aaamusic | On 31, Jan 2011

London, 28th January

A sense of eager anticipation suffused Camden Barfly on Friday night as London-based band Ideals took to the stage. From looking around the venue it be impossible to characterize an Ideals fan- seemingly their appeal transcends common barriers of age, gender and style.

Ideals gave a machine like performance: each component working seamlessly in sync with the others. The striking vocals of lead singer Andrew Major had the room in awe as he carried the band through the performance with ease. The industrious guitars pushed out relentless riffs and an energetic drumbeat permeated the sound. It was a shame that the trumpet didn’t make as much impact as one would hope but this is more a criticism to the venue than to the band.

Highlights of the set included Forever Leisure and the bands latest single Significant Other. Although Ideals’ seem to take a fairly formulaic approach to creating their music, it’s a formula that works. Although I feel that the band have not completely defined themselves or their sound yet, they undoubtedly have something and are an exciting addition to what can seem at times to be a fairly mundane indie scene.

Every song that Ideals’ produce is crammed full of hooks making their tunes perfect for a live atmosphere. The pummelling sounds of Ideals left its mark on the venue and on every person that walked out of it that evening.

Author: Alice Cuddy