Narc. Magazine Online
Reliably informed
Damian Robinson enjoys a night of spiky post-punk fun courtesy of the North East masters
Image by Amelia Read
Given the year they’ve already had, it’s great to see the Boiler Shop pretty much full for the entrance of tonight’s opener Du Blonde. Fresh from a recent tour in support of new material, including a sold out Cluny show, Du Blonde is fully in charge tonight as they storm the stage and take ownership of the crowd through a combination of sharp poppy tunes and the ‘right’ kind of attitude. With this type of momentum, fingers crossed Du Blonde will be back in the region soon enough (perhaps even as Boiler Shop headliners themselves).
Leaving little time to catch our breaths, it’s a very quick turnaround from Du Blonde to The Futureheads as they bound straight on to a great 1-2 combination of The Beginning of the Twist and Struck Dumb. Maintaining their energy throughout the twenty-song(ish) set The Futureheads deliver on their recent collection of singles album release and provide a heavy selection of their better known material. Standouts Skip To The End and (obviously) Hounds of Love summarise a show that feels both nostalgic yet fresh at the same time; you know the songs but they’re being played as if they were written recently. The band deliver a set full of spiky guitars, post-punk grooves and clever musicality; tonight proves there hasn’t been many better North Eastern acts over the past twenty years. A genuinely proud night for the North East.
