22-20s / Thirteen Senses / The Ordinary Boys - London Islington Academy - 7/4/04
4/5
By: Andy Willson
Thanks to all at love 'em/hate 'em emporium 'NME', we are in for a real indulgence tonight. Having toured the country for the past two weeks, some of the cream of new UK artists descend on old London Town to prove that the Yanks aren't gonna have it all their own way; with an unprecedented (yet impressing) influx of Stateside bands arriving on our shores, we can apparently show that Brit-bands are still possessive of a vigour to be reckoned with. Constant acts, The Ordinary Boys and 22-20s had brought The Zutons, Delays, The Cribs and Thirteen Senses along for the ride (it's the latter we get on tonight's bill), and curiosity as to each one's knack is fraught.
The night opens with The OB's returning to old haunts, having performed here previously in support to Stellastarr* and Keane. And what a return. Shamelessly, this Worthing four-piece have done their homework, and combine some of the best acts to emerge from these shores in the last few decades; echoes of The Jam, The Smiths and Blur are all blended to create a rabid, ravaging noughties edge. And the mod don't stop - both in looks and sound, the effect almost makes you want to dust off the Harrington Jacket and search for that decaying skinny tie you last saw 20 years ago. With a lead-singer not too dissimilar to Idlewild's Roddy Woomble in presence and stature, The Ordinary Boys are compulsive. 'Week In Week Out'; my arse, every week please.
Intriguingly, Thirteen Senses follow, their buoyant, scattered, piano/ache-laden tunes a million miles away from our previous act (admittedly, if we had been expected to last the whole night at the pace set by The Ordinary Boys, it would have been a short evening). Lead-singer Will alternates between keys and guitar as he reaches vocal heights most of us are solely restricted to daydream of. The vastness and beauty of their birthplace, erm, Cornwall is expressed through their haunting odes, and would be right at place as the backdrop to a scone (maybe) or two. Inevitably, the clincher in their debut anthem 'Thru The Glass' and (rightful) future release, 'Do No Wrong': mesmerising.
Yet the crowd is now caught a bit flat-footed at this point. Not only are we in for some dirty blues, but The 22-20's kick off with brand new single 'Why Don't You Do It For Me?', a brave move indeed, and the juddering, thundering guitars evoke a modern, tarted-up version of 'The Devil Went Down To Georgia'. It's a classy entrance, but how can it hold?
Well, wrong were we to doubt it. Tonight's performance shows a developing maturity to the trio (plus keyboardist's) prior twenty-five minute gigs, and unlike such dates, is virtually hitch-free in way of crowd-igniting aplomb and artistic grandeur. The other highlight of their set is past release 'Such A Fool', but we can assure you, there are no flies on this Lincoln-based trio. Based on the response alone from the masses as Martin Trimble's howling guitar finally ceases, The 22-20s thoroughly deserve and - more importantly - live up to the headline status.
And to think: all three bands are either in their early-20s or yet to reach the pivotal age, the outlook for each and every one of them deep-rooted in the greatness that first inaugurated their respective inceptions. Please cherish these times.
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