It is difficult to know what to expect from a band who only have three singles and look too young to be able to have a drink at their own gig. The Sherlocks gave a well-executed performance filled with new material that promises big things for the band.
They were supported by April: a band made up of 5 young guys all sporting the same Tim Burgess hair style. The support easily rivalled The Sherlocks' with a distinctly 90s sound, the singer could possibly move away from imitating Oasis as much as he does though. They spoke with confidence to the crowd. With a bassist that gives the band an edge more similar to Peace. The band’s high level of stage presence that was only complimented by their quirky style, including striped pants and skin tight white jeans. They are a band deserving of their own headline shows. For fans of Blossoms and the Stone Roses check out their song ‘Ten Miles High’:
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/222757877" params="auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" iframe="true" /]The Sherlocks kick off with a football chant picked on a bassy guitar as each member of the band walks on stage. The crowd carries on the chant and immediately you can tell there is excitement in the crowd. They begin with 'Last Night’ the singer frequently signalling for vocal levels to be changed in the first two songs. The technical difficulties at the start don’t make them appear unrehearsed and instead they seem aware of what they expect from their sound. They know what they want to deliver live.
Frontman Kiaran Crook addresses the crowd briefly before moving straight into another song. The vocals have a clarity that many singers struggle to reproduce live. It’s the same thing you see at Catfish and the Bottlemen and Arctic Monkeys’ performances. There is also an Arctic Monkey’s influence evident in the drums. ‘Motions’ has a strong drum beginning that is reminiscent of ‘Old Yellow Bricks’ from Arctic Monkeys’ Favourite Worst Nightmare. The Sherlocks stop the song to gather crowd chanting and the supporting vocals from the rest of the band. The song enters another dimension.
It is only four songs in when we hear a song we know. Crook utters a single word, ‘Escapade’ which sends anticipation through the crowd. Finally, one that is know. There is a small section of the audience going frantic at this point. Jumping and clapping in a build up to a final chorus.
They play lots of new songs such as ‘Will You Be There?’ which stands out from previous songs. It has a Fratellis vibe. The guitars have a mature sound which compliments the older material as they run into the next song. The crowd are fully warmed up by this point and as a small mosh pit forms, teenage girls look on either nervously or with a look of boredom at the whole thing. There is encouragement to clap and repetitive lyrics of ‘La La’ work well in connecting with the crowd. The symbols are fierce, the guitars jangly. The new songs have multiple layers of interest which makes a debut album sound even more exciting.
The lighting throughout the gig also played a part in the strength of the performance. Glaring, white strobes darting as frantically as the guitars were played. When they play the other two songs the crowd know the scrum-like gathering goes wild and the crowd sing on their own to favourite ‘Heart of Gold’. It felt like that would have been the perfect moment to finish the performance, instead they end on ‘Chasing Shadows’, a new one for the fans. The set list did seem to be weirdly jumbled neither finishing nor starting on a favourite but all round they proved they have what it takes to be playing bigger venues to bigger crowds on the back of a full album.
Meg Long
What is that football chant at the start called???