aaamusic | On 10, Dec 2010

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Rome, 1st December

I’ve never been to Coffee Pot before; it’s a warm venue looking like a living room, with big leather armchairs, a small wooden table and a little stage that are going to host Islington Boys’ Club.

At 10.45 pm the Italian quartet Formanta! entertains the audience with a polish indie-pop-rock, based on a clear guitar sound and a female voice who tries to sing with soprano/falsetto tones, sometimes failing, sometimes giving the tune a certain charm. It is a very good tune; their sound is pretty British and is perfect for this night.

Once they finish the Dj plays an amazing selection of the best indie music of 2010, that’s pretty unique in a nation used to hear pop or dance music with very few exceptions.

When Islington Boys Club get hold the stage I immediately have the impression that they have their own style: Andy looks very androgynous, hugged in white jacket and trousers, his hair are ruffled and he’s got a porcelain face. But behind this apparent fragility his vocals are powerful e scratched and he’s got the attitude of a real front man.

They start with the A-side of their debut single, Pristine, and it’s immediately clear that this tunes rocks. Even if they are penalized by a very bad music centre, they manage to convey the same dark punk arrangement, Andy seems to play in a state of trance, waving the long thin arms in the air; he reminds me Ian Curtis a little bit, maybe influenced by some similarities in their sound.

I have appreciated the drums style, beating like the running of a train, and the dirty way Daniel plays the guitar and collapses on his monitor to hear better the sound.

They showcase nine tunes, some of them are still in an embryonic stage and maybe they sound a bit too similar to their singles, but songs like Reading, Easy and Misfit are absolutely amazing, they easily go from darker atmospheres with fast paced drums and strong basslines to pure rock spikes.

They close the set with the B-side of their single, titled Plastic 16, it is a B-side but has got the quality of an A-side and the live version is enriched by the weariness of the four members who perform it with a final roar.

I’m sure they’re going to become a big band, can’t wait to listen to their debut album, still unset to be released.

Islington Boys Club single Pristine/Plastic 16 is out now.

Pristine
Conquer Me
1991
Subtraction//Division
Black Ink
Reading
Easy
Misfit
Plastic 16

Author: Roberta Capuano

Photos: Francesco Sciarrone