My heart skips a little when there is hushed talk of the support act being french songstress and general all round cutie-pie Soko. But, alas, no, she was last nights support. Tonights opening act are Dirty North hotly tipped by Manchesters own John Robb who stands front and centre for their set. When people who's taste in music you respect tip you onto something there's no doubts you listen with more a considered ear than perhaps otherwise. Still, when Dirty North take the stage I think this is going to be a fine line...either really good or doggest of dog. Basically they look like a stoner games workshopper and his two ASBO mates, that's cruel perhaps, but descriptive. I'm informed the guitarist turned up to the gig without an amp, guitar strap or plectrum which had to be borrowed from Cornershop..not the greatest of omens. However it's clear that, and rather like the kitkat ads of yesteryear, despite the appalling sound, the bad image and more than a few sloppy mistakes Dirty North are a diamond in the rough. Their arctic monkeys/streets style lyrics gel well with the dub sounds they're going for. The guitarist and the drummers vocals work nicely and what becomes very apparent throughout their short set is that under the roughness lies songs, actual songs that are engaging. They need to polish up the music and get the sound tighter and louder. One for the future there me thinks.
Cornershop are a weird band. I say band, it's not really a band it's two guys, and it's not really two guys it's one guy. Tajinda Singh has been the leader of Cornershop for nearly twenty years and I struggle to think of another band that has stuck around for that long without any big selling albums or indeed any big singles. Sure there was that single, but that was a remix and when people compared the 'shop version to the remix almost everyone goes for the Fat Boy. When you consider their sound is a mix of sixties psychedelia, indian roots music and twee indie pop it's a major achievement to still be around. Currently it seems everyone is falling over themselves to heap praise on new album Judy Sucks A Lemon so it doesn't seem like their here just to make up the numbers.
One by one they take to the stage jamming along to the PA and kick of the set with a couple of older tracks including the brilliant "Sleep On The Left Side". There's seven in the band; drums, percussionist, panama hat wearing hammond player, bass, Tajinda on vocals and two guitar players...one of which is permanent member Ben Ayers stood virtually in darkness at the very edge of the stage.
They come across as slightly nervous and stiff, not helped by the backing track which is keeping them locked into a fixed momentum. I'm not sure what the backing track adds, except the obvious female backing vocals, it'd be nice to see them draft in some real people for the job a la Spiritualised. The ridgidity of the performance isn't helped by the absolute lack of stage presence. Tajinda Singh when not playing guitar looks awkward and uncomfortable up front and centre stage, often turning his back and ambling around almost in a vain attempt to get out of the spot light. The version of Mighty Quinn is raspingly good, I love the track in any case but still i feel if the band had of been singing along rather than leaving Tajinda to sing with the backing track I might've been brought to tears. Then they treat us to another gem their indian tinged version of Norweigen Wood, rather strangely and I must have missed something here they play it twice!!
Towards the end of their set they seem to find their groove. Long drawn out psychedelic sitar influenced guitar jams, I wish I could hear the percussion more because he seems to be putting his all into it but the sound mans AWOL. I find myself zoning out in tantric wonderment, headnodding totally immersed in the music. Yeah I'd had a few beers, maybe a few more than I should have but I was feeling it...maaaan, far out groovy. Not retro but nowtro.
If Cornershop didn't exist, and there's not a lot of bands you can say this about, there would be a solid need to invent them. Maybe they'll never sell a great deal of albums, but everybody needs a bit of indian sitar psychedelia in their lives, almost as much as everyone needs a bosom for a pillow.
