Caesars - London Electric Ballroom - 6/3/03
3/5
By: Toby L
The Swedes certainly have an accelerated vision of 'cool'. First, they restore a scene with The Hives' collateral of firm, fierce garage-punk and classic showmanship. They then take obesity to the forefront of a 60s-inspired guitar-pop outfit (The Soundtrack Of Our Lives). And, now with Caesars - known as Caesar's Palace in their homeland - they fuse the two, and conjure the most peculiar of all their exports to date.
Playing support to New Zealand 'new rock 'n' roll' riff-crunchers The D4 and Chicago's latest emo-synth hybrid-formers OK Go at a seething Camden Electric Ballroom, there's as much an element of rapt exhilaration at their performance's twisted animation and custom-packed musical accomplice. In short, it's the sort of energy-driven series of hooks and hair-flicks that you'd associate with an Austin Powers soundtrack, yet - as displayed on debut-EP, 'Fun & Games' - at least there's a churning substance that extends beyond the confines of a funnelling fad.
Taking to the stage and immediately grinding into full-on sound, the band's unison ain't a typical one; stylised with an air of European cool and intent on creating a palpitating, dextrously textured aural-sound alternative, the act veer and ricochet into a cascade of genres as if they were originally blended with one another in the first place. Not aided by an archaic sound-system, what should be nigh-on sensational, however, ends up being a mere hint towards the potential that could be: surges of 60s-based melodies, and pretension-swerving guitar that almost evokes a mid-90s, Brit guitar-pack. By the time they stride through to a faultless rendition of the title-track of their most recent work, the applause at the front is near-deafening - and almost as loud as the sound of mass-disgruntlement when the quartet announces their departure.
Hardly the environment of choice for something so early on, but, altogether, tonight acts as an early indication as to the resounding reception Caesars are likely to trigger with further international-excursions. Although this ain't no ordinary picnic, nor would you want it to be either.
Artists in this article: Caesars
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