The Orwells @ Rescue Rooms [04/06/14]

If you can hear a loud crashing in the distance, it’s probably The Orwells. Fresh out of high school, the Chicago five-piece, ready to invade British soil, are hell bent on having a good time – and necking as much booze as possible in the process.

Carrying a reputation as one of the most frenetic live acts to hit the scene and on the back of their critically recognised Disgraceland EP, so much is expected from the band that it’s easy to forget they are merely a group of teenage, ragtag misfits.

Live tracks may come up short compared to their studio counterparts, but frontman Mario Cuomo’s mesmerising stage presence more than makes up for this. The singer constantly sizes up the crowd, lewdly waltzing around the stage.

There’s a dark, salacious undercurrent through the bulk of their output. Who Needs You has the riled lead singer spewing anti-American propaganda and shooting down “dear old Uncle Sam” while inciting unbridled chaos in the Rescue Rooms pit.

Songs like the provocative Dirty Sheets and Southern Comfort lyrically showcase a band embroiled in their rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. The latter sounds like a brawl between The Strokes and The Ramones. “Give me a smile and then take off your pants” howls a hedonistic Cuomo as he drenches the crowd with beer.

The frontman slithers between his bandmates like Iggy Pop on a shot of adrenalin. This is extra fitting when the group finish their set with a rousing take of I Wanna Be Your Dog.

With a little refinery to their live show, The Orwells can be world beaters. In true punk fashion, Cuomo and co stick two fingers up to conformity, and providing they don’t burn out first, they are in for one hell of a ride.


Read more: http://www.nottinghampost.com/Review-Orwells-Rescue-Rooms/story-21192975-detail/story.html#ixzz33mQMW2IL

Albert Hammond Jr @ The Bodega [12/05/14]

You’d think taking a break from one of the most iconic indie bands in the world and strutting your stuff on the solo circuit is no easy feat. Tell that to The Strokes’ very own Albert Hammond Jr; who takes it all in his stride at a sold-out Bodega.

Dwarfing the stage with his five-piece band, Hammond Jr welcomes the Nottingham crowd with an infectious grin. This may well be the smallest venue he’s ever played, but he’s certainly ready to blow the roof off. The frontman and his leather-clad cohorts waste no time tearing through a set showcasing a body of fine solo work – crested by his latest EP, the superb AHJ.

It comes as a no surprise that the bulk of Hammond Jr’s hits have a familiar Strokes vibe to them. As the saying goes, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. 101 is a prime example of this – layering intricate riffs over raw vocals to orchestral effect. What does come as a pleasant shock, however, is the frontman’s commanding stage presence. Seemingly happy to shun the spotlight with his parent band, Hammond Jr is given a new lease of life when taking up the protagonist’s role.

GfC is an angst-ridden track, with Hammond Jr howling to a loved one over a searing guitar line. The band, never missing a beat, could be fittingly described as a hybrid of Thin Lizzy-esque guitar harmonies with immediate, thrashing garage rock.

Always the crowd-pleaser, Hammond Jr returns from a lengthy pit-stop to play an impromptu encore – featuring the night’s most tender moment in the form of Hard to Live in the City. Before saying a final goodbye to Nottingham, the band deliver an anarchic, feedback-heavy rendition of Rocket.

He may have had the world in the palm of his hand with The Strokes, but it seems like Albert Hammond Jr is content to go it alone.



Read more: http://www.nottinghampost.com/Review-Albert-Hammond-Jr-Bodega/story-21088693-detail/story.html#ixzz33ft5evfw