Playlouder - Music is the Network

It’s pretty much a double album launch tonight, so the focus is for us to decide, really; that said, it’s hardly a battle of the bands, as these two substantial headliners are old friends by all accounts.

First off, though, let’s not omit Omo; while I only caught the last couple of songs of their set, they came across as a pretty decent two piece electronic act, sharp and cute: well worth checking out.

I’d built up They Came From The Stars… in my head quite a bit since I first heard of them all of… well, a week ago. So, it’s fortunate that they’re an honest, explosive powerhouse of a live act, full of conviction, glee and inventiveness.

There are dance routines (‘Rabbit, Seal, Monkey’) cosmic disco party tunes (‘Down On The Dancefloor…’) and barmy extensive jazz freak-outs (‘Monkey at the Typewriter’).

The band are smart, sexy and full of panache, and Horton Jupiter is something of a god amongst men.

The Chap, formerly unknown to me, are almost equally convincing – their stark, hard-hitting dance beats and tight rhythms are second only to their overriding sense of love for the music they’re making (and not in a smug way either).

However, I’m still blinded by the light of their precursors, and will remain so for the foreseeable future. In fact, I only realised when I got home that they didn’t play my favourite track off the album (‘Lionel’s Tears’), so I suppose I shall have to see them again some time. Oh well…