The Sunshine Underground

I predict Sunshine Underground to become another in that torrent of bands who, after a 'spectacular' first album, finds their career filled mainly with holes where people couldn't give a monkey's about what they're up too. Listening to them following songs such as Kasabian's 'Shoot the Runner' and lashings of Oasis while striped polo shirted fellows idly twitch in response almost seems too stereotypical.

After a bit of a lengthy and unprofessional set up ("get on with it!" one of the Fred Perrys cries) which launch into new song 'Coming to Save You'. There even seems to be a bit of a Battles influence shining through, which instantly grabs my attention due to its vast difference to what I expecting. A mocking, high-pitched and entirely fictitious entity quips "irony!" just before vocalist Craig Wellington brings the quality of the whole thing down. The backing music is a genuinely interesting blend of a few different schools of indie guitar music but Wellington wails a horribly characteristic singing style over it just cutting through the potential like hot knives. And is that Matt Bellamy he keeps trying to emulate?



With a bit of a Placebo tinge added into that Showbiz era Muse while some Jonny Greenwood guitar cuts in over it the first few numbers (mainly new songs) are consistently impressive musically and they keep the set tight. At this early stage not everyone in that crowd had loosened up yet, however, and the air was a little bit stale because of it. It's only really the more pissed amongst us that found the energy on this hot night to get physical from the get go but one song changes all that.

It's the old single 'Commercial Breakdown' that gets the room more ready for this gig. The song itself is a fairly well written drunken 'shout at the top of your lungs to lyrics you only half know' tune which comes off nice and anthemic. It's the singing along and pointing fingers though that show this band's potential to be another good example of that very exclusive genre now that Oasis have confirmed that they haven't got anything left to offer.



The new tunes don't receive the same response as the established oldies (as is to be expected) but I think this is where the real gem of a band is to uncovered. This is where their interesting influences shine through and where implementation of their ideas is clearly at its best. Let's just hope that once these tunes become established Sunshine Underground canon that they'll maintain this more culturally lucrative direction (especially with brilliantly different and excellently produced 'From the City to the Sea' being released free recently).

At the moment Sunshine Underground have to be placed into the 'ones to watch' category. They're certainly not a breathtakingly good band, but by that token they're by no means shit. From here, we'll just have to see which one they begin to age more towards.

FUTURE GIGS

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