The Little Flames / The Ripps / The Sunstones

I’m watching a band called The Sunstones. They play pretty well. It’s funky, fun; people are nodding their heads and smiling...well...for the first few bars, until their lead singer bursts onto the stage. At least I think he’s their lead singer, because it’s more like Bez’s drunken younger brother has happened upon stage and is belting out songs with much gusto and very little vocal ability. He staggers back and forth. Shouts into the microphone, gets briefly distracted by beer in hand, promptly drops mike then staggers to bassman’s mic and carries on, smug in the knowledge he made it in time for the next line.

I’m pretty sure I’m in an episode of Spaced. I look around. No one else seems to be noticing the hilarity of the situation. Said singer waxes lyrical for about 5 minutes about the bands to follow, telling us we’re in for a treat. "Great!" I think, "...at least we’ll have some decent entertainment tonight."

The Sunstones’ songs are great, really upbeat and catchy, but their front man is liability central. Maybe Pete Doherty can pull that off but this chap certainly can’t.

Thankfully, The Ripps are a treat. Young, punchy and totally together. The sound is clean and tight, hitting you with a few pop-punk tracks (if there is such a thing) then marching straight into Green Day territory. It’s upbeat, happy, non-apologetic angst. They have nothing to rebel against or fight for; they’re just having a flipping good time, and all this with great aplomb and professionalism. If they’ve had a few beers, you can’t tell and Patch looks like a real frontman – great name, great hair – like a late 70s children’s television cartoon character.

The Ripps are a threesome – Patch (guitar, lead vocals) and Raul Lagunas (bass), brothers from Coventry, and their friend Rachel Butt (drums, vocals). Their rapport is strong – cheeky banter between songs makes for an entertaining show. Their press release tells us that they rehearsed for a year before launching their talent on the world – and it shows. These guys are a no-faff, get-on, rock-out, leave-stage outfit. The entire set is revitalising – definitely a smack-in-the-face wake up call. Tonight they’re a support act but they wouldn’t be out of place in a headline slot.

Finishing off tonight’s acts are The Little Flames, a cool looking crowd fronted by the glamorous Eva Petersen. Eva’s smoky vocals lay against a variety of filmic themes. There are heavy guitars, floaty-light melodies, I can hear Ennio Morricone chords and the odd Supergrass riff.

They’re a hard band to shoehorn into a genre – most tracks wouldn’t be out of place on a Tarantino soundtrack - but this band are definitely in the rock camp. There is something thoroughly enjoyable about the whole affair, but tough to put your finger on exactly what makes it work. I get the feeling we’ll be hearing much more about them after their support slot on the upcoming Arctic Monkeys tour...

FUTURE GIGS

sorry, we currently have no gigs listed for this act.