Ludes - London Barfly @ Monarch - 28/4/03
4/5
By: Clara Burtenshaw
Music will have a lot to thank Camberwell for. Its art college was the unlikely nucleus to foster Ludes - a band of swashbuckling rhythm and bluesters.
These brigands have imbibed the sounds that made London once great, but have added a certain something... jigs and reels with wit. Infusing the pithy lyrics and terseness of The Clash, The Kinks' quintessentially British humour in 'Sailor Boy', and exotic sounds of the Stones (if comparisons can be drawn between the sitar in 'Paint It Black' and the Ludes' rip-off of doner-kebab anthem, 'Zorba's Dance'), it is easy to see why a Ludes gig is not one to be missed. They will be compared to The Libertines, but minus the Chelsea pensioner chic and with meaty songs that don't sound like they're going to fall apart half-way through.
Appearances in dank, dark, beer-soaked rooms, the Lansdowne Social Club in Hackney and a position as firm favourites at the Metro club, have earnt them a following of student friends and those whom word-of-mouth has placed in the know. These fans ricochet about the room almost as energetically as the band's filthy riffs. Ludes occasionally suffer from an attitude some may perceive as blasé, stemming most probably from deserved self-confidence and a propensity to drink beforehand. This could be curbed, but why, when it results in adventurous stunts such as the singer lowering himself onto the stage from a balcony, as witnessed one memorable occasion at the Spitz.
Tonight, their second appearance at the Monarch, proves they could bring even the most miserabilist of audiences out dancing, boasting the assets of a charismatic Rastafarian drummer and a singer who combines the looks and stage-presence of a young Joe Strummer (give or take a tambourine in lieu of a guitar). With an acoustic set to boot that we are assured by their manager has more than a smack of Dylan about it, Ludes may prove one of London's most important exports yet.
Artists in this article: Ludes
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