Music: Underground Railroad, Dead Kids

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The Review - MUSIC - grooves with RóISíN GADELRAB
Published: 26 March 2009

Underground Railroad

Kids are knockout, but Railroad fight their corner

REVIEW: UNDERGROUND RAILROAD, DEAD KIDS
Camden Barfly

BILLS can be dull and predictable, or they can pit different bands together in a battle for the musical high ground.
It was the latter here. In the red corner, the explosiveness of Dead Kids. In the blue, the glowering froideur of Underground Railroad.
Dead Kids came out fighting. Indie crowds famously stand as still as the Terracotta Army, but there was no danger of that with frontman Mike Title.
He plunged into the audience, manically dancing, stage-diving, grabbing and generally scaring people.
The band’s Daily Mail-baiting name reflects a brattish, sleazy ferocity that is probably best experienced live.
Underground Railroad had a very different energy – brooding grunge-guitar rumbling like a cloudy sky.
The French three-piece are quite a lot like Sonic Youth – La Jeunesse Sonique, if you like – with catchy choruses (as on 25) through the distortion.
Either band could have headlined, just for different reasons – the crowd could take their pick. The moody new wave of The Chapman Family was pretty good also, if clearly in thrall to Joy Division.
All in all, this Levi’s Ones To Watch evening was one worth watching.
Alan Stafford

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