Hurts Dingwalls, London 11/6/10
4/5
By: Tom Hocknell
It’s been a long time since a band were so confident of an image so open to ridicule, and we’re not talking Cheeky Girls, but sharper suits, earrings and hair than Heaven 17. It’s like punk never happened - which in some circles is a good thing. We’re talking about boys so clear about not only where they’ve been, but also where they’re going, that those not keeping up may be cynical; like coming into a room of laughter after the joke has been told. But this is no joke; this is the kind of serious synth pop that can only be made by those with a sense of humour, like Pet Shop Boys, and the KLF.
Following an enigmatic ‘less is more’ promotional campaign, it’s almost regrettable that Hurts finally have to do something other than, well, lurk around in suits looking enigmatic - that is until they arrive on stage. Singer Theo Hutchcraft and keyboardist Adam Anderson are joined by a drummer, second keyboard player and an opera singer. Yes, you can label these Manchester boys anything you like, but meek isn’t one of them. The opera singer stands with the kind of posture that went out of fashion in the 60’s and adds a powerful, elegant depth to these mostly unheard songs. With the album yet to be released, every song is received like manna. The “I’ll keep fighting” of the opener, ‘Silver Lining’ immediately throws down the gauntlet for future single status, before ‘Wonderful Life’ arrives - embellished with piano flourishes exactly where you want them, and the yearning “driving through the city/to the temple station”, this already soars like a classic, standing comfortably alongside genre thoroughbreds such as ‘Being Boring’ and Bronski Beat’s ‘Small Town Boy’.
Theo’s thousand-yard stare reigns throughout, but is probably aimed at the sound technician, daring him to make a mistake – which he doesn’t. This attention to detail is present in the sampled crackle of vinyl at the start of torch song ‘Stay’, on which the tenor opera solo (yup, no room for bass solos here), tears the roof off, while Theo looks back in awe.
They close with the metronomic single, ‘Better than Love’, which is slightly re-jigged, and bursts with countless choruses and style, before they disappear, without encore, adhering to the oldest rule in show-business: leave them wanting more.
There has not been a band to get this excited about for a while, and there’s a suspicion that if they really know what they’re doing, there’s some equally good songs already being held back for the second album. Yes, they’re so good we’re already anticipating what happens next, before this has even happened. Beautiful chamber pop is back.
Artists in this article: Hurts
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