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The Review - MUSIC - grooves with CHARLOTTE CHAMBERS
Published: 14 February 2008

Here comes the summer sound

REVIEW
THE PIGEON DETECTIVES/THE BLACK KIDS
Astoria

DON’T be fooled by Arctic Monkey Alex Turner turning up for a cameo and helping out The Rascals in the warm-up at the Astoria – this night belonged to the creative promise of The Black Kids and the shameless rock’n’roll swagger of The Pigeon Detectives.
The NME could not have wished for a better opener to their annual award show gigs. If you or I were in an indie band, the inner show-off in all of us would relate to Pigeon frontman Matt Bowman’s stage antics.
Like a kid whose had too much tartrazine, he runs around as if can’t believe he is actually being paid to do what he loves, hopping on to the speakers and the drum-kit, and playing catch with the microphone.
He expects to be clattered on the face with a flying beer can or a water bottle along the way. Bowman is almost a caricature of what a rock’n’roller should be, but a bit of a curly-haired geek as well.
At one point he slips on the spilt beer and has to sing with his back on the floor. What he lacks in musical genius, he more than makes up for in enthusiasm. And, more importantly, he can belt out a good tune.
The Pigeon Detectives – spotted on this page before they were famous many moons ago – excel at the less-is-more approach. They don’t waste time with ballads. Nor concept pieces. Or orchestral backing. They just knock out a dozen or so straight-up guitar belters, and sit back while the choruses are shouted back at them.
Whether they are singing I’m Not Sorry or the ultra-catchy Wait For Me or You Know I Love You, it doesn’t really matter – they all sound the same and they all sound good. It’s indie by numbers, but who cares?
Don’t forget The Black Kids though. The boy-girl gang were magical in the second support slot, like a more focused Go! Team, splicing guitars and electro keys and quirky vocals.
The obvious sleeping hit is I’m Not Going To Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance, already covered by Kate Nash. Even the usual murmur at the bar stopped for this. People took notice, and if you haven’t heard of them by now, you undoubtedly will have done by summer.
RICHARD OSLEY

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