The Pigeon Detectives London Kings College 5/3/07
3/5
By: Matt Tomiak
To the east: the imposing National Theatre, Tower Bridge, and the glistening architectural splendour of Canary Wharf. And to the west: the illuminated London Eye, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Yes, the windows on the fourth floor venue where shows are held at King's College really does offer the best panoramic views across the Thames currently available on the capital's gig scene.
Not that The Pigeon Detectives - and in particular their effervescent singer Matt Bowman - aren't doing their utmost to vie for our undivided attention. Entering to the strains of Roy Orbison's 'I Drove All Night', the irrepressible fivesome bound straight into the We Are Scientists-down-The Good Mixer frolic 'You Know I Love You', proving that the Kaiser Chiefs aren't the only contemporary Leeds-based pop quintet specialising in breathless, big-chorused, infectious nu-Britpop.
The similarly irrepressible new single 'Romantic Type' follows, with the perma-bubbly Bowman- baiting the crowd for being big southern jessies, encouraging them to hurl underwear at the stage, clambering up the speaker stacks- refusing to let up on his hyperactive exuberance for an instant.
Musically, they're mainly pitched midway between The Strokes and The Cribs- but what the PD's lack in innovation they make up for in big, rousing, inclusive shout-along romps: 'Don't Know How To Say Goodbye' and 'Can't Control Myself' chief among 'em. The snotty two-minute Buzzcocks-ian thwack of 'I Found Out', a track that just snuck into the Top 40 at the end of 2006 yet imbued with such an infectious fervour that we're whistling it all the way home, shakes the venue to its very foundations.
No medals for innovation then, but in terms of contagious, high-spirited abandon, The Pigeon Detectives are a congenial live experience.
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