro which seemed more in keeping with
The Mighty Boosh than with a standard Tuesday night in Norwich. In between songs the dancers would leave the stage for a Lady Gaga-esque changeover of clothes.The audience were encapsulated. It became difficult to distinguish between different songs as the set seemed to join into a half hour rave which the audience embraced and joyfully danced to.
TEED have merged a musical style and an image unlike anything I have ever seen before, although not to every ones taste, it is clear that they have a potentially infectious product which will be particularly appreciated live. Check them out at this years festivals if you get the opportunity.
Listen to them play live! Or visit
http://www.myspace.com/totallyenormousextinctdinosaurs
Amid great anticipation and excitement
Darwin Deez's emerged on stage dancing in a humorous fashion which looked even more ridiculous considering the band were all wearing identical leather jacket sporting the band name. They swiftly opened the set with the excellent
Up in the clouds which showcases
Darwin Deez's most prominent musical attributes; simplicity, witty lyrics, encapsulating beats and a twangy guitar rift. Vocally
Deez performed exceptionally, providing the audience with a hint of what was to come. A broken string halted the set briefly before deciding to play my highlight of the album
DNA which is arguably the most lyrically developed track they have written to date. The song is about the imagining returning to a former lover includes fantastic lyrics including the opening line 'My DNA is running out, I am not the guy who makes you smile now' and the incredibly addictive chorus 'I won't cry, I will just pretend that you're still the one and now we are in love again'. What potentially could be a tale of depression and despair is in fact a joyous, uplifting track that shows the beauty of imagination, fantasy and happy memories.
This was followed by two enjoyable album tracks
Deep Sea Divers and
Bed Space which in different contexts both speak of failing/failed relationships and loneliness. In spite of this theme the band continued to demonstrate their gratitude to the audience and were joking and performing with jubilant expressions.
It is clear that the group have an unequivocal relationship with one another which is visible from their on stage behaviour. The band play with a refreshingly relaxed attitude which is particularly enjoyable in an era in which musicians take themselves very seriously and are burdened with the obligation to sell a large amount of records and related merchandise. As gratifying as this is, it is also the downfall of the group who fail to take their live performances seriously enough to fulfil their potential. Having said this, they are still touring their first album and are completely justified in enjoying lifestyle and benefits that their success has so far brought. As Darwin exclaimed when discussing the most satisfying aspects of the tour; "this is the first thing I've done all day!" which was followed by a spontaneous rap amongst the crowd. It is crucial that the band retain their boyish charm which I have no doubt they will, however when they do return to the studio (which will hopefully be soon!) they will surely begin to realise how successful and noteworthy they can become. One can only hope that the pressures of living up to such an outstanding debut album don't harm their development as musicians.
Personally, I would love to see the next album yield such cynically brilliant songs as the penultimate track of the set,
Bad Day which was performed to perfection. Based on the passion and intensity of the lyrics and live performance it seems that the song is written about a personal experience which Deez has suffered. His interaction with the crowd who he invited to sing back to him suggests that this was a part of the healing process. The group ended on the crowd favourite and most commercially successful song
Radar Detector which although being highly entertaining was played too slowly to my liking and many audience members who I spoke to. The dancey record on the album didn't deliver such a response due to the decreased pace of the track.
The encore consisted of an excellent acoustic track by Deez, in which he emotionally sung that no one knows who he really is. His eccentric and unpredictable character suggests that this may be or may have been the case during his life. The song was a particularly interesting insight into his life, be it past or present. Unsurprisingly the evening was concluded by the infectious
Constellations which had the audience singing merrily, despite the slower pace of the track in comparison to the album version.
Overall a thoroughly enjoyable night, which has left me longing for the follow up album. These guys have such an incredible potential, which I sincerely hope they fulfil.
Listen to: Bad Day and DNA (
http://www.myspace.com/darwindeez)
The set concluded with an impeccable rendition of Elephants to an appreciative and engaged audience. Clearly enjoying the occasion the quartet exchanged smiles and calmly improvised an extended version of their most renowned song. A very brief encore constituting of Majesty enabled the group a final chance to demonstrate their technical brilliance and proved to be a pleasing way to conclude the gig.
