The Thermals - The Lexington, London - 9/12/09
4/5
By: Hayley Leaver
As London turned to snorkels rather than sledges, the packed out Lexington didn't seem to suffer in terms of audience numbers for Portland legends, The Thermals. The band are touring in preparation for forthcoming album Now We Can See, set to be released in a few month's time, though it's not as though Hutch Harris and co. needed an excuse. Queues snaking around the venue and every ticket snapped up, many soaked fans crowded the bar with not much attention being paid to the first act, Brighton lads, 4 Or 5 Magicians. What these boys lack in lyrical genius ("Only scraping by / Tesco Value 'til I die"), they make up for in enthusiasm to a crowd that made it fairly obvious they hadn't paid to see the support.
Second-on Brummy indie kids Calories evidently arrived too late for a sound check - and thus suffered some problems with their sound throughout their entire set. This didn't hold them back from inciting up some excitement in what was a fairly uninterested crowd, and although there was nothing overwhelming in their performance, there is still chance for these boys to fulfil the hype that's starting to build up behind them.
Surprisingly on time, The Thermalswalk quietly on stage to an immediately more attentive audience. The people gathered in the crowded but oddly reserved Lexington are here to watch Hutch Harris, Kathy Foster and current drummer Westin Glass show what makes them one of the most respected but underrated US bands in the last ten years, and they're not to be disappointed. Cue many I'm-too-old-to-be-doing-this type grins in the middle of a unexpectedly raucous mosh pit, and this is what The Thermals do best: simple, lo-fi melodies with riffs catchier then the latest NHS health scare.
Drummer for the next LP, Westin Glass does a very good job at looking like he's been part of the Thermals since forever: the drums seamlessly adding to the mountain of noise exploding from the tiny Lexington stage. Bassist Kathy Foster's non-stop head bobbing goes some way to distract from Harris' highly Malkmus appearance, but his vocals rule over the tinnitus-inducing sound, ranting about whatever the hell he wants - so long as it's loud and skull-thumping it would go down well here.
First album favourite 'No Culture Icons' invokes mass singalongs and joyful yelps of "Hardly art / Hardly starving", and new songs still retain the passion of previously adored tracks - the crowd not breaking rhythm in their crashing around at Hutch's feet. Harris has described the next LP as being 'cautiously optimistic', apparently reflecting the political feeling of the 'States at the moment, but there is no sign of caution in this energetic performance. An unexpected Nirvana cover of 'Verse Chorus Verse' fits in as well as any well-known Thermals track, with closer of 'Pillar of Salt' leaving the perfect climax to a brilliant set, and the crowd hankering for an encore that would probably have been a little unnecessary, though not unappreciated.
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