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Kooky characters Flipron have a weird-arse reputation that precedes them, not least because their frontman Jesse is an out-and-out, dyed-in-the-wool eccentric. The four piece assume the stage with an understated charm, warming up casually into their set with a loose jam, before launching into it in earnest. Despite all the reports of muso avant-gardism, the tunes are really just a good serving of rootsy rock ‘n’ roll, Joe’s Hammond organ sound working nicely around Jesse’s wholesome mixture of blues and funk riffs and smooth chord progressions. But it’s the vocals that really make for the band’s distinct sound, unfortunately at the expense of too often jarring with the music; but if that’s a price Flipron are willing to pay, they are good enough musicians generally to get away with it. Just a shame we couldn’t hear the lyrics better; if Jesse’s contorted facials and scrunched looks are anything to go by, the content must be every bit as weird and depraved as the vocal melodies that carry it.
The Sweet Chap come on in brazenly confident style. The singer seems comfortable in his groove, and even does a good stab at some acoustic rhythm guitar, before abandoning it in favour of loping about the stage like an MC. Being a dance band, they are happy to favour someone on keyboards/synth over a real drummer, and this generally works fine for their sound, a fairly entertaining mix of soulful cadences and funky grooves, with some ambient guitar sounds thrown in for good measure. There’s no real killer hooks though, and the music never quite rises to the crescendo that you associate with a really good rock concert or DJ set. The best musician of the band is probably the bass player, so why he insists on periodically swapping his guitar for an oversized dildo-shaped strap-on keyboard, we know not. Must be that 80s revival thing…
Speaking of which, headliners The Modern are certainly intent on nailing their sound to this movement, and presumably cleaning up while they’re at it. Personally speaking, this kind of stuff just doesn’t float my boat, but if it’s your kind of thing and you rate the industrial electro-pop anthem spinners of that bygone decade, this might be what you’re looking for. It’s all very angular stuff, and they belt through one tune after the next, looking to carry the night on a wave of electronica. They don’t do a bad job of it; they're tight and have their period image down pat, all lop-sided hairdos and sharp suits. It’s just hard to see an act like this really lasting over time: jumping on the hype bandwagon for a couple of stops is one thing, staying on for the distance is another. Did I hear someone say there’s a Nineties revival just around the corner? Hang on tightly now, this’ll be a sharp turn…
