The Modern

The Social, Nottingham on Tue 28th Feb 2006

The Social’s had more than its fair share of unkempt indie urchins and touring instrumental mumblers plug in and play on its matchbox stage, so as a regular visitor it’s about time for a break in the cycle and a good dollop of creamy glamour to transform the mid-lands’ middle venue into the thumping electro disco that its glitter ball so often promises.

So you might thank heavens for The Modern, a finely cut collective of South London sophistication, single-handedly attempting to recuperate the nostalgia feeding New Romantic ‘movement’ that had schools girls fighting in the playground in the early 80s over who was better, Spandau Ballet or Duran Duran.

Their unashamed pop sensibilities are the perfect excuse for unashamed dancing, and a few of the famously stiff Social crowd do risk some hip-swinging with abandon. They’re at pains to stay looking ‘cool’, but you can tell that behind the narrow non-prescription glasses resting on their noses that they’re desperate to bring out the robot dance.

Sadly though, this New Romantic revival looks unlikely to take off, as despite good intentions, the band’s performance is stiff, free of innovation and surmounts to little more than what you might imagine a bad bedroom bootlegger to come up with after trying to remix Blondie with Human League. Blonde lead singer Emma Cooke looks the part, but their performance isn’t as confident as their game plan needs them to be.

There’s something about them that makes you so dearly wish they’d put in more effort, as their image suggests so much but remains superficial and gives way to little substance. The world needs more electropop, poor old Alison Goldfrapp can’t go on forever on her own, so it’s a real shame that tonight The Modern fail to pull it off.

article by: Alex Hoban

published: 02/03/2006 08:47



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