aaamusic | On 28, Jul 2011

London, 22nd July

The  100 Club, the internationally famous venue whose stage has held the weight of musical icons ranging from Metallica to Champion Jack Dupree and everyone in between, the walls baring testament to the aforementioned lending an atmosphere of history, but more importantly – history in the making.

Van Susans could not have wished for a better podium from which to belt out their grin-slinging blend of contemporary alt-folk rock pop (this band evades definition with the ease its music pervades one’s mind) but their time to shine will have to wait as support bands Canvas Wall and The Lunar Pilots promote their wares – Debut single ‘Sooner or Later’ and new EP ‘Beautiful Game’ respectively.
The lucky throng that managed to buy tickets to this sold out event was sprinkled with cameras the size of which would give Jordan backache and the heady scent of oestrogen hung heavily in the increasingly humid air as Canvas Wall took to the stage after a carefully considered wait.

The alternative/rock group were, as one was later to learn, a surprise choice as openers – perhaps their blend of Vampire Weekend-esque chopped verse and spasmodic knee-jerkingly, almost groovy chorus beats were there to jumpstart the audience which suffice it to say would not have happened had The Lunar Pilots been given the same task.

Canvas Weekend rocked the house with contagious enthusiasm, grinning like Cheshire cats as their guitar driven choruses were banged out with unbounded ferocity by a drummer that would have put Dave Grohl to shame.  It is also to be noted that they hadn’t bowed to the current trend of Indie attire, with the bassist looking like he had come straight from the set of Con Air.

Next up were The Lunar Pilots, and with an opening like that the Van Susans were probably fearful  of being outdone but such fears were unfounded as, even on first impressions, this group did not impress with some kind of wedding singer waistcoat wardrobe on display.  Unfortunately the charisma of said band did little to dispel the feeling that they were hired hands save for the frontman who desperately threw himself into it heart and soul leaving a sense of pity in the pit of one’s stomach.

The Lunar Pilots, image aside, did play competently tightly and with great professionalism but were a letdown for those hungry to see them make the most of what could have been a career changing evening for them.

Up next were headliners the Van Susans who by the increasingly agitated state of the swollen crowd were without doubt the real stars of the night and they definitely did not disappoint.  With a set made up of potential chart-bothering feelgood tracks such as single ‘Bones’ and the sing-a-long soul-satisfying ‘Plans’, interspersed with a variety of new numbers such as ‘Old Flames’ and ‘ What it is to lose’ so good they had you at hello, no one could say they left untouched by their magnetism and sheer individualistic import.

This set was one not to be missed leaving the feeling that this is just the beginning of an ascent to greatness where those that attended will be able to say with pride that they were there when it all really kicked off for Beatnik Geek Records’ signing of the century.

Author:   Guy Waddington