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Despite their self confessed rookie presence on the gigging scene, tonight’s first support – local lads The Negatives, have a pretty impressive cult fan base – thanks to a tight array of melodious and insanely catchy numbers, and an ever growing presence on Myspace. The beautiful and tiny front man – John Murray, had obvious nerves, and his self conscious uncertainty contrast sharply to the sheer talent the band posses. Crashing chords and insatiable riffs tunnel through their all-too-short set – the definite highlight being arguably the best song of the entire night, ‘Get Scene’. It practically screams “massive hit!!!!”
Pure Reason Revolution provide visually entertaining and audibly intriguing second support, bringing their eclectic mixture of chilled out eccentricity to a very appreciative crowd. Describing themselves as “Astral Folk” and “The New Prog”, this is a band very hard to capture in words…beautiful music and beautiful to watch, but maybe a little bit of a comedown after the rocking’s of The Negatives.
The main dudes of the night – Oceansize – finally get going after some technical hitches, which saw a hungry audience shouting out for the lead singer, and requesting songs. Again, hugely influential on the Myspace scene, this Mancunian collective really are one of the best kept semi-secrets of recent music. Sporting his trademark bright red shirt, lead singer Mike Vennart involved himself fully in the music, twisting his body in strange ways with the flow of the melodies, and performing some rather amusing leg-thrashings throughout.
Unique and bold, their big sound rests just this side of comfortable on their small shoulders. It’s this contrast that gives them the edge. “Remember Where You Are” and “You Wish” really champion the set.
Oceansize are clearly passionate lads when it comes to their music, and this is evident in the sheer intensity of which they perform. Their staunchly loyal fans are clearly very proud of their cult status, and at times the atmosphere veers to somewhat exclusive…the fans may well have to get used to sharing this band a bit more once the rest of the world wake’s up to their creative brilliance.
