Photo: WENN.com
There has been a lot of hype surrounding indie pop outfit Dog is Dead the past 12 months. The last year alone has seen the five piece from Nottingham play nearly every music festival imaginable as well as appearing on Channel 4 drama, Skins.
So their show last night at the tiny Borderline venue was the perfect chance for their loyal fans to get up close and personal in an intimate show as well as an opportunity for the band to dust off some older material and fan favourites.
Having only heard Dog is Dead on record before, it was a pleasant chance to hear a band live up to their polished recorded material. As soon as the band broke into the hugely popular 'Young', the packed-out crowd started to move; the seemingly tropical conditions of the basement venue not halting their desire to make the floor tremble through incessant jumping. Lead singer Robert Milton has such a calming aura around him, happy to chat to the band's supporters before breaking into another pop-soaked number, snatching influences from Foals, early Beach Boys and Vampire Weekend.
Despite various complications with their bass amp, the band still managed to pull off the chilled-out harmonic 'Glockenspiel Song' as well as adding anther dimension with the introduction of a saxophone into their sound.
Further technical troubles didn't seem to bother them as they swapped instruments and joked as if a live show is nothing more than just a group of friends playing music they love and this is probably Dog is Dead's greatest asset; they are making a living out of doing something that brought them together through passion and they appreciate their ability to do it.
Dog is Dead are a seriously good band; their young appearance adding to the charm of a very honest and sincere collective who are destined to move on to even greater things. This could be one of the last chances to see a band of this talent in an intimate surrounding before they go onto play much bigger venues on a regular basis.
